Like many of you, I’m very nervous about fast-rising food prices. That’s why I was thrilled to get $50 worth of free food recently.
It was pretty simple: I cashed in some rewards program points for a $25 Kroger gift card and a $25 Safeway gift card. And I can’t truly explain just how happy that made me.
It felt a bit silly, to be honest. After all, the cupboard was by no means bare and I had money in my checking account. No one would have gone hungry had I not cashed in; as the king and queen of the stealth stock-up, DF and I are good for the basics. (So many basics.)
Fresh fruit and certain vegetables, though, and eggs, and milk for my oatmeal and to use for making yogurt? Those kinds of things need to be bought regularly. Hence the gift cards.
Flashing this scrip at the cash register felt great. Instead of spending money on the fresh stuff, I’d be sending those food dollars to the account where I keep my saved savings.
But I’m not writing about this to brag. I’m writing it to suggest that those of you with smartphones download some shopping apps and start earning. And if you’ve got a credit card that isn’t a rewards card, consider shopping for a new one.
Rewards points matter. My $50 head start at the grocery store says so.
But rewards points get me more than free food. They help pay for birthday/holiday presents. Gift cards to home improvement centers covered the cost of supplies for the 2022 garden and a small home improvement project. I cash in for gift cards to take my daughter to lunch during visits. I’ve even been able to have Amazon deliver diapers or cereal to households in need.
Speaking of cereal: Lately I’ve been using a Shopkick deal for Malt O Meal products. The points I get add up to 20 cents more than the cost of the cereal. Naturally, I “pay” with a gift card that I got from cashing in Shopkick points.
Thus far I’ve gotten about a dozen one-pound bags of cereal, all of which went to the food bank. Had I been in need myself, I’d have felt mighty satisfied to be able to stash all those free breakfasts.
Again: Well aware how lucky we are to be able to feed ourselves and make the bills, yet still have enough left over to help others. (We donate cash to the food bank as well, and to other causes we hold dear.)
Free food: The how-to
Not everyone’s that lucky, due to inflation, health issues, un- or underemployment, or the ripple effect from previous layoffs or work slowdown. If that’s you, sign up for as many grocery/shopping apps as you can stand and start compiling points. (Learn how at my previous article, “Rewards programs FTW!”)
As soon as you can, cash in those points to help stock your pantry with shelf-stable essentials. Or with toiletries, pet items and anything else your household needs. Remember: The cost of consumer goods will likely continue to rise, so you’ll get the most bang for your buck (well, for your scrip) if you buy at today’s prices.
Earning those points is pretty simple to earn these points. They do add up. Honest. My most lucrative programs have been Fetch Rewards, Shopkick, Ibotta, Coupons.com (for rebates), Swagbucks, MyPoints, Mr Rebates and Inbox Dollars. (Note: I was using those last four programs long before I finally got a smartphone.)
While scrolling through the “rewards” section of Fetch Rewards recently, I was surprised to see Kroger pop up; never noticed it before. Immediately checked Swagbucks and found they have Safeway (plus a special deal that let me pay 350 points fewer for the $25 card).
So I cashed in – and as noted, felt a tremendous sense of well-being at the thought of free food.
Curmudgeons might grouse that the food isn’t really “free,” because I have to buy things in order to scan the receipts for points. And then there’s the value of my time.
Sorta-kinda. But I have to buy certain things anyway, and Shopkick gives points for most items whether or not you buy. For me, it’s like a scavenger hunt to take a quick glimpse of what’s being offered on Shopkick and then peek at Ibotta and Coupons.com to see if there’s any overlap.
Sometimes that overlap is pretty lucrative. For example, I got half a dozen free containers of Talenti gelato by stacking Shopkick and Ibotta offers. It all went to my niece and her kids, because I already have enough sweets in my life. But if I were broke and unable to treat my household to anything beyond the basics, how much fun would it be to bring home free gelato?
Free food: The minimalist version
Sound like too much work? It doesn’t have to be! Try this greatly simplified version:
- Sign up only for Fetch Rewards, Ibotta and Shopkick. (Again, the how-to is at “Rewards programs FTW!”)
- Every Sunday, check the state-by-state list of retailers at CouponMom.com. The site combines sale prices, coupons (some of them downloadable) and any rewards program options. In other words, she does the legwork for you.
- Start earning points, then cash them in for supermarket gift cards. (Or movie tickets. Or big-box retailers. Or gasoline. Or whatever you want/need.)
You could decide later to add other rewards programs on, if you like. Do what feels the most comfortable, rather than try to take on more than you’re comfortable with; this is about having fun with saving, not a forced march to frugality.
You can cash in for smaller amounts, incidentally. I just decided on $25 because I knew I’d be buying a lot. But even $5 off at a time will help defray inflation’s impact on your food budget.
This week is Senior Tuesday at Fred Meyer, which means DF and I will get 10% off any Kroger brand. I’ve already cashed in another gift card. A gallon of milk costs close to $4 in Anchorage, so it’s rewards points to the rescue.
Related reading:
- 12 ways to save money on groceries
- Extreme frugality: Be a frugalvore
- Two quick grocery hacks
- How to save money on meat
Do you use Coupon Mom to find deals like the Malt o Meal and Talenti deals? I have all of the apps you mentioned, but have yet to unearth a time efficient way to find the free stuff.
The Malt O Meal is all through Shopkick: 800 points back for the 16-oz. bags, which I realized translated to $3.20 — and they’re currently $3. So that one was automatic.
I would recommend CouponMom.com and looking at the stores where you shop. (Lots fewer up here, sadly.) The site even does dollar stores. Hope that helps.
I use Fetch, Shopkick and Ibotta – always worth my time to save money! I do not find them difficult to use, or time consuming. In these trying times i am saving where I can – and if I can get something free or very cheap that I don’t eat – it goes to the food pantry!
There’s another way to get free stuff from Kroger. When they have double fuel points if you buy a gift card (it’s can’t be a Kroger card), I buy ones like Taco Bell or something that my husband likes. This enables to easily pay for the next burrito run and I also gets more fuel points. And who can’t use some free gas for their car? Woo-Hoo!
I could make a comment about Taco Bell and free gas, but I won’t…
LOL! True that!
Right now Albertsons (and all the related stores – I’m in New England so around here it’s Shaws) is running a contest called Flavor Adventure. You can get entries by watching videos, 5 per day. So far I’ve won 6 rewards (which I can cash in for $6 off groceries) and a free year of Fresh Pass, which gives me free delivery over $30 AND $5 per month of free groceries, plus some other discounts. Most of the prizes are coupons for free groceries, so I’d check that out.
Nice!
I find it totally worth my time to use these app. Shopkick is like a game to me. I understand it takes a little time and I am fortunate to be retired so I do have some time. Also, I live in an area where I can easily and quickly get to a lot of stores so I don’t waste expensive gas going to several stores to “kick”. I have found some ways to help me be as efficient as possible. I made a word document with a column for each of the 3 stores I mainly go to for groceries. So each Wednesday when the weekly ads come out I go through them and write what is on sale that I might need or want in the column for that store. I also write in a column on that sheet what I am running low on or want to watch for. On the reverse side of that document I have a column for Shopkick, My Points, Fetch, Ibotta I list what each of those have and it is easy to cross reference from the ads. Really, I think just developing a system in any way that works for yourself is the idea.
I so agree with Donna about these rewards. Recently my daughter and son in law had to totally rip out a bathroom down to studs because of a leak. My son in law is handy and can do all the work but it takes time and money. I was able to send them a $50 e home depot card from Swagbucks and a $50 e home depot card from My Points. Think free toilet! All for a little bit of time! That makes me really happy too!
Now that’s organized. Well done! And making a DIY project more affordable was very kind. We did the same kind of deal for our greenhouse roof:
https://donnafreedman.com/saved-100-last-night/
Thanks! Good job on greenhouse/shed/deck too. Like you, I have been doing the Malt o Meal cereal to donate. Great deal! I also bought the cheapest Lego toy which I think was $3.99. I got 800 kicks for that which made for a nice small toy to put aside for next years Toys For Tots. I love Shopkicks!
I love them, too.
That greenhouse is the gift that keeps on giving. We have opened blossoms on the tomato plants and just found a three-inch-long cucumber on one of the plants (plus a couple more shaping up). It’s early, but we just had a run of about 18 days of sunshine and the greenhouse plants just burst into song.
Can’t wait for those Chelsea Prize cukes. They really are delicious.
Ibotta, Fetch, and Shopkick are my favorites, too. I love it when there are deals that overlap on all. I got in on those Talenti, Ben & Jerry’s, Breyer’s Carb Smart Popsicles, and Malt-o-Meal cereal deals recently. My family was stoked! And a few months ago, I scored tons of potting soil for free.
I cash out all my rebates to PayPal, except for Fetch which doesn’t offer that option. For Fetch, I redeem for Kroger gift cards. I then pay for all my couponing with the PayPal debit card, so it’s all coming from rebate money and doesn’t mix in with my own money. This way, all my couponing purchases are paid for with couponing money and none of my “real money” is touched.
Today I noticed that Ibotta had a Malt O Meal rebate of $1.50, so I combined it with the Shopkick. DF has been taking them to church because they have a drop-off for the Food Bank of Alaska. Last week he carried in eight bags. This made me happy.
That’s awesome! Where did you get free potting soil?
She might be referring to a Fetch Rewards deal for 100% back in points for a specific brand of potting soil. Unfortunately, they didn’t sell that kind here. I’d been stoked at the possibility, but it was not to be.
Thanks!
Yes, Donna is correct. It was a Fetch rebate for a particular brand of potting soil for free a few months ago. I also got free seed kits (flower and fruit/veggie) and a portable planter box. They made a great birthday gift for my daughter’s friend that was getting into gardening.
Still a little salty that this brand isn’t sold in Anchorage. We would have loved to get free potting soil.
1) Don’t shop just to be shopping. Go slow and steady.
2) Stock up only the things you will eat. If your family hates dried black beans, then what’s the point of having them? Even during an apocalypse your loved ones might not get *that* hungry.
3) Make sure you have seasonings and some sort sweetener. Food doesn’t have to be bland even if times are hard.
4) Don’t leave the shelves bare. Give someone the same opportunity to take care of their needs, too.
If I’d received one of those Giving Cards, I would have spent it on $20 worth of Dollar Tree spices: Italian seasonings, cinnamon, cayenne and the like. Doctoring government commodity/food bank items helps it taste more like food.
I recently received two gasoline gift cards — one for $25 that can be used at any station, and one for $20 that can only be used at the new gas station/convenience store that opened across town. And I also got a free T-shirt and snack. How? I gave blood and this was their freebie of the month. Blood centers often give donors thank you gifts, which often are supplied by local merchants.
Down the street from me is a Tastee-Freez that hosts a blood monthly donation event. Those who give can choose an ice cream, a soft drink or a coffee. Gasoline gift cards, though, might get a lot of folks in to donate.