How To Save Money On Everyday Items I Buy -

I was just thinking about ALL the ways my mom used to save money when we were kids. She was the coupon queen in my eyes. Always clipping the coupons from the Sunday paper (am I dating myself here?), and organizing them in her envelope which fit nicely into her purse.

It is no surprise that I was embarrassed to be in the grocery store line with her- as we could be there for 5 minutes alone just scanning coupons and making sure all items got rung in with the correct price. She would always graciously let people in line in front of her because we might “take a little extra time”.

Well, look at me now. I have officially turned into my mother. The old saying could never be truer. If I actually got the Sunday paper, I would definitely be clipping coupons and looking for the best deals on foods according to the local supermarket ads.

I thought that I would share some of the apps and online programs I use to save me money on the things that I buy everyday. Maybe you might take a moment to see if some of these are things you might want to join in on?

There are tons of programs and ways that you can save money here and there on your groceries and activities. I used to use clip coupons from magazines or newspaper ads. But let’s face it, the world has gone digital. Everything is now an app, or an online program that lets you log in to virtually clip coupons.

Some of my favorite ways that I save money on a weekly basis may be a little time consuming, but worth it in the long run. Sitting down BEFORE you go to the store, and clipping coupons ahead of time means NO physical coupons to bring with you!

What to look for:

Does your grocery store have an online rewards program or coupon system? If so, just by registering with (usually) just your phone number or email address, you can save money on products that are not advertised in store.
- For instance, a chain here called Meijer has a reward system called MPerks. If you go online and virtually clip coupons from their MPerks site, you can save money on selected products just as if you had a physical coupon. At the checkout, your coupons have been stored and linked to your account, so when you go to enter your phone number when paying, it automatically adds your savings from the approved purchased items.
SALES! I know this is an obvious one, but do you shop for items when they are on sale, or do you just buy whatever you need, whatever you need it? If I see that there are certain deals for items I buy regularly, I might buy them on sale and stock up.
Use retailer apps! My favorites are Target (Cartwheel) and Ibotta! With the Cartwheel App, you can search for deals at Target from your home, or while you’re in store. You can even scan a product’s barcode while in store to see if there is an extra percentage off on it, or a manufacture coupon that you can save to your app and redeem it at checkout. I try to clip all of my items at home before I get to Target, since I don’t want to dilly-dally in the store with 3 kids in tow, trying to look up all of the sales.
- With the Ibotta app, you “clip” your offers on the app, buy the item at store, and then upload your receipt. The money saved gets credited back to you, in the form of gift cards or cash (via paypal)! I’ve been able to redeem almost $100 back already! (Feel free to use my Ibotta code if you want to sign up under me! We can earn team bonuses!)
Use a credit/debit card that earns points or cash back when you shop at certain retailers. I know that some people are hesitant to use a card that earns cash back, maybe because they carry an annual fee, or that they just don’t want to use a credit card. I have a credit card that earns 2x the dollar amount at grocery stores. This is a great way to earn points back to redeem for cash on everyday items you buy anyway.
- One of my favorite cards I use is the Target Red Card. I can use this card for all of my Target purchases, and save an additional 5% off of my order! Not only is that a great deal, but I can stack it with the Cartwheel app deals! The card is linked with my debit card, so I use it with a pin number just like a debit card.
Online Shopping with Ebates or Rakuten! If you are a regular online shopper, then you should consider downloading the Ebates or Rakuten Chrome Extension, or their respective apps for your phone! If you were to go online to a retailer, the program would automatically tell you if there is a rebate and how much the rebate is for. Once the store confirms that you have made a purchase, it lets you know that you have earned cash back!
- Ebates and Rakuten make a number of bonus offers available to its members, including:
  - Bonus offers for making a qualifying purchase with select retailers.
  - A Welcome Bonus for new members after making a qualifying purchase.
  - Refer-A-Friend bonuses, received after your referral makes a qualifying purchase.