Living on a Budget: How to Save on Fresh Meat & Produce

There are many ways you can save on groceries.  I have had a lot of people ask me for recommendations for ways to save without using coupons or for stores that typically do not allow coupons.  One of the complaints I have heard a number of times is that they find it hard to locate coupons for items that they purchase regularly like fruits, vegetables, bread, milk, and meat.

I have three easy and simple ways to help you save on groceries and it doesn’t matter where you shop, you can buy organic or not, and you don’t have to find, cut, or bring coupons to the store either!  Are you ready to start saving?!

1. Snap by Groupon – I learned about this way of savings on groceries from my friend Ashley at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life  just this week and have already saved over $3.00 in two grocery store trips.  The money saved was for staple items that we needed in our house like milk, bread, fruit, and vegetables!!!  How it works – Go to the Snap website and sign up or you can download the Snap app for your iPhone or Android device.  You can either look through their current offers or go to the store and check their website or app when you are there or when you get home.  I typically get what I need and then check to see if there are any additional savings for anything I purchased.  Once you have purchased your items “snap” a picture of your receipt, pick the items with savings on the website, and you get cash put into your account. You will get an email immediately confirming that your receipt is being processed and in about 48 hours you get another email confirming that the money is in your account.   After you get at least $20 in your account you get a check!  Based on my experience this week it will not take long to get enough money in the account to get your check.  Even though I have just started using Snap by Groupon it is very similar to a program I have been using for awhile now that works really well which I will share with you next!
2. Checkout 51 – is one I have been using for awhile now.  I have continued to purchase my normal groceries at all the stores I like to shop at and having been earning extra savings along the way.  It really doesn’t take long at all to accumulate your $20 and the extra money back on items I am already purchasing is always nice!  Right now I have am about halfway to getting my next check.  I noticed that some of the items for both Checkout51 and Snap by Groupon are the same so I get extra money back from both sites on the same item which is makes it even better.  How it works – Go to the Checkout 51 website and sign up or you can download the Checkout 51 app for your iPhone or Android device.  Look at the current offers either before or after you go to the store.  Upload your receipt using Checkout 51’s website or app, select the items you purchased, and you will get money added to your account.  You will first receive an email stating they are processing your receipt and usually within a few minutes to hours the money you earned is credited to your account.  Once your balance reaches $20 you cash out and get a check.  The Checkout 51 deals run from 12:00 am Thursday (in each timezone) until the next Wednesday at 11:59 pm.  This is an easy way to get extra money back on your groceries for items you already purchase no matter what store you go to and you don’t need to have any coupons with you, plus based on my experience it adds up pretty quickly.
3. Shop the Clearance Racks for meat,produce, dairy, and other items –  When I am in the store I always walk the outer aisle to check out the fresh produce, dairy, meat and more.  A lot of times the stores will mark down perfectly good food that is near expiration date.  Most of the time if you use it within the next few days or freeze the items they are fine.  Make sure you look over the items and if they appear to be in good condition go ahead and try it!

Example of how I saved using these three methods on my most recent grocery trip to Aldi’s:

• 2 pomegranates – $0.49 each
• 1 Muller Greek Yogurt + Blackberry and Raspberry – $0.49 (was marked down on clearance)
• 1 Acorn Squash – $1.29
• 1 Loaf of Bread – $0.89 (Received $1.00 back from Snap by Groupon which is more than the price of the bread)
• 1 pound Sweet Mini Peppers – $2.29
• 8 Roma Tomatoes – $1.49 total (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
• 2.43 pounds All Natural Ground Beef Sirloin (90% Lean) – $7.15 (was $11.15 and marked down $4.00 on clearance)
• 2.09 pounds Bananas – $0.92 (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
• 2 pounds Carrots – $0.79 (Received $0.25 back from Checkout 51)
• 3 pounds Gala Apples – $1.98 (Received $0.50 back from Snap by Groupon)
• 2 pounds Bartlett Pears – $1.58
• 2 pounds Gold Russet Pears – $1.58
• 2 pounds Red Grapes – $1.98

On this shopping trip I spent $23.64 at Aldi’s and saved an additional $7.25 on this specific shopping trip on items already on my shopping list between Snap by Groupon, shopping for items on clearance, and Checkout 51.

Healthy & Easy Way to Wash Produce!