This post includes referral links. Thoughts are my own.
When Pete and I were first married, we had very little money. I learned about a now-defunct site called The Grocery Game and I got into extreme couponing. The site saved us thousands of dollars by telling us what coupons matched the lowest prices at which stores. On Sunday mornings I would get the paper and Pete and I could visit five or six stores, and only buy one thing in bulk. I was very sad when it died in 2016.
I’m still a bargain shopper, but I mostly use cashback sites combined with coupons for maximum savings.
Groceries
I approach groceries in a similar way as I did before, just a little less hardcore. I join the rewards club for whichever store and start out with their digital coupons. Then I head over to my Ibotta app and add cash back coupons there. It automatically links to Walmart, where we get everything but produce and meat most of the time. If you’re not shopping at Walmart, you have to take a picture of your receipt and sometimes scan a barcode or two to verify your purchase. I have gotten certain items for free or made money off them in the past. It’s also a good way to try new products if you would prefer not to pay full price on something you may not like.
Once shopping is done, I use Fetch to take a picture of my physical receipt. Fetch uses a point system to get giftcards back, and they will offer extra points on different products. You can also join special interest groups like one for General Mills’ or sync your digital receipts through you email accounts, Amazon, and Walmart.
Everything Else
I use a mix of browser extensions and cash back sites shopping for everything else. Once I’ve decided on what I’m going to buy, I head over to Cashback Monitor to see what the the different sites are offering.
| Site/referral link | Lifetime earnings | How it works | If you use my referral you get | If you use my referral I get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dosh | $234 | App | N/A | Not doing referrals right now, but you can try! |
| Drop | $126 | App | $5 | $5 |
| Honey | $83 | Site/Browser Extension/App | N/A | 500 points |
| Ibotta | $380 | App/Browser Extension | $5 | $7 |
| Mr Rebate | $77 | Site/App | $5 | A bonus of 20% of your rebate |
| Rakuten | $280 | Site/Browser Extension/App | Extra 10% cash back | $30 |
| RebatesMe | $35 | Site/Browser Extension/App | $10 | $10 |
| Top Cashback | $300 | Site/Browser Extension/App | Nothing unless there is a promo | $35 |
| Lifetime Total | $1,515 |
If there is a site that you know of and I should check out, please let me know!
