When I was growing up, my mom had this fancy notepad mounted on the wall beside our old-school green refrigerator, just below the landline phone. (Remember those?) This notepad was where she kept the always-changing grocery list where she would write down anything she ran out of midweek and any ingredients she needed for a special recipe. My mother was—and still is—really conscientious. She plans everything and I seriously doubt she ever went shopping for groceries without one of these lists. Not once in her entire life.

Times have, obviously, changed since then. For starters, my house doesn’t have a landline and we certainly don’t have a giant lime-green refrigerator. I also don’t have a notepad pinned to the wall. But, like my mother, I never go to the store without a list. I simply use my smartphone, specifically a grocery list app with prices, instead.

These sort of apps are great for several reasons. First, you have them with you wherever you take your phone, which, let’s face it, is everywhere these days. The second is that they make managing your budget easier because they feature prices for the items you buy. And that’s what I want to talk about today: the features that all good grocery list apps should have, and, of course, which free grocery list app with prices (and also rebates) is my all-time favorite!

The Must-Have Features for Every Grocery List App with Prices

Because there are a ton of different free grocery list apps with prices out there to choose from, it behooves shoppers like us to know which ones are the best, the easiest to use, and, of course, the most effective at creating extra space in our budgets!

Here are some of the features ideal free grocery list apps with prices should have:

• Shows Prices and Saves Money: Obviously, any good grocery list app should have these two things. When you add an item to your list, you should be able to see how much it will cost; otherwise, you’re essentially just using a fancier version of a notepad. But, the best of these apps should have a means of saving you money, too, whether it’s through some sort of reward point system that ultimately gives you credit at your favorite stores or through online couponing. Either one works!
• Search Function: The ability to search for various items is also key. Instead of wandering the aisles of your favorite local grocer in search of whatever you need, you open your app whenever you think of something you need, do a quick search, and add the item to your list. Some apps even let you order your list by area of the store—beauty and personal care, household supplies, frozen foods, for example—so you’re not doubling back all the time. I mean, we all need our exercise, but c’mon!
• Popular Items Reminders: Even the most conscientious shopper out there (which I honestly think might be my mom) tends to forget items from time to time. That’s why it’s necessary to find a free grocery list app that can remind you of the most popular items that other shoppers are hunting for as well. Basically, it gives you a little nudge in case you happen to regularly forget things like toilet paper.

The Best Grocery List App with Prices

Now we get to the best part, the free grocery list app with prices and rebates that just so happens to be my very own personal favorite. It’s called Shopkick, and it has all three of the features I mentioned above, but it especially wins the rebates and money-saving category. In the big picture, Shopkick gives you points—called kicks—for things you already do, like buying products, scanning the barcodes on certain items for more info, and even just walking into some stores. Then, you can turn those points into gift cards to your favorite stores.

Shopkick also has a great shopping list app that you can use for everything from keeping your groceries organized to making a list of the kids’ summer clothes. As soon as you open the app it shows you all the nearby stores offering kicks, which can help you decide that it might be better to get your razors at Rite-Aid than Kroger’s, say. When you add certain items to your list—like pasta sauce, for instance—Shopkick will also show you which brands or products are offering extra points for purchase (or even just for scanning the item), and at what stores. You can use this to really rack up the kicks and earn lots of rewards fast. Once you find the items you need and tag them in your list, it even organizes your items by department so you’re not running back and forth between aisles while you’re shopping.

Another cool aspect of the app is that it lets you discover sales and cool trending items. And, the app even shows you deals for a lot of the things you discover and add to your shopping list. Super cool!

I would never criticize my mama’s old-timey-notepad-beside-the-fridge system, but I must say that I think using my favorite free grocery list app with prices and rebates is a way better system.

I may be a good daughter, and I would never criticize my mama’s old-timey-notepad-beside-the-fridge system, but I must say that I think using my favorite free grocery list app with prices and rebates is a way better system. It’s fun to use, and basically makes every trip to the store into a fun game to save money. Plus, it literally helps me find points that will save money in my budget in the future. I’ve never seen a notepad do that!

I highly recommend giving Shopkick a chance, if not for the list functionality then for all the savings it offers. Added plus: Shopkick hosts some really cool social media channels where I’ve personally found oodles of great recipes (and hilarious memes) through all my Shopkicking friends. Give it a chance and see for yourself, friends!

Learn how you too can benefit from the best free grocery list app with prices and rebates. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun, Shopkicker!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun.

Image courtesy HighwayStarz

Anyone who knows me knows that I talk about shopping at the gym, at lunch with friends, at my office, and even on my Facebook and my Twitter feeds! I love shopping, and I might love even more the conversations I have about my favorite stores, upcoming sales, and the best ways to find discounts. Probably my newest obsession to talk about is in-store branded apps!

Shopping apps are basically everywhere nowadays and, if you’re anything like me, you probably have a hard time even remembering what it was like before we used them. If you’ve never heard of these apps, first of all, where have you been? Second, wow, are you in for a treat! Shopping apps are the best way today for shoppers to save money! The best way to explain them—and I’ve had practice doing that, believe me—is to compare them to those old store loyalty programs. Basically, these are apps that give you rewards for making certain purchases. There’s a huge variety out there, but today I want to hone in on just one: the Walmart Savings Catcher app!  

What is the Walmart Savings Catcher App?

Of all the apps that individual stores offer to their loyal shoppers, the Walmart Savings Catcher app stands out. What this app does is cross-reference your Walmart purchases with the advertised prices of the same item at all the local retailers in your town. Then, if any of those other stores have a lower price on the merchandise, Walmart delivers the difference back to you. It’s a great app to use because it gives you peace of mind that you got the absolute best deal.

It’s also popular because it’s super easy to use. Here’s how it works:

• Scan your store receipt after you go shopping at Walmart: This is exactly what it sounds like. Once you finish your shopping at Walmart, just take out your phone, open the app, and scan your receipt.
• Let Walmart compare the prices: You don’t actually have to do anything here because Walmart will compare what you paid to the advertised prices at all the local competitors.
• Enjoy your savings: If Walmart finds that someplace else locally had a lower advertised price, it will deliver the difference back to you in the form of a gift card.

It’s this simplicity and ease of use that, in my humble opinion, makes the Walmart Savings Catcher app one of the best apps to make cash to bolster your budget. But, there are other ways to make it even more rewarding.

Walmart Savings Catcher + Other Shopping Apps = More $$$

I know I said I was going to focus on just one shopping rewards app, but the truth is there’s actually a way to get extra savings out of the Walmart Savings Catcher app, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t teach you how to maximize your rewards while using it! As it turns out, you can double dip (sort of) on all those Walmart savings if you combine the app with one of my favorite shopping rewards apps.

The app is called Shopkick and it is great because it perfectly augments the Walmart Savings Catcher app. How Shopkick works is that you use it to get points just for walking into a Walmart, for scanning the barcodes of certain products to get more information, and for scanning your receipt after you’ve made your purchases—which you’re going to be doing anyway at Walmart. With Shopkick, you get points for all those activities which you can eventually trade in for gift cards. So, not only are you getting the guaranteed lowest price on everything you buy at Walmart, you’re also earning reward points that you can turn into future gift cards to buy more of the things you love, at places like Walmart!

Not only are you getting the guaranteed lowest price on everything you buy at Walmart, you’re also earning reward points that you can turn into future gift cards to buy more of the things you love.

Of course, Shopkick is not limited to just Walmart. It’s also a great third-party savings app to combine with the apps from other stores, including Whole Foods and Target. Put simply, the Walmart Savings Catcher app is absolutely great, but it’s even better when you combine it with Shopkick!

One thing I’ve learned from my chats with friends about the best ways to use apps to save on shopping is that after they get all of this information, they usually become anxious to go out and start taking advantage of these apps! So, with that in mind, I’ll leave you to it. If you want to talk at some point later, though, I’m always available. I just love love love hearing about success stories that involve Shopkick.

Learn how you can combine the Walmart Savings Catcher app with Shopkick today to save even more money. Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun, Shopkicker!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun.

Image courtesy Walmart

Let’s be real: dealing with receipts can be a total mess. For years, I had no system. At first, I tossed them as soon as I left the store. Then came the floating receipts phase — my purse was their playground. Eventually, they all got stuffed into my car’s glove box until it overflowed (oops). But now? I’ve upgraded my game. Not only do I have a filing cabinet to keep things tidy (hello, tax season!), but I’ve also discovered a way to actually make money back from those little slips of paper. Enter: shopping rewards apps!

If you’ve never heard of scanning receipts to earn rewards, let me tell you — it’s a total game-changer. It’s super simple: shop, save your receipt, scan it into an app, and boom, you start racking up points. With those points, you can snag free gift cards, discounts, or even cash back. Seriously, why leave free money on the table?

In this post, I’ll share how these apps work, why they’re worth your time, and why my personal fave, Shopkick, is the ultimate tool to make shopping even more rewarding. Ready to make your receipts work for you? Let’s dive in!

Why Scanning Receipts is a Smart Shopper’s Secret Weapon

Shopping is fun, but saving money while you do it? Even better. Scanning your receipts with shopping apps isn’t just about keeping track of purchases — it’s about turning everyday buys into big-time benefits. Think about it: you’re already spending money on things you need, so why not earn something extra along the way?

Here’s why this method rocks:

• Effortless Rewards: All you need is your receipt and a few minutes. Snap a photo, upload it, and you’re done
• Free Stuff: Points can be traded for gift cards to your favorite stores — Starbucks, Amazon, Target, you name it!
• Cash Back Perks: Some apps even give you cold, hard cash just for shopping
• Budget-Friendly Fun: Save on future purchases without cutting into your current budget

It’s basically free money for doing what you’re already doing — shopping. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love getting something for free?

The Inside Scoop: How Shopping Rewards Apps Work

Curious how these magical apps turn your receipts into rewards? Let me break it down for you in three super-easy steps:

1. Shop Like You Always Do: Head to your favorite stores, grab the items on your list, and save your receipt
2. Scan Your Receipt: Open your app, snap a photo of your receipt, and upload it. The app reads the info and rewards you with points for qualifying purchases
3. Redeem Your Rewards: Watch your points add up and exchange them for gift cards, discounts, or cash back

That’s it. Seriously — it’s that simple! Some apps, like Shopkick, even let you earn extra points for fun stuff like scanning barcodes in-store or shopping online. With so many ways to earn, you’ll be cashing in on rewards in no time.

Why Shopkick is the Best of the Best

When it comes to shopping rewards apps, there’s one name that stands out from the rest: Shopkick. Why? Because it’s not just an app — it’s a whole vibe. Shopkick makes earning rewards fun, easy, and ridiculously satisfying.

Here’s what makes Shopkick a standout:

• Multiple Ways to Earn: Points aren’t just for scanning receipts. You can earn kicks (that’s what Shopkick calls points) by walking into stores, scanning barcodes, watching videos, and shopping online
• No Purchase Necessary: Yep, you can earn kicks without spending a dime — just for exploring your favorite stores
• Amazing Rewards: Redeem your kicks for free gift cards to all the places you already love
• Engaging Community: Their social media presence on Facebook and Instagram is full of tips, laughs, and shopping inspo

It’s no wonder Shopkick feels like getting paid to shop — it actually does pay you! Plus, it’s easy to use and makes saving money feel like a game.

Join the Fun and Start Saving!

So, what are you waiting for? Don’t let those receipts go to waste. Join the Shopkick community today and turn every trip to the store into an opportunity to save — and have fun while you’re at it. Your wallet (and your wish list) will thank you!

I may be a pretty skilled grocery shopper these days, but it wasn’t always that way. In fact, when I was younger, I went to the store one time without a list and totally forgot everything I needed. Did I say one time? Because it was really probably way closer to six or seven times.

Luckily, those days are behind me now, and that’s in large part thanks to my handy dandy iPhone. My smartphone—which let’s face it, I carry with me everywhere—put a stop to my forgetting things and impulse buys. For years, I used to put my list in my notes app, but then I discovered something even better: There are shopping list apps for iPhone that can help you organize your grocery store runs even better.

I’ve been asking around (mostly to the guys I play pickup ball with at the park once a month), and hardly anyone has heard about this, which is why I want to talk about it here today. I’ve also discovered that the all-time best shopping list app for iPhone is one that can help you save money when you’re at the store, too. Organized and cheaper? That’s right. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Are Shopping List Apps for iPhone?

Shopping list apps sound like a simple concept, but developers have actually used some really cool tech to make things complex. The best shopping lists apps have databases where you can enter products you normally buy and then just add them to your list without having to type out the whole product. Even better, some of these apps are shareable, so that you can make it accessible to your roommate, significant other, family, or whoever you share shopping duties with.

These days, there’s more than just one shopping list app for iPhone. In fact, there are actually several. Some are just simple apps with checkboxes. Others let you make a list straight from a recipe. And, I even found one that pays me money while I shop!

The Best Shopping List App for iPhone

After trying many of the dozens of shopping list apps for iPhone, I narrowed my favorites down to just a few, although in all honesty there’s only one that I absolutely have to use each and every single time I head to any store.

Let’s take a look at the shopping list apps for iPhone that I think every shopper should know about:

• BigOven: Like all my favorite shopping list apps for iPhone, BigOven does quite a bit more than just make it simpler for you to create a shopping list, although it also does that, of course. BigOven is, fundamentally, a recipe app that lets you easily find recipes for meals to cook later and then auto-populate your list with the items you’ll need. It’s a really great and useful tool for a guy like me who doesn’t mind cooking every so often but who almost never has the time to look up new recipes then parse them into shopping lists.
• Cozi Family Organizer: This is one of those list-sharing apps that helps make sure the entire family is on the same page. Cozi helps coordinate and communicate schedules with multiple people, track grocery lists, manage to-do lists, plan ahead for dinner, and more. It’s such a cool and efficient way to delegate and divvy up any and all shopping responsibilities, which is how we use it in my house. Someone might throw “gallon of milk” on our ongoing list via Cozi Family Organizer, and then the next time someone has to run out for literally any reason, they’ll snag the milk. Easy!
• Shopkick: This last app is easily my favorite of all. It’s called Shopkick, and it does so much more than just make it easier for you to create lists (although, again, it also does that). What Shopkick does is make every trip to the store into a fun game to save money. In the big picture, Shopkick gives you points—called kicks—for simple shopping behaviors, like buying products, scanning the barcodes on certain products for more information, and even just walking into the store. Then, you can turn those points into gift cards to your favorite stores. The shopping list portion of the app is an added plus. Not only can you use it to make a list of things you need, when you add certain items to your list, like pasta sauce, for instance, Shopkick will show you which brands or products are offering extra kicks for purchase. How fun is that?!

Basically, I love Shopkick and because of it, I’m actively engaged when I’m at the store now. I highly recommend it to anyone, from those who just need to make a simple list to others who are hoping to save money. It’s also a great choice for people who don’t generally do the shopping because the app can help guide you through the aisles by telling you which products are available to scan for kicks. Essentially, it’ll turn your list into a cashback kind of venture, which is truly a beautiful thing.

Ready to get organized and save money at the same time with the coolest shopping list app for iPhone? Download Shopkick for free and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered the rewards of shopping with us!

And, if you love using your smartphone to stay up on social media, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping inspiration.

Image courtesy Dean Drobot

I like to keep my budget using an online spreadsheet. Each month I enter in estimations for how much my husband and I will need for food, clothing, school supplies for the boys, and a few more categories. Some of these categories I like, some of them are just on there because they absolutely have to be. One of my favorite expense categories, though, is the one I just label as fun.

This one is for all the little things that we do to relax, things like taking the boys out for a surprise ice cream, picking up a new board game that we can all play as a family or even for the rare date night when my husband and I are able to magically find time to sneak away and go do dinner and a movie downtown (crazy, I know!). That fun category, in my fun-loving opinion, can never be big enough. That’s why today I want to talk about digital coupon apps for Android that can help to stretch your budget.

Speaking for myself, I know digital coupon apps have been an absolute revelation, one that has been so good for my fun budget that I’d feel bad if I kept them to myself a moment longer. So get ready, because today I’m going to tell you all about what these apps do well, and which ones are my favorites!

What Are Digital Coupon Apps for Android?

There are a few different ways that digital coupon apps for Android work, but the basic idea behind them all is that you essentially get paid to shop either through a reward system or through saving money right at the register! For someone like me—who has three growing boys that have impossible appetites and bodies determined to outgrow all their clothes ASAP—this is absolutely crucial.

Here are the two types of shopping apps that I just can’t live without nowadays:

• Rewards apps: These apps generally give you points for the shopping activities you do already, things like scanning barcodes to get more information, making purchases, and sometimes even just walking into a store. When you get enough points, you can then cash them out for money or for free gift cards. With the amount of shopping I personally have to do, I always go the gift card route. I like that because I can use my gift cards to buy things like clothes, groceries, toiletries and school supplies while redirecting the cash to my fun budget. But that’s just my system—I’m sure you’ll find something great that works for you, too!
• Couponing apps: These apps are a bit more like the paper coupon systems we all used for years before smartphone apps took over. When you buy certain things at the register, you get them at a discount. The way you identify these things can vary depending on the app. There’s one, for instance, that announces new deals each week at midnight on Thursday like clockwork, while others require you to page through flyers online and circle and clip coupons you find there just like you used to with scissors. Either way, the end result is a lower bill and more funds for the all-important fun budget! All with the help of your handy-dandy Android device…isn’t that cool?

The Digital Coupon App Android Users Love

As someone who has been using digital coupon app for Android for a while now, I’ve actually found a favorite. And you know what the best part of it is? With the best, I’m able to use two apps together to maximize my rewards!

Here’s how I use two apps together to set aside more funds in my fun budget:

• SnipSnap: This is a really cool couponing apps that lets users take pictures of printed coupons, which it then transforms into digital, mobile-ready ones. With SnipSnap, I can browse online directories and take advantage of coupons that my friends have “snipped” too, which makes it feel a bit social. This is one of those apps where the savings come at the register, and the idea is that coupons can all be easily kept in one digital space, instead of having an overflowing little billfold stuffed with paper cutouts. Or a junk drawer where you stuff all of them, just like I used to have back in the day!
• Shopkick: Now we come to my all-time favorite digital coupon app for Android: Shopkick! There are a few different reasons that I love Shopkick, and chief among them is that how it works is just so easy. In the simplest terms, with Shopkick you get points—called kicks—for walking into the store, for scanning certain products, and for snapping a pic of your receipt. You can then trade those points in for gift cards to all your favorite stores. See? Easy! And you can even use it online, where you get points for visiting online retailers, watching videos about certain products, and, of course, buying them! Plus it combines super easily with SnipSnap and with plenty of other cool coupon apps as well! I can’t recommend it enough.

I know today we were talking about apps for Android, mostly because that’s the device I use. But for all you folks out there who use iPhones, SnipSnap and Shopkick is also available on iOS. I know because I also participate in Shopkick’s super cool social media streams, especially on Facebook, where I find myself sharing tips and also jokes with tons of other users just like me!

Using [Shopkick] turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt…

I really hope I’ve inspired you to join the Shopkick fun! Using it turns every trip to the store into a scavenger hunt, kind of like a game, and my philosophy with games has always been the more the merrier!

Learn more about the absolute best digital coupon app for Android and start boosting your own fun budget today! Download Shopkick’s free app and get ready to be wowed. Welcome to the fun!

If you’re as social media savvy as you are shopping savvy, join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for daily shopping fun and inspiration.

Image courtesy JacobLund