Look Beyond Typical Grocery Store Apps To Help Cut Costs

For many adults, talking about a trip to the grocery store has us sounding a lot like our grandparents: "Back in my day, I could buy a dozen eggs for a buck and a quarter!" Except "our day" was 2019, and that same dozen eggs cost 163% more in 2024 at $3.37.

Indeed, eggs are just one grocery item that's gotten more expensive in the early 2020s. Although inflation dropped from its 2022 peak, Americans still feel the pinch. We can adjust our spending on nonessential items — skipping our coffee runs or canceling a streaming subscription — but we still have to eat, so groceries are an unavoidable cost. 

Correcting the costly mistakes we make when grocery shopping can help us save some money, and there are plenty of hacks for grabbing deals at Costco and other stores. Becoming grocery store club members and scouring company apps for deals are also great ideas. But one of the best ways to save on grocery shopping is to download third party apps and plug-ins and watch the discounts add up.

Before you hit the grocery store, think about downloading a few apps that could save you money on groceries. The Ibotta app, for example, lets you search for cash back offers on items you plan to buy. Once you're done shopping, you just scan your receipt or link your customer loyalty number, and voila! Your money lands in an account which you can withdraw after it hits $20.

Another app to keep handy is RetailMeNot which partners with hundreds of stores including grocery chains like Kroger, Safeway, and Albertsons to offer coupons, promo codes, and cash back deals. CouponCabin also offers coupons, discount codes, deals, cash back, and gift cards to popular grocery store chains like Kroger and Walmart. The Flipp app not only lets you create a shopping list on the platform, but it also browses digital flyers from local grocery stores and alerts you to nearby deals. Connect your store loyalty card to the app and it will clip digital coupons and attach them right to your account. If you're weighing the value of Costco versus Sam's Club — but don't want to pay the membership fees — consider the Boxed app, which functions as a wholesale club without the added cost of membership. Best of all, your purchases come right to your door and delivery is free for orders over $89.

Many apps offer plug-ins that provide digital coupons and cash back right from your computer browser. Rakuten not only delivers a downloadable app that offers cash back deals and coupon codes at hundreds of retailers, but the browser plug-in also tracks your online shopping and alerts you to cash back deals while you shop. It's a great option for online grocers like Instacart where your cash back accumulates, and payments are sent to you quarterly through PayPal. Similar apps with browser plug-ins include Paypal Honey and Capital One Shopping, which search for coupon codes while you're making purchases, alert you to deals, and even provide reward points or cash back.

Of course, this is just a sampling of the third party apps that could take some of the pain out of paying for groceries. While there's not much you can do about inflation, you can spend a little time on the app store to get rewarded with discounts, cash back, and maybe a little extra for yourself.