1. Price Matching
Time requirement per week: 30-45 minutes - Money saved per week: $5 - $50
Price matching is when a retailer matches another competitor's advertised price for the same item. Target and Walmart are the only two stores that I know of in my area who price match. With that being said, I tried price matching a couple of times at Target and the cashier didn't have a clue what to do either time. The first time, the cashier found a way to change the price on their own, and the second time, the cashier called over a manager who rudely told me that when I was finished checking out, I would need to go over to customer service with the ad and get a refund.
This leaves Walmart. Oh Walmart.... Let it be known that I'm not a fan of Walmart. If they were to ever stop price matching, they would lose my business immediately. They treat their employees poorly and that trickles down to poor customer service 90% of the time. I make sure I'm especially nice to the cashier because I know that price matching is extra work for them. I also attempt to find an experienced cashier so the process is as painless as possible.
First, you need to know what other stores exist in your area. I collect ads from my Sunday paper, mailbox, and the rest I find on the internet. I then search the ads for things I'm already buying or potential menu items for the week. When I find something I want to price match, I add it to the list I keep in my phone. I write something like this with the price and the store where I found the deal for easy reference: Chicken breast $1.79/lb Kroger
After I've made my list and I'm at the store, I place normally priced items in the back of my cart and price matching items at the front to keep them separated. When I check out, I place the price-matched items on the counter first, alert the cashier, and then read the prices off my phone. Easy! Walmart's price matching rules can be found here.
It is policy (at least at my Walmart) that the cashiers always have the ads on hand, but I bring the ads with me anyway. My cashier a few weeks ago let it slip that their managers don't require them to check the price unless you are trying to price match anything at 50% or less of the original price. I suppose it operates a bit on the honor system but I'm always careful to not abuse the system.
2. Coupons
Time requirement per week: 15-60 minutes - Money saved per week: $1 - $20
Coupons are tricky. When a manufacturer creates a coupon, they do not have your budget or good at heart. They are banking on you buying an item that you wouldn't otherwise buy. It's so easy to get sucked into buying things you don't need because you "saved" money buying it. When I'm in the store and I'm really debating on whether or not to get something I have a coupon for, I have a conversation something like this in my head, "Do we need this or will it serve in the place of something I would've otherwise bought? Sure, I may save $2 with this coupon, but I'll save $8 if I don't buy it at all."
Where do I get my coupons? I have a subscription to the Sunday newspaper and most of my coupons come from there. I also use an app called "Coupons.com". I browse the coupons when I have some downtime, select the coupons, email a link to myself (directly through the app, I just have to push a button) and then print the coupons from my computer. You can also just go to their website and print the coupons directly from there.
I put my coupons in a little 4x6 photo album that slides into my purse for easy organizing.
3. Ibotta
Time requirement per week: 5 minutes - Money saved per week: $0.50 - $5
If you're my Facebook friend, then you've heard me rave about Ibotta. Here's how it works: They have "offers" which are like coupons. You do little tasks to earn the offers like answer a question or post to Facebook (I always set my privacy settings to "only me" when I post so that my friends aren't inundated with advertisements). You go to the store where it's always a good idea to scan the product's barcode to make sure it matches the offer. That's all you need to do at the store.
After you come home, take a picture of the receipt and scan barcode of the product. They add money to your account and you can get cash back through Paypal or choose from several gift card options.
The thing that makes this app so great is that it's additional savings independent of all other deals making it possible to combine Ibotta offers with price matching and coupons. I almost always come home with something free and it's usually thanks to Ibotta.
If you decide to use Ibotta, please use my referral link HERE. I'll earn $5 for each referral who redeems their first offer.
4. Checkout 51
Time requirement per week: 1 minute - Money saved per week: $0.50 - $3
This app is similar to Ibotta in that it can be combined with other offers. It's simpler in the way that you don't need to do anything to earn the offers. You just buy the product and take a picture of your receipt. I've never had any problem getting my account credited. They wait until you've earned $20 and then mail you a check. I've just recently begun using this app and so I haven't earned the $20 yet.
Target Tips:
If you're going to attempt price matching here, more power to ya. I know people who save a lot of money at Target and I do it on occasion.
- You can use a Target coupon in addition to a manufacturer coupon on the same item
- Target's app, Cartwheel, offers 5-45% off items (you can also combine this with coupons)
- Use a Target debit or credit to get an additional 5% off your entire purchase
Kroger tips:
- Add coupons to your Kroger Plus Card from their website (unfortunately, cannot be combined with paper coupons)
- Every Friday they have a "Free Friday Download" which is usually a coupon you add to your Plus Card for a free item
- Use the app "Saving Star" to add coupons to your Plus Card (or any other loyalty cards you may have)
- Make sure Kroger has your correct address (through your Plus Card) because they mail out some pretty great coupons
So there you have it. In conclusion, yes, this is like a part-time job and it saves me as much money as a part-time job. Choose any or all of these ideas, but these are my favorites. Please comment (on here as opposed to Facebook) with any questions or other great money-saving ideas!