Groceries on a Budget: News Ways to Save

Tired of the high price of food taking a big bite out of your wallet? Great news: There are new ways to save a bundle at the supermarket and get your groceries on a budget. Read on for the easy tricks that can help you stock your fridge and pantry for a lot less.

Save money with Walmart Cash offers

Two big benefits of shopping at Walmart.com: The prices are 15% lower on average than regional online grocers, plus it’s super-convenient to shop online. Unfortunately, Walmart’s website hasn’t accepted manufacturer offers that could save you more cash. That is, until now! The newly launched Walmart Cash program lets you redeem manufacturer cash back offers right from the Walmart website and Walmart app as you shop.

To get these offers, log into your Walmart account, then search for items you want to add to your shopping basket. Manufacturer cash back offers appear alongside products such as cereal and detergent and you simply click the box to accept them.

After you check out, this Walmart Cash (which typically ranges from 50 cents to $5 for each offer) is put into your Walmart account. You can then choose to apply it toward a future online or in-store purchase. Or save it up! Once you reach $25, you can redeem it as a cash payout in-store.

To get your money, visit your Walmart.com or app account page, tap “How to get” next to your Walmart Cash balance, then “Cash out in-store” or “Redeem Walmart Cash”, then “Show cash out barcode”. You’ll get a barcode that’s active for 3 hours that you can take to any Walmart Money Center or customer service desk along with your valid ID to get the cash back money you earned.

Get your groceries on a budget at Walmart — VIEWpress/Getty

Get groceries on a budget at salvage and surplus stores

Love the way discount food stores like Aldi and Lidl save you big bucks on all your groceries? You can get even more groceries on a budget by visiting salvage food stores (which sell brand name items that are nearing their sell-by dates or have damaged packaging) and surplus food stores (which sell brand name products that are overstock, have had changes in their packaging, are discontinued or are seasonal). These foods are guaranteed to be perfectly good to eat, but they cost up to 70% less than you’d pay at traditional supermarkets.

To shop in person, search online for salvage and surplus grocery stores near you or search for those in your state at BuySalvageFood.com. Too chilly to head outside to shop? Visit the new online surplus grocery store Martie.com. Just sign up for a free account, then select the items you want. You’ll get free shipping for orders of at least $50. The average Martie.com shopper saves $54 per order, translating to over $600 per year.

Nab this grocery benefit for seniors

If you’re among the nearly 31 million senior adults enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (also known as Medicare Part C), then you probably already know your plan provides benefits that Medicare Parts A and B don’t, like eye exams and dental treatments. What may surprise you: Your Medicare Advantage Plan may also offer qualifying members a grocery allowance, which is a set amount of money you receive monthly or quarterly to help purchase healthy food, like fresh produce and lean meat.

One example: Humana’s Healthy Options program provides up to $275 a month (a savings of up to $3,300 annually) for members on certain plans, such as Dual Eligible Special Needs. The number of Medicare Advantage plans providing a grocery allowance has been rapidly increasing. In fact, only 101 plans offered it in 2020 while this year, a whopping 1,475 plans do. To find out if your Medicare Advantage plan offers a grocery allowance and if you qualify, call their customer care department using the phone number on your plan’s card or invoice.

Get groceries on a budget with the right credit card

A new study from Pymnts.com shows that nearly 54% of us have a store-branded credit card (such as the Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi and Capital One Walmart Rewards Card). However, only 12% of us are using it to pay when we shop at these stores. This means if you have one and aren’t using it when grocery shopping, you’re missing out on exclusive card-linked discounts, cash back, rewards, free shipping and other benefits that can save you a bundle.

For example, Target RedCard users get 5% off in-store and online Target purchases. And Amazon Prime Visa cardholders get 5% cash back on Amazon.com purchases. That’s more than most other credit cards give you.

So, why aren’t we using our store-branded credit card? The same study found one key reason is that we simply aren’t familiar with all the discounts we get when we pay with them. So, log into your online credit card account or visit the store’s website to rediscover all the ways using your credit card can help you get your daily groceries on a budget.

Bonus tip: Avoid shopping when hungry

Sure, you know an empty stomach makes you likely to buy more food than planned. Now, research from the UK shows it also makes you 25% more likely to buy non-food products you didn’t intend to, such as a candle or dish towel. Being hungry makes you more focused on the thrill of shopping while a full stomach helps you focus on sticking to your budget.

Looking to cut other costs? Check out this video for some Easy Tips for Reducing Expenses.