Nicole Spector
·4 min read
Grocery shopping can be a bit of a headache —especially if you’re on a tight budget — but nowadays, with the prices soaring thanks to inflation, it can be downright traumatic. Since April 2021, the cost of groceries has gone up 10.8%, with some categories like eggs and meat seeing even steeper increases. Of course, it isn’t fair, but alas it is the consumer who has to bend over backwards to trim costs and save money.
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Read: 10 Things You Should Always Buy at Walmart
One tried and true way to cut back on grocery costs is to shop at reputed bargain retailers such as Walmart, which touts the tagline “Save Money. Live Better.” You can certainly find pretty decent deals on certain food items, but you can also save a little bit more money (and apparently live a little bit better) by getting crafty and savvy.
Retail and budgeting experts shared their best tips for saving on groceries at Walmart.
Stick to Store Brands
“Walmart’s Great Value brand offers a wide selection of grocery items at a much better value than comparable name brand goods,” said budgeting expert Andrea Woroch. “For example, this Great Value Granulated Sugar is only $5.94 while the name brand option for the same size bag would set you back $8.12.
Snag an Online Coupon
“Order groceries online at Walmart.com but check for a coupon code first through sites like CouponFollow.com which currently offers 20% off grocery orders of $50 or more,” Woroch said.
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Seek Cash Back
“Order groceries online through a cashback portal like CouponCabin.com and you can earn up to 2% back on your purchases on Walmart’s site,” Woroch said. “Paying with a cashback credit card and using a cashback portal will supercharge your rewards to help you pay for your groceries and offset rising prices.”
Get a Walmart Co-Branded Credit Card
“The Capital One Walmart Rewards Card offers 5% back on orders placed online at Walmart.com and 2% back on in-store purchases and no annual fee,” Woroch said. “This is an easy way to rack up extra cash back for those grocery purchases.”
Use a Rebate App
“Fetch Rewards offers cash back for scanning pictures of your receipts,” Woroch said. “You will earn points for each receipt you upload and more depending on which grocery brands you purchase which can be redeemed for free gift cards back to Walmart to offset future grocery purchases.”
You may take this approach one step further by scoping out thespecial deals section to see what types of Walmart-specific grocery deals and food purchases will get you the most points.
Use Walmart’s App While Shopping In-Store
“One small trick I use to always get the best deals at Walmart is to shop with the official Walmart app opened on my phone,” said Alec Pow, CEO at The Pricer. “I always compare the shelf prices with the online app ones for the same product. You might think that there isn’t a big disparity between these two prices but that’s not always the case. There are a lot of products that will receive a huge discount on the app and it would take a while for that discount to be updated for in-store products.”
Opt for Curbside Pickup
“This is convenient, of course, as long as you’re okay with letting someone else pick up your groceries, but it’s also good for cutting back on spending, especially if you tend to make impulse purchases,” said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews.com. “By not physically going into the store, you’re cutting that temptation out and before you know it, you’ll see savings on every grocery bill. Given that curbside pickup is free, this is an easy way to cut back on your bill.”
Shop the ‘Rollbacks & More’ Grocery Category
“You’ll find low prices on a variety of essentials and can even narrow it down by shopping for items under $10 or under $25,” Ramhold said. “While there might be a bigger focus on Walmart’s house brands in this section, it’s not exclusive to their brands — you’ll see plenty of sales on name-brand items too.”
Use Cashback Apps
“If you aren’t using Ibotta or Checkout 51 to receive cash back on your grocery trips, you may be missing out,” Ramhold said. “You may even be able to use both, so consider downloading both to earn cash back from both. Either way, you’ll save offers that you’re interested in, shop as normal, and then upload your receipt to receive cash back on eligible purchases. It’s an easy way to save and a simple move to incorporate into your shopping routine.”
Sign up for a Free Shipping Trial
“Walmart+ offers a free 30-day trial of free delivery on grocery orders with same-day delivery,” Woroch said. “Just set a reminder in your calendar to cancel before the trial is up so you don’t get auto enrolled at $12.95 per month.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 10 Ways To Save on Groceries at Walmart
