Shop Smart: Meal Planning and Money-Saving Tips Using Rebates

Let's talk about the first of many reasons why you should meal plan....

You'll save money- meal planning allows you to, you guessed it, plan in advance! That means you have time to research to stretch your dollar further but shopping sales and taking advantage of additional savings such as using coupons from your local stores or finding rebates through apps like Aisle, Fetch, Ibotta, Checkout 51, Shop Kick, or Swagbucks!

Just in the past year, I can't tell you how much money I've saved from utilizing my store coupons and sales let alone the cash back and gift cards I've received from the rebate apps! Most of my local stores also have loyalty points that I can redeem for discounts on gas just for spending the money I was going to spend anyway, so win, win!

Personally, I meal plan for the week- I bulk prepare all of our breakfasts, snacks, and lunches in one go- that's just what works best for us. Here's my method-

1. I start by figuring out what we want for the week and then list out the ingredients that I will need for each element.

2. I start researching- I have found that taking some time to look at the sales flyers and the coupons I receive in app and through the mail from my local grocery stores can save a lot of money! So, I look and see which of those ingredients are on sale and pick the store that has the most savings. This part can be a little time consuming, but I promise you it's worth it! When we were living paycheck to paycheck and didn't really have the money to be spending on food, I would go to multiple grocery stores if the savings made sense, so if that's what you need to do, there's no shame in it!

3. After I've picked the store I want to shop at for the week, I look through the rebates available on the apps- remember these can vary by location and can disappear at any time, so I don't recommend shopping solely for these rebates, but they are a huge bonus if you can catch them! Again, when money was super tight, I would plan meals largely based around the rebates available to me. Make sure to add your offers at the time you make your list or when you pick up the groceries, not after because sometimes the rebates will still be available to you even if they aren't to the general public.

4. I make my to-do list on my fridge white board- I'm still very much a pen and paper kind of gal, and this just helps me stay organized and remind me what I need to get done. It's also quite satisfying to be able to cross out or erase the things I've accomplished!

5. Go shopping and get to meal prepping! It's as easy as that!