Simple ways to save money on groceries!

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Groceries are expensive! And if you're like me, a gluten free eater, then I'm sure you get the added cost that brings to the grocery bill each week - I paid close to $8 for a loaf of bread the other day, not fun!

The other thing with grocery shopping is sometimes we buy too much and waste food or too little and waste time going to the store multiple times. So this year I made it my mission to waste less food in our house, plan our grocery shopping a little bit better and save money (or get cash back) each grocery trip.

 

Whether you're gluten free or not, here are my top tips to save money without adding too much trouble!

-Check out the local sales and plan your meals! 

This is such a simple one! Whether you get them in the mail or check online, planning your grocery list and meals for the week according to the sales can help so much, especially with meat, poultry and fish! 

When things are on sale, stock up on what you can! Buying non-perishables or foods that are/can be frozen when they're on sale can help save money, instead of buying full price when you need it.  I do this for gluten free bread all the time!

I know that I get into a routine of cooking the same few dinners on rotation no matter how much the meat or produce cost but checking out the sales and planning accordingly motivates me to try new recipes or get creative. 

There are a number of grocery stores near me so I typically check the flyers for a few stores to see what is on sale for the week. If I know I'll be near or driving by a store I'll plan to stop there for a few things.

-Thrive Market

Buying groceries online has saved us a lot of money over the last few years, especially with our Thrive Market membership! Thrive has great deals on so many of our favorite pantry staples (like salad dressing, pasta sauce, coconut aminos, baking ingredients) and snacks. I also like comparing the prices in the app to the grocery store prices as I shop. 

A one year membership to Thrive Market is around $60/year (or you can pay monthly) and shipping is free over $49. They say that you will make the membership fee back in savings throughout the year - we made ours back in just a few orders.

I not only love Thrive Market's product selection but the company is AMAZING too! They're a B-Corp and anytime I have talked with their customer service team they have truly been wonderful - that keeps me coming back!

Here is my Thrive referral link for 40% off your first purchase: http://thrv.me/jUPRCt

-Save money with auto ship

Another thing I love about Thrive and a great way to save money is through auto ship! Specifically with Thrive, you can save a certain percentage on items by setting up auto ship. Once you set it up you can change your items, edit your cart or cancel at anytime - they will text/email you before your order ships to remind you to edit your cart.

Many other sites have options for auto ship which allows you to save money on products once you set it up!

-Shop on the brand's website directly

For items like protein drinks and protein bars, it's often less expensive to buy a larger pack on the brand's website rather than buying individually at the store. (you can also set up auto ship to save more)! 

Also if you're shopping on a site and you have heard your favorite influencer talk about it, check if they have an active discount code or affiliate link! Usually they will post to their story highlights, shopping through that not only supports them for helping you discover the product but supports their small business too! This can be great for things like drinks, bars and even supplements!

-Brand or website coupons

Oftentimes company's websites will have coupons on them you can print and bring to the store. I just found Canyon Bakehouse has one of their site - $1 off gluten free bread! 

-Cashback Apps 

This is possibly my favorite way to save money/get money back - you don't have to remember to bring a coupon to the store, just scan your receipt when you get home!

Ibotta is a cash back app that works by add offers for specific stores & products and then scanning your receipt to get cash back. The rewards are always changing and feature so many different brands and products. You can withdraw your earnings to your bank or PayPal account or you can redeem them for a gift card once you have $20 or more in the account!

Here is my referral code to earn $5 when you create and account and submit your first receipt: dwlpg

Merryfield is the best for the specific products and brands that I buy! Merryfield rewards you for buying "better-for-you brands", like Nellies, Canyon Bakehouse, GoMacro, Califia Farms, Hello Bello and SO many more! You can then redeem your earnings for gift cards to so many different stores - last time I redeemed mine it paid for my whole order at Ulta, just by shopping products I always buy and scanning my receipt. Trust me, sign up, it's so worth it!

I hope one or two of these are helpful on your next grocery trip and of course, I really hope they help you save some money! Let me know on Instagram if you try them out! Find me @eatright.livewell 😁