Discovering how to live a glorious life on less
If you are looking to save money on groceries, this grocery budget calculator might be a good place to start.
Looking for other ways to save money? Be sure to check out our top money saving apps to use at the grocery store and Iowa State University’s Extension and Outreach website for more great tips and strategies.
This post contains referral and affiliate links meaning that if you sign up for one of the apps discussed below, we may be compensated for that referral. The views expressed our ours alone and we do use these apps regularly for personal use.
Looking for ways to reduce your grocery bill but don’t want to mess with the headache of coupons in the checkout line? If you have a smart phone, there is a better way. Take a look at our favorite apps that will help you save money with little extra effort.
Over the years we’ve worked hard to get our grocery budget down and even with rising prices, we’re still keeping our budget under the USDA’s Low-Cost Food Plan recommendations with a family of six. These apps let me save even more by providing cash back or rewarding me with gift cards I can use on future purchases.
Related: Grocery Budget Calculator
Ibotta. If you’re only going to download one app, this would be the one I’d suggest. I’ve cashed out the most often with the Ibotta app and I really appreciate how easy it is to use. Unlike other apps, Ibotta will often have “no brand” offers on things like milk, bread, eggs, produce and general receipts. This means you can get cash back for buying some of the basics.
Checkout 51. Checkout 51 works similarly to Ibotta in that it features various cash back offers on specific products. Offers are updated every Thursday and are often available in limited quantity. To be honest, the products featured typically aren’t the ones our family buys on a regular basis and sometimes the quantity required to purchase seems rather high, but every now and then we are able to find items and deals that do work for us.
Checkout 51 has also offered cash for watching videos in the past, but hasn’t done so recently; however, you can earn extra cash back at the gas station and by taking surveys through this app.
Receipt Hog. Another one of my favorites is Receipt Hog. With this app, you don’t have to select individual items to claim rewards. Instead, you simply upload your receipt and receive coins for each one you upload. There is a limit on how many tokens you can receive each week, but I’ve only ever reached that threshold once. And every week you upload at least one receipt you’ll get a chance for extra coins by earning spins on the slot machine. You’ll also get additional opportunity for more coins as you level up.
Occasionally Receipt Hog will give you bonus points for answering questions about a recent purchase. as well.
Want to give Receipt Hog a try? Sign up here.
FetchRewards. This is another very easy app to use. Simply select which special offers you want to claim and select the brand names you typically purchase. When you scan your receipt you’ll get points for the items in your cart that fit under one of those brands or meet the criteria for your special offer. Every receipt you upload from the grocery store automatically gives you 25 points regardless of whether any specific items are present. Every 24 hours you’ll also be eligible for a receipt bonus you snap a photo of. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to apply to digital receipts just yet. Points can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards.
ShopKick. If you enjoy scavenger hunts, this app is for you. You can get “kicks” for walking into certain stores and for scanning bar codes on various items. This means it is possible to get rewards without having to actually make a purchase; however, if you happen to purchase the items you scan, you’ll get even more kicks to play with. Kicks can be exchanged for gift cards… or a Vespa. We’re always curious if anyone has scored enough kicks for that. We tend to use our kicks to redeem gift cards.
Want to give ShopKick a try? Use our referral code SHOP307617 when you download it and you’ll get 250 kicks once you scan your first item or complete a walk-in. 500 kicks = approximately $2.
Drop. This app is a little unique in that you don’t have to upload any receipts. Instead, you link your credit card and choose 5 stores or restaurants you frequent. Whenever you use your linked card to make purchases at those places, you’ll receive a certain number of points for every dollar you spend.
Bonus – once you’ve claimed 5 deals, you get to score bonus points by playing a Snake game! Aaron was made for this app.
We chose Target, Bath and Body Works, Starbucks, McDonalds, and Chipotle for our five core destinations. But other offers have come in since we initially signed up for this app. You can also get points for taking surveys in the app and by playing a basketball game twice a day.
Want to give Drop a try? Use our referral code x4u82 to sign up and get 10,000 points (equivalent to $10) when you link your first card.
Have used any of the above apps to get cash back or redeem gift cards? Which is your favorite? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.
Please note: This post contains affiliate/referral links which means that when you click through them, we may be financially compensated for directing you there. We just thought you should know.
Looking to earn a little extra money in your free time? If so, you may be interested in a few of our favorite survey apps!
Whether you’re sitting in a waiting room or are looking for something to do on your down time, there are plenty of ways to make money on your phone. From cash back apps to survey apps, Kati has brought in just under $2000 in 2022 by utilizing these resources on her phone. Want to get started? Here are the apps Kati has been using and would recommend.
Checkout 51
You may have seen us recommend this app on our Essential Cash Back Grocery Apps post. In fact, this app is a multifunctional one – you can get cash back on grocery purchases, gas and yes – SURVEYS! Cash out when you hit $20 and receive the funds through PayPal. Please note – this app seems to take the longest to hit the $20 threshold of all the apps mentioned here.
Survey Pop
This has quickly become one of Kati’s favorite apps! It features short surveys and has a withdrawal threshold of only $5. Choose to receive your payment through PayPal, a Visa gift card, or a gift card to your favorite retailer.
Sign up with our referral code (6QAAYJ) and you’ll get a $1 survey on sign up.
Drop
This is another app that serves multiple purposes. You can securely link your credit cards to earn points on everyday purchases and play games like Snake and Basketball to earn points daily. Drop also features surveys and you can cash them out for a variety of gift cards – including those to Amazon, Walmart, and various restaurants. This app has helped us pay for a lot of this year’s Christmas gifts.
Want to give this app a try? Sign up through our referral code (x4u82) and you’ll get 10,000 points ($10) once you link a credit card.
Pogo
This is the newest app we’ve added. Its also a multifunctional app, providing points for a variety of reasons including everyday purchases, surveys and location rewards. You do need to link your credit card to use this app. What we love about this app is that even if you don’t finish a survey you’ll still get points rewarded. Additionally, the cash out minimum is only 3000 points ($3 dollars) via PayPal.
Want to give this app a try? Sign up through our referral code (QJN3Z8) and earn an extra 250 points once you hit 1000 points on the app.
Do you have a favorite app you use to earn money by taking surveys? Share in the comments!
Please note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you click through them and make a purchase, we may be financially compensated for directing you there. We just thought you should know.
Living in a college town, we are always acutely aware of when school starts and students move back in. If you are one of those college students or if you know one of those college students, you may want to share the perks of Amazon Prime Student with them.
When you sign up for Prime Student, not only do you get the regular perks of Amazon Prime member, but you get all sorts of extra savings – all for half the regular price of Amazon Prime membership! These extra savings include:
If you know a student returning back to classes this fall, we think this would make for an excellent gift. And right now, you can gift it for free or by signing your student up for a 6-month trial. After those 6 months, Prime Student membership costs $7.49/month.
Ready to sign up or learn more? Check out what’s included in this deal here.
Whether you live in Michigan or are planning your next winter trip here, you and your family can hit the slopes for reduced rates if you have a fourth or fifth grader in your family thanks to the Cold is Cool passport program.
The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA) has brought back its Cold is Cool Ski & Ride Passport App for families with fourth and fifth graders. Families can download the app for $25 and get up to three free lift tickets or trail passes at 29 different participating ski areas – including Mid-Michigan’s very own Snow Snake Ski & Golf in Harrison, MI – for their fourth and fifth grade children.
In addition to the lift tickets donated by the participating ski areas, the Cold is Cool Passport includes a coupon for 20% off a helmet purchase and $20 off the purchase of $100 at participating ski shops across the state. Some ski areas have also included coupons for equipment rental and free or discounted lessons.
This week the Mora family served at our church’s first Vacation Bible School (VBS) at our Alma location. Serving together is just one way you and your family can live a glorious life for less.
Although we want to help you build financial stability, we also want you to live life from a place of joy and service – otherwise, what’s the point? And doing so often starts with serving other people.
If you aren’t familiar with Vacation Bible School, it’s basically a week where churches host children’s programming to tell the story of Jesus. Our church has been hosting an incredible VBS program for years, but this was the first time bringing it to the Alma Campus where Aaron is the campus pastor.
This VBS was particularly special because it was the first time our boys could serve right along with us. Elijah served on the tech team and Ben worked with the 2nd graders. Our girls also attended and, as always, had a great time.
No matter how you decide to serve, we hope you’ll consider it as a way to not only give back, but to also remind you that building financial freedom isn’t just about the money, it’s about the experiences you and your family get to have together. And if you’ve been following our blog for a while, we hope you’ll notice that living a glorious life doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag.
Related: Get to Know the Mora Family
In other words, you can live a very full life without a lot of money. Plus, serving in your community in a variety of ways also helps others live a more glorious life too.
Here are some ways to consider supporting your community and building relationships with others:
No matter how you decide to serve, we hope it’s a great way for you and your family to give back, build relationships and help lift others up around you.
Do you have a favorite way to serve in your community? We’d love to hear all about it! Share in the comments or message us on Facebook.
