I have always been frugal and love to find amazing deals and different methods of saving money. I started clipping coupons from the newspaper during my college years and I’ve been hooked ever since. The feeling of cutting your grocery bill in half by using coupons and cash-back is amazing, especially when you have little money to work with and need to make your budget stretch very far. And think of it this way: the less you spend on groceries = the more you have to spend on home decor!
The last few years I have discovered some amazing money saving apps that take little time and effort to bring you some major savings. Gone are the days of having to clip all of your coupons directly from the newspaper. Now by using your phone you can scan mobile coupons, have coupons printed from your home printer, buy and sell second-hand clothing, browse the best deals of the week, earn money back from grocery purchases, and even score gift cards just for “checking-in” to the store when you walk in! I have compiled a list so that you can start saving some serious money too.
6 Essential Money Saving Apps
Shopkick
By using Shopkick you can earn “kicks” for walking in to your local stores and scanning products that are featured at the store. To get your walk-in kicks you open your app as you walk into the entrance of the store, then the walk-in notification bubble will pop up to tell you that you have earned your kicks. You can also find exclusive coupons within the app that you can use on your purchase. Once you have earned enough kicks you can redeem them for gift cards. Score! Download it here and you’ll get a $2 gift card once you sign up!
Ibotta
The Ibotta app is a fun way to earn money back on the groceries that you purchase. I love that they usually feature cash back on everyday items like milk and produce. You unlock the cash back offers that you will be purchasing, then scan/select your purchased items and upload a photo of your receipt confirming that you have purchased the items. Once your purchases are verified (usually within a day or two) your balance will be updated. When your balance reaches $20 you can make a deposit to your PayPal account or redeem for a gift card!
Another fun feature to check periodically is the Bonuses Section where you can earn additional cash back by purchasing select offers or a combination of offers. They also have Clothing, Restaurant, Beauty, Specialty and Convenience Store options as well. When you sign up here and redeem your first rebate you will get $10!
Hip2Save
This app is the mobile version of Hip2Save.com and can be found in the app store. Hip2Save is a fantastic money-saving blog that I check daily. You will find online and in-store deals, weekly coupon match-ups for your favorite stores, a coupon database to search available coupons, and much more! Go take a look, you’ll be glad you did.
Cartwheel
The Cartwheel app is a money saving app for Target. You can add offers to your Cartwheel account while you shop, then at checkout have the cashier scan your unique barcode to take off your savings. You can use this in conjunction with Target mobile coupons and manufacturer coupons. There are usually offers ranging from 5%-50% off of groceries, decor, clothing and more! Some offers expire quickly so I try to check my Cartwheel a few times a week to check for new offers. You can download the Cartwheel app here.
Mercari
Mercari is an app for selling and purchasing items. It can be a useful way to sell your unwanted items, like having an online garage sale. When you sell items you get money added to your balance which you can deposit to your checking account or use on purchases made through the app. I’ve found great deals on gently used brand-name clothing items for my children and myself. When you use my code “HDMYMH” to join Mercari you will get $2 off your first purchase! You can download Mercari here.
Coupons
The coupons app is a mobile version of coupons.com, a website for printing coupons from your home printer. The app is super simple to use and you can print 2 prints of each coupon! They are sorted into categories and you can use the search bar at the top to search for a specific coupon or category. To print your coupons you select the coupons, select print, and then select your wireless printer from the options that appear. Super easy! This is a great app to use to find coupons for groceries, personal care items, pet food and more! You can find this app in the app store by searching “coupons.com”.
Tip: When using coupons always read the fine print to make sure you are using the coupon correctly. Stores have different coupon policies, so it is always a good idea to familiarize yourself with the store’s coupon policy before you shop. You can find some more useful couponing tips here at Hip2Save.com.
By using these 6 essential money saving apps you will be sure to save some money and stretch your budget! Do you already use money saving apps? Which ones are your favorites?
