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.

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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 recently had lunch with an old friend I hadn’t seen since college, if you can believe that! So much had happened since we last saw each other, and so, of course, we caught up about our husbands and our kids and our lives over flat whites at Starbucks. We laughed so hard that everyone else in the little Starbucks seating area kept looking at us like, what is wrong with those two?

I have a lot of new friends I love, but in the middle of this conversation, I was quickly reminded of how much I loved this (wickedly funny) old friend. After, I got to thinking about how old friends are important, and how knowing them helped set you up for new friends, and new relationships, and new loves. And, being the somewhat obsessive shopper that am I, and thinking about old and new friendships, I naturally started thinking about old and new shopping apps! Back in the day (ahem, only two years ago, but still) I was a big fan of Ebates, which was basically my gateway into shopping apps. I used Ebates to get cash back offers for online shopping on tons of products at all my favorite web stores, and I still remember it fondly. To be totally honest, though, I’ve moved on to three newer apps! And that’s what I’d like to talk about today: what Ebates is, why Ebates and apps like Ebates are so great for my budget, and, finally, the top 3 cash back apps like Ebates that I use all the time today!

The 411 on Cash Back Apps Like Ebates

One of the things that my old friend and I reminisced about was how, when we used to share an apartment, we were always, always, always broke. To rectify that some, we used to take the free newspapers from the local mechanics and track sales or clip coupons from the store ads. Hey, in college you have to be creative!

These days apps like Ebates are the new, simpler version of taking-the-newspaper-from-the-local-mechanic, if you ask me. The way that Ebates works is by saving you money for online shopping. It’s a centralized platform where shoppers can go to see deals and coupons at more than 1,800 online retailers. I used Ebates exclusively to help save money on my shopping budget for a long time.

Eventually, though, I started to wish there were cash back apps like Ebates that could do a bit more to bolster my budget, and that’s how I ended up seeking out newer apps, many of which are way more fun to use!

The Top 3 Cash Back Apps Like Ebates

For all the things I loved about Ebates, the simple truth was that being something you could only use online made it a little bit limited, which was why I eventually moved on to the three apps you’ll find highlighted below! Let’s take a look:

1. SavingStar: SavingStar is a digital coupon app that pays users to shop at grocery and drugstores. In fact, more than 60,000 stores are part of SavingStar, and for a long time, it was my companion app to Ebates: I’d use Ebates online and SavingStar in the real store. Some words of warning, though: SavingStar is generally free to use, but if an account is inactive for 180 straight days, they will charge a fee of $3.99. To take advantage of SavingStar, users either link their existing store loyalty cards to the app or submit receipts after they make purchases. Savings add up until they can eventually be cashed out through PayPal, Upromise, or in the form of Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theater gift codes.
2. SnipSnap: SnipSnap is another mobile coupons app, although this one lets you take pictures of printed coupons, which are then transformed into digital, mobile-ready ones. Users can browse online directories and take advantage of coupons their friends have “snipped” as well. This one doesn’t exactly pay, though. Instead, users save money, as with a traditional coupon. The idea is that coupons can all be easily kept in one digital space, instead of having an overflowing billfold stuff with paper. Super cool!
3. Shopkick: Now we get to my favorite, which is an app called Shopkick. Put simply, Shopkick is a total blast. It gives you points (called kicks) for shopping how you would anyway, rewarding you for things like making purchases, scanning barcodes of items, and even just walking into some of your favorite stores. How it works is incredibly simple, too. Basically, it turns shopping into a game, like a scavenger hunt. And it’s really social. They keep a great community vibe on their social media, and users get awarded kicks when they refer friends who sign up. Users trade in kicks to get paid in gift cards to the stores they love to shop at, or where they like to splurge on a quick treat, like Starbucks.

So, there you have the reasons I love things both old and new, but especially Shopkick! When it comes to shopping and cash back apps like Ebates, I need one that I’m going to remember to use each and every time I go out to the store so that I can maximize my savings. Shopkick’s sleek interface and its game-like tendencies make it fun and easy to use. Change is the only constant in life, but I have a feeling that Shopkick and I will be close friends for a really long time.

Get to know one of the best apps like Ebates, as well as one of the best shopping apps period. Download Shopkick’s free app today and join a community of loyal Shopkickers who’ve already discovered how much you can earn with the help of a free shopping sidekick.

And, if you’re on social media catching up with friends, be sure to also join Shopkick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for a little daily fun and inspiration.

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My dad is kind of one of those old-school dads who, these days, I think only is represented in the movies and on TV. When I was growing up he always had his favorite recliner, he never missed watching his favorite football team’s big game, and he used to get lost like a little kid whenever he had to do the grocery shopping for us.

He’s retired now, and we’ve had a few good laughs at how shopping-averse he used to be, and how he just couldn’t seem to ever find what we were looking for in those aisles, no matter how clearly labeled they were. Luckily, I think the dads in my generation are a bit more savvy about shopping, even if a few guys I know are just as shopping-averse. But they all agree  that there’s nothing like finding the lowest prices. That’s why today I want to share some tips about grocery coupon apps for Android.

These are apps that bring some serious savings to the shopping process. Some of them are, surprisingly, a lot of fun to use, turning trips to the grocery store into a hunt for points you can redeem for savings and rewards. So, what’s the best grocery coupon app, Android aficionados? Let me tell you about some that are super valuable.

Grocery Coupon Apps for Android

Android apps that make you money while you shop are a relatively new development, so before we get into my favorites, let’s talk about how the best retail and grocery coupon apps for Android work.

Basically, the best grocery coupon app—Android or iPhone compatible—gives you points for the things you do when you’re out shopping already, like scanning barcodes to get more info, making purchases, and even walking into the actual brick-and-mortar stores. For the online crowd, some of these apps give you points for that kind of shopping, too. Here, however, you get points for visiting online stores, watching videos about certain products, and, of course, making purchases.

There are also grocery coupon apps for Android that function more like traditional coupons. These apps give you a certain dollar amount or percentage off at the register. Either way—whether you get points and rewards or use digital coupons—you really can’t go wrong. When you’re done with all that shopping that you’re averse to, you’ll still have accrued some serious savings, and that always feels good.

The Best Grocery Coupon App: Androids and iPhones Make Shopping Easier

To be totally honest, I don’t really love grocery shopping, so I’m the type of shopper who gets in and out of a store as fast as possible. Shopping feels like an obstacle between me and my priorities, although I can tell you that I like it a whole lot more now that I’ve discovered that I can make money shopping using free Android and iPhone apps.

There are actually three grocery coupon apps that I especially like:

• Coupon Cactus: Coupon Cactus is a lot like those old paper coupons (which my dad never even tried to use): You get certain discounts on certain items at certain stores. The big difference is here you can do it online, too. Your savings sometimes adds up to a percentage of the total price—generally up to 30%—or to a set amount, like $2 off a featured product. Once you those savings reach $10 or more, you can cash out via PayPal, or get a check issued on a quarterly basis.
• SavingStar: SavingStar is another digital coupon app that pays users to shop at grocery and drugstores. What’s really cool is that more than 60,000 stores are part of SavingStar, and overall they represent more than 100 retail chains. It’s generally free to use, but beware: If an account is inactive for 180 straight days, they will charge a fee of $3.99. To take advantage of SavingStar, users either link their existing store loyalty cards to the app or submit receipts after they make purchases. The savings add up until the user can eventually cash out through PayPal, Upromise, or in the form of Starbucks, iTunes, or AMC Theatre gift codes. Again, I’m a PayPal guy, but sometimes I’ll go with AMC Theatre if there’s a new Marvel movie coming out that I want to catch.
• Shopkick: My favorite shopping rewards app is, hands down, Shopkick. It’s also the one I recommend to my dad friends who dislike shopping. This app gives users points—called kicks—for the kind of shopping they would be doing anyway, like making purchases, scanning barcodes of items, and even just walking into some favorite stores. How it works is incredibly simple, too, which you’d know is a good thing if you’d ever met my friends.
  
  To put it simply, I’m a fan. Basically, Shopkick turns shopping into an actual game, like a scavenger hunt, and it’s really social. They keep a great community vibe on their social media, and users get awarded kicks when they refer friends who sign up. Users trade in kicks and get paid in gift cards to the stores they love to shop, or where they love to splurge—say on a quick cup of joe at Starbucks.

Those are, in my humble opinion, the best grocery coupon apps for Android. I should point out though that all of these work on iPhone, too. So, whether you’re a dad who doesn’t like going to the store (like mine), or one who actually enjoys shopping but would like to up your savings game, Shopkick is the app I would most strongly recommend. It has that perfect balance of great savings and fun, which turns shopping from a hassle into something you can actually look forward to, even if just a tiny bit.

Ready to get in on some of the best grocery coupon apps for iPhone and Android? 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 Jale Ibrak