Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
The thought of clipping coupons often conjures images of your grandma with her enormous scissors frittering away the hours at the kitchen table snipping kitty litter savings. Believe it or not, couponing has come a long way in the last 5-10 years. With an ever expanding app market and the world wide web taking discounts digital, you can easily bring coupons into your modern world.
But why should you even coupon? Why put forth the effort? For starters, it really doesn’t take that much effort if you’re intentional but beyond that, each of us should make the most of every penny we’ve been given – especially if we’re followers of Jesus. Even if you’re not a person of faith, saving money on the things you need allows you to purchase things you someday you might want.
Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, in the book of Proverbs observed “Valuables are safe in a wise person’s home; fools put it all out for yard sales.” (Proverbs 21:20 The Message). Each and everything you own has some sort of value and each dollar is a gift. If you can save money, you should do it.
These are my favorite digital coupon programs to help you “clip” coupons and save a bundle.
mPerks
Meijer shoppers rejoice. Meijer has an excellent coupon and rewards program that you can use via the internet or an app on your smartphone. All you need is a mobile phone number (you don’t even have to have a smartphone for this one – although it makes it easier in the store) to sign up for an account. Once you sign up, you can select both coupons and rewards that you can accrue by making purchases in store. There are offerings for traditional coupon items, like cereal or cleaners, as well rarer coupon items like fresh produce, meat, milk, and more. If you use the app on your phone, you can even scan each item as you place it your cart to find out if there’s an available coupon. When you check out, enter your phone number and the pin you selected when establishing your account on the payment kiosk. The coupons come off automatically (even if you don’t remember that you clip them). Dollars that you spend can be put toward personalized rewards that you select on the online platform or on the app. If you have your prescriptions filled at Meijer, you’ll also want to participate in the Pharmacy rewards program, too. For every five prescriptions, you can get a $10/$10 coupon.
Want to learn more ways to save money when you shop at Meijer, check out The Best Ways to Save Money at Meijer?
Cartwheel
Target also has a great digital coupon app. Download it on your phone and then select the coupons you want. You can also scan the barcodes of the items you place in the cart to see both potential coupons or if coupons are not available, often the app finds a competitor brand’s coupon. If you’re a regular Target shopper, you’ll also want to check out the printable coupons, too. Target Cartwheel frequently offers coupons off of their dollar section and even clearance items so always be sure to scan the items you place in your red cart. When you check out, pull up the bar code on your phone and have the clerk scan it. Coupons automatically come off. Plus best of all you can “stack” together printable coupons, manufacturer coupons (that you might find in your paper or online), and Cartwheel coupons all three together to amplify your savings. And this week, Target announced a new program – REDperks which allows you to amass points with each purchase you make – this week. it’s only available in select markets right now and only on iPhone.
The Best Ways to Save Money at Target will give you more ways to hit the bullseye when you shop at Target.
Kroger, Food 4 Less, & Fred Meyer
Need to go Krogering? Or to one of Kroger’s many affiliates like Food 4 Less or Fred Meyer stores, you can digitally “clip” coupons to your Kroger Plus card. When you check out, scan your card as usual and the coupons will automatically be deducted from your total. Just that simple.
For more ideas to make the most of your trip to Kroger, check out The Best Ways to Save Money at Walmart.
Shopkicks
Shopkicks is a smart phone app that gives you “kicks” or reward points but it often also has coupons for the stores you shop at. You can get “kicks” in a variety of ways, including merely walking into select stores. You can also receive rewards for referring friends, linking your credit or debit cards to the app and making purchases at participating stores. Lastly, you can scan items to receive extra points. Once you collect enough, you can “purchase” digital gift cards that are used straight from the app (no waiting for them to arrive via mail!). When you open the app, Shopkicks finds what offers are available near you, including any available coupon.
For more rewards programs, check out 7 Great Rewards Programs You Should Be Using!
Walmart
While Walmart doesn’t have a digital coupon app to save item by item, they do have the Savings Catcher app. The app offers the opportunity to guarantee you get the absolute best price when you shop. Simply scan your receipt after shopping and Walmart will gather information on the best prices in your area. If a competitor had a better deal, Walmart will give you the difference in a gift card.
If you shop at Walmart regularly, you want to be sure to check out The Best Ways to Save Money at Walmart.
Other great programs
There are a number of other great digital coupon programs for other stores. Check out Dollar General, Publix, Cellfire, Shoprite, Walgreens, Price Chopper, and more. If you shop regularly anywhere, you should definitely do a quick search with your store and digital coupons to see what programs are available.
Keep in mind that using coupons is a marathon, not a sprint. You will forget you coupons, you will forget to purchase a paper, you may even space scanning an item or two. Listen friends, it’s OK. Any bit you can save is worth it! Get back on the horse and try again.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
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