Save Money On Groceries

How to Save Money on Groceries

How to save money on groceries

Saving money on groceries

I love finding simple and easy ways to save money. I especially like to save money on groceries because it’s savings I can see right away.  

Today I’m going to share with you my favorite money saving grocery app in this honest review!

This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a commission when you make a purchase through one of these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, check out my disclosure.

I can’t believe I hadn’t been using Ibotta sooner. It’s an amazing way to save money at the grocery store and you can use it on top of coupons!

What is Ibotta?

Ibotta is an app that helps you save money at popular places you already shop by giving you rebates for certain items.  

I started using this only to save money on groceries.  There are a lot of grocery offers from both local and/or regional chains, as well as familiar national grocery chains.  The great thing about Ibotta is it isn’t just for groceries!  

You can get rebates for places like Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Ulta, and JoAnn Fabrics (just to name a few of my favorites).  

In addition to brick and mortar locations, you can use the app for mobile purchases through sites like VRBO, Orbitz, iTunes, and quite a few others.

Is Ibotta Legit?

Yes! Ibotta is totally legit! I have redeemed plenty of rebates and cashed out, receiving the money to my PayPal account with no issues whatsoever! I can honestly tell you I believe Ibotta is one of the best money saving grocery apps.

How Ibotta Works

Ibotta works by partnering with companies to offer rebates for consumers (like me and you) when they buy their products.

To get the most out of Ibotta, you can also combine their rebates with your coupons to for even more ways to save money at the grocery store!

Let’s get into the step-by-step on how to use Ibotta.

After you create an account, you can select some of your favorite stores.  The offers available at these stores will usually show up on your home screen when you open the app.

Keep reading for exactly how to use the app!

Save money on groceries every week!

Adding offers

Now that you have your home screen set up with your favorite stores, it’s time to start adding offers!

If you’ve linked a loyalty card, you definitely need to add these offers before you go grocery shopping.

If you haven’t linked a loyalty card, you can always wait until after you shop to add the offers, as long as you add the offers before you scan and upload a receipt.

I always go through the app and add offers first so I can compare them with coupons I’ve found.

For example, we definitely have our preferences of toilet paper, but sometimes a different brand will have a rebate that our regular brand does not. In that case, I’m usually willing to switch brands to get a rebate.

All you have to do is go through the offers for your store and click the little plus (+) sign in the bottom right corner for each offer. Sometimes you may need to watch a quick video, answer a survey question, etc.

How to save money on groceries

Before committing to an offer, make sure you read the description to see if there are any special requirements!

For example, sometimes you will need to purchase two of the item for it to qualify for a rebate. Sometimes only certain sizes or varieties qualify.

Like this $1 rebate for chocolate chips – the rebate only works on 20-24 ounce bags.

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You can verify at the grocery store that you’re buying the correct items to qualify for a rebate by tapping “Check Product Barcode” and then scanning the item while you’re at the store.

>>>Helpful Tip<<<

You should also check the bonuses available. These can be found by tapping “Earn More” at the bottom of the app. It’s nice to check these out every time so you can make sure you’re really saving money at the grocery store

I also like to compare rebate offers to any coupons I will be using. I know, I said I’m lazy about coupons.  The extent of my couponing is going through my grocery store’s app to see what coupons matchup with my grocery list.  

As an example, by using a coupon for $1 off a specific brand of toilet paper, I saved that $1 up front.  Ibotta was offering a $1 rebate for the same brand of toilet paper.  Once I submitted my receipt, I received the $1 rebate, saving $2 total on my toilet paper purchase.

Scanning Receipts

Your shopping is done, you’re back home and all the groceries are put away. Now it’s time to scan the receipt and get your rebate!

All you do is tap the center “Redeem” option at the bottom of the app. From here you can select the store you shopped at. Make sure you are taking a picture of the full receipt in the app.

If you need to snap a picture and then add multiple parts for longer receipts, that’s completely fine! Sometimes my receipts go in 4 or more parts.

After scanning your receipt, Ibotta will try to identify all the offers on it that you can redeem. Sometimes they may miss one of the rebates you added. But that’s okay!

All you do is tap the plus sign next to the item on your list, and Ibotta will have you scan the barcode of the item and you’ll be good to go!

Once you get your receipts uploaded, your rebates will be available and showing in your account within 48 hours!

Bonuses

Go for bonuses!

Money saving grocery apps

These are some examples of current bonuses available at the time of writing this article. There are quite a few more offered for specific brands as well!

Simply tap the bonus, and then see what the requirements are to qualify and receive the bonus. Let’s take the Weekend Warrior bonus as an example.

How Ibotta works

So, this bonus applies to purchases made 12/5/19 after 10am Eastern time, and expires on 12/9/19.

If I redeem 10 offers during this time period, I will receive an extra $3 on top of what I already received from those individual rebates.

Note: A “unique offer” is something that is usually brand specific.  So, for example, if the offer says “Bananas – Any brand, any variety” it does not count as a unique offer.

You can also connect with friends to get teamwork bonuses (and motivation!).

>>>Helpful Tip<<<

Don’t buy things you don’t need.  I get it.  When I started using Ibotta I made this mistake.  I would redeem an offer for something I didn’t need or even really enjoy.  It’s not worth it and you won’t really be saving if you buy it just for the sake of buying it for a rebate.

How to receive your earnings

It’s as easy as going into your account and tapping “Withdraw Cash.”

You can have the money sent to your PayPal account or you can redeem it as a gift card to one of many different retailers

The cash out threshold is $20 for either way. Some gift cards do require a minimum of $25.

You do not have to cash out in increments of $20, you just need a minimum of $20 in rebates to cash out.

Save money at the grocery store today!

Signing up for Ibotta is easy. Using Ibotta is easy. Why not start getting cash back for your purchases you were going to make anyway?!

Still not convinced? The average American household spends $7,729 on food annually, according to this article from TheStreet. Why not get some of that back in rebates?

While you’re here, sign up to get e-mails so I can send you info on other money saving apps and other sites like Ibotta!

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