I have moved off of Acorns App. Had tons of trouble with it, I would not recommend it!

I have used acorns app before. It saves your spare change.

Has anyone tried any apps that help save money? I've used Ibotta and eBates with some benefits, but I'm seeing more and more apps that encourage you to connect your credit cards in order to save without having to think about it. All post their "promise of security" but it just doesn't seem like a smart idea to connect credit cards and bank accounts in the hopes of saving a few dollars. Anyone else have thoughts about this, or am I paranoid?

I love going to a farmers market to get my produce. Its much better and cheaper.

JGibbs wrote:

FrankN wrote: I have heard couponing can be a lot of work as well. I usually just try and buy store brand items and try not to waste food. No other real tricks/tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

You can save a ton on fresh fruits and vegetables by joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Sign ups have already started here and slots fill up quickly. If you have one nearby I recommend trying it, especially if you don't garden.

Some farms in my area offer this. I love the idea of supporting local farms, but with it just being me, there's no way it would work out in my favor. I've talked to friends about going in together and splitting it, but that hasn't been successful either. As of now, I'm sticking to Aldi and a local for my produce.

JGibbs wrote:

FrankN wrote: I have heard couponing can be a lot of work as well. I usually just try and buy store brand items and try not to waste food. No other real tricks/tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

You can save a ton on fresh fruits and vegetables by joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Sign ups have already started here and slots fill up quickly. If you have one nearby I recommend trying it, especially if you don't garden.

And do the fruits and vegatables come from your area?

FrankN wrote: I have heard couponing can be a lot of work as well. I usually just try and buy store brand items and try not to waste food. No other real tricks/tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

You can save a ton on fresh fruits and vegetables by joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). Sign ups have already started here and slots fill up quickly. If you have one nearby I recommend trying it, especially if you don't garden.

There are many ways to save on everyday items. Like using Walmart bags for small trash can liners, using corn starch for instead of talcum powder, and more. Sometimes the way I judge whether or not I am making enough money is to be able to buy everything premade. Just my views on it.

JGibbs wrote:

FrankN wrote:
Do they send you coupons then? I guess I don't understand how it saves you money.

I'm surprised you aren't using all those apps and other tricks. If you do decide to use them in the future, use a fake address, name, email, and phone number so you aren't giving away your information to every marketer in the country. The same is true for a store loyalty card. I always use fakes. When using Walmart Savings Catcher, I always pay in cash at the store so I'm not getting tracked. So, what's your go to method of saving money at the store?

That Extreme Couponing show inspired me to try coupons. I followed a few blogs which gave instructions for where and how to achieve big savings. It worked, but it sure was hard work and took a lot of time. I didn't buy any coupons, but it really did eat up my time. I donated my stockpile and quit doing it. You can only use so much shampoo.

I have heard couponing can be a lot of work as well. I usually just try and buy store brand items and try not to waste food. No other real tricks/tips when it comes to grocery shopping.

I'll bet that if a company set up their website in such a way that you can put items in a cart, but you cannot check out until 24 hours after the last item was put in, that they would be very popular. Especially among the frugal types. Or better still, let the shopper have the option of changing that time frame to anything longer than 24 hours.

FrankN wrote:
Do they send you coupons then? I guess I don't understand how it saves you money.

I'm surprised you aren't using all those apps and other tricks. If you do decide to use them in the future, use a fake address, name, email, and phone number so you aren't giving away your information to every marketer in the country. The same is true for a store loyalty card. I always use fakes. When using Walmart Savings Catcher, I always pay in cash at the store so I'm not getting tracked. So, what's your go to method of saving money at the store?

That Extreme Couponing show inspired me to try coupons. I followed a few blogs which gave instructions for where and how to achieve big savings. It worked, but it sure was hard work and took a lot of time. I didn't buy any coupons, but it really did eat up my time. I donated my stockpile and quit doing it. You can only use so much shampoo.

FrankN wrote:

CentsibleSaver wrote:

FrugalFran wrote: How about those apps where you upload a photo of your receipt and get money back? I've seen a couple of them, but I can't remember the names. Is anyone here familiar with these apps?

I use Walmart Savings Catcher (I hate shopping at Walmart though), Saving Star, and Ibotta. I've gotten some free items and saved a bundle by using each of these. It just takes a minute to upload the receipt and it's been worth my time.

Do they send you coupons then? I guess I don't understand how it saves you money.

Saving Star and Ibotta are cash back apps. Once you buy the product and verify it with the barcode of the item and/or the receipt you get the posted amount. Once you hit the minimum (usually $25), you can transfer the money to PayPal.

The receipt ones someone mentioned, like Receipt Hog and Fetch Rewards, are apps where all you do is upload the receipt to earn points. The points can be redeemed for cash or gift cards. This works because the information is sold to marketing researchers.

CentsibleSaver wrote:

FrugalFran wrote: How about those apps where you upload a photo of your receipt and get money back? I've seen a couple of them, but I can't remember the names. Is anyone here familiar with these apps?

I use Walmart Savings Catcher (I hate shopping at Walmart though), Saving Star, and Ibotta. I've gotten some free items and saved a bundle by using each of these. It just takes a minute to upload the receipt and it's been worth my time.

Do they send you coupons then? I guess I don't understand how it saves you money.

FrugalFran wrote: How about those apps where you upload a photo of your receipt and get money back? I've seen a couple of them, but I can't remember the names. Is anyone here familiar with these apps?

I use Walmart Savings Catcher (I hate shopping at Walmart though), Saving Star, and Ibotta. I've gotten some free items and saved a bundle by using each of these. It just takes a minute to upload the receipt and it's been worth my time.

This is so true. I, too, have left things in my cart and gone back in a day or two and removed many of the items that I thought I really wanted at the time. I heard that if you do that, impulse buying will be at a minimum and help keep you from overspending on the spur of the moment.