Save Money- with NO Coupons

It’s been a very windy day here in our Wonderful Wurld- much moreso than any other day that I’ve lived here. It might not have been my best planning to attempt to go on an hour round trip to the grocery store solo today (I already hate driving 70 miles an hour, let alone having my car rocked the whole time). However, faced with two busy afternoons ahead serving at our home church, it was either go buy food or eat very small, sad meals the rest of the week and completely empty our cabinets and fridge.

So I made my list, attempted to set up my printer to print off a bunch of coupons, failed to set up said printer (that’s what happens when I procrastinate), promptly forgot the list on the counter, and made my way to through semi-truck heavy traffic. Thankfully, I had no troubles finding my way to the store (….this time-when I attempted this trip last week I failed and got lost), could sort of recall by memory my grocery list, and had my wonderful money-saving apps on hand.

If you are a newlywed wife like me, trying to save some money wherever you can, then you should have both ibotta and Checkout 51 apps downloaded on your phone (no, this is not a sponsored post- I just love them!). Checkout 51 can be used at any store; simply check off which items you might buy (it changes every week!) and once you purchase them, scan your receipt and make money! ibotta is similar, but it is organized by particular store (I use Walmart, Walgreens, and the Dollar Tree the most). Every item has a certain rebate attached to it (ranging from $.20-$3.00) and once you hit a certain amount of rebates earned, you can have it added to a Paypal account or uploaded to a gift card.

Each one has its perks over the other; but the best news is that you can use them together to get two times the money! Checkout 51 has a much smaller selection and a higher minimum amount ($20) but you have the freedom to buy things at any store- this really helps me since the stores closest to me are not available on ibotta. ibotta does have a much greater product choice and you can make money faster- plus they run promotions where you get extra rebate money for hitting certain goals! However, to unlock most rebates for items you have to answer a simple poll question or watch a 30 second video whereas with Checkout 51 you simply click to unlock.

How great is it that you can earn some money on purchases you have to make anyway? I think it’s awesome! Between both apps and just two weeks of a little grocery shopping, I have made almost $10! And that’s with me not using any other coupons in conjunction with the apps.

If you are interested in trying it out ibotta, click here or download the app. You can enter the referral code kxgegsq and we will become friends on the app and help make each other money as a team!

For Checkout 51, click here or download the app (you get a bonus $1 just for signing up!).

I wanted to share these apps because I feel a little satisfaction every time I scan an item and save some money- and I want you to feel that too! Eventually, as I learn more of the tricks of the trade of couponing, I will save more money and share what I have learned. For now, though, I am happy with the little progress I have made- and my love thinks it is awesome.

Do you have any money-saving tips or helpful apps you use? I would love to hear about it in the comments!