Step 27 of The Financial Fitness Bootcamp Course

We’ve talked a bit about how food is a variable expense that can make or break the budget. Meal planning and having a food storage base are fantastic ways to combat overspending in your food category. Challenge #2 was designed to help combat overspending eating out by keeping a list of easy go-to meals you can make at home.

For me, one of the biggest savings on groceries comes from buying items on sale and using coupons. I have been couponing for years (over 15 years actually) and I save anywhere from $200-$350 a month.

I was couponing before the days of coupon match-up sites and was left doing all the research by myself.

I would spend hours looking over my coupons, searching the ads, and walking up and down the isles in the stores, calculator in one hand and pen and paper in the other. It took hours every week to be successful.

Then there was a surge of deal bloggers that began emerging on the internet, trying to save us all time. I was so happy to get help.

I was able to find a deal on one site and go to another blog and find a deal there. It was easier than doing it myself for the most part.

These websites and apps come in super handy when wanting to save.

No longer are the days of spending hours to save $50 at the grocery store each trip.

Here are a few apps/websites and some general tips.

Coupon match up sites I like:

TheKrazyCouponLady.com

GrocerySmarts.com

Rebate apps:

Ibotta

Checkout51

When you click on a store it shows you the deal and cheapest price you can get it at.

You don’t even have to have a coupon binder or collect coupons. A lot of the digital coupons can be loaded to your store loyalty cards (if applicable) from Links on these sites. Others can be printed from any computer.

Challenge #27 is to check out www.grocerysmarts.com and www.thekrazycouponlady.com for sale items at a nearby store you usually shop at. Next trip, spend 10 minutes making a list of items that are on sale that you can incorporate into your weekly or bi-weekly meal plan. Then, after your shopping trip, use the rebate apps for cash back (these do work). Download them here.

If you are not a US resident, take a few minutes and search online to see how you can find good deals at the store(s) you usually shop at.

You can start saving dramatically just by buying items when they are on sale. You’ll save even more when you pair the sale items with digital, printable, or paper coupons.

For more tips on how to coupon check out my post.

Couponing for Beginners: 11 Tips That Will Save You Thousands

For advanced couponers check out my post: 17 Mistakes Couponers Make and How to Avoid Them.