How to save money on groceries as a student?

Target or Walmart, once you are in these stores, there is no going back! You might end up spending hundreds of dollars, and it might be on things you don’t even need! 
But, on the other hand, groceries are the one thing without which any person cannot survive! As a student, you must learn how to spend less on groceries. 

What are some best grocery savings apps?

Grocery-saving apps can be a saviour and one of the best ways to save money on groceries as a student if you know which one to use, how, and when to use it! And to make your how to spend less on groceries journey easy, we have a list of some apps that might be helpful for you!

Ibotta

Ibotta highlights its no coupon promotion by offering a way to get cash back for your purchases, making it one of the easiest ways to save money on groceries. Check the Ibotta app each time you go grocery shopping for cash-back offers nearby.
‍Ibotta will offer you cash back on the item within a week of your purchase if you scan your receipt after making the purchase. When you use your first deal, you automatically receive $5. Currently, Ibotta has partnerships with a number of the biggest supermarket chains. 
Using this app alone, many users claim to receive over $20 in cash back each month. Ibotta offers can also be combined with other discounts.

Fetch Rewards

When it comes to using apps to save money on groceries, Fetch Rewards is swiftly rising to the top of the list on how you can spend less on groceries. You can receive a $1.50 bonus from Fetch Rewards when you sign up with the promo code HH3MN and scan your first receipt, thanks to our collaboration with them.
This app rewards you for taking a picture of a receipt with specific offers, much like Ibotta does. You can choose from various offers for alcohol, fruit, snacks, and dairy. What's best? As long as the purchase appears on your receipt, it doesn't matter where you make it.

Coin Out

Although it is the newest addition to this list, it is not the least favourable. You can get paid by Coin Out to take photos of your receipts.
You may get cashback both online and offline with Coin Out. Your account must have a minimum balance before withdrawing funds for free PayPal cash or gift cards.
You may get cash back from a wide range of retailers through Coin Out, which is continually growing. Increase your earnings by referring friends.

How to shop food on a budget?

We all know that buying food while you're hungry can result in poor dietary decisions that increase your spending and waistline. (We notice you, Doritos Cool Ranch.) But did you know that the time of day you shop can also have a significant impact?
We have all been in this situation: You only need two or three things for dinner tonight, so you go to the shop quickly. However, when you return 40 minutes later, you have 10 products you didn't want to buy. What took place on that 'short' trip to the store?
So we have a few tips for you on how to food shop on a budget!

Go at the Start of Your Store's "Sales Week"

There is a wealth of information on the best day of the week to go food shopping on the Internet. Because most shops begin their seven-day sales on Wednesdays and some still honour last week's sales, most people will tell you it is Wednesday. Your results may vary, though. For instance, many shops in my neighbourhood start their sales on either Sunday or Monday, and they never have a day when both the sales from the previous week and those from the future week are strong.

Go When Bins Are Freshly Stocked

Mid-morning to early afternoon is the optimum time to shop to ensure that your store has everything in stock. During this period, many stores stock their fresh food (non-perishables are usually stocked in the evenings when people are not walking through the aisles). 
Finding the freshest food at this time is quite beneficial (and in my case, sometimes the only time to find coveted items like organic strawberries, which always disappear fast in my town). The same idea also applies to the fresh meat and seafood sections, you also tend to save money on groceries as you won’t be looking around to spend extra due to less people. 

Weekend Mornings Are a Better Time

Try to schedule your trips for the morning if, like most of us, your only opportunity to shop for groceries is on the weekends. Get up early on a Saturday or Sunday when everyone else is still in pyjamas. Fresh vegetables, filled shelves, and a calm store are all present. You'll exit the store more quickly and with fewer impulsive purchases and to spend less on groceries. 

 7 Tips for saving money on groceries

And now, on to the part you have been dearly waiting for! 7 tips on how to save money on groceries. 
Read the following points, and we’re sure you’ll find more than one thing to implement daily!

Keep an eye on vouchers and discounts.

There are discounts and coupons available online for almost any retailer you can imagine. Look in the student offers section to discover what you are eligible to do before you go shopping.
However, resist the urge to use every single one of the available vouchers. Make good judgments. It's not really a saving if tuna tins are less than half off, but you don't like fish, is it?

Plan your meals 

Planning your meals is one of the best ways to save money on groceries and lessen food waste, at the risk of sounding like Joe Wicks! Make a list of the ingredients you'll need and figure out what you might conceivably want to eat each week, taking hangovers into account, of course. It eliminates any stress associated with figuring out what to do for dinner every night, puts an end to those convenience stores, and enables you to do a substantial grocery shop in one sitting. Gain, gain, gain.

Shop the world food aisle

The international food aisle is where you may get pantry essentials like rice, spices, and sauces. One of the best methods to reduce food shopping costs is this. Products might be up to 75% less expensive than domestic alternatives.
The quality isn't any inferior (in fact, it's frequently more genuine!). The brands' lack of popularity or recognition is the only factor contributing to the price discrepancy.

Grow your own food

Grow some of your own food to lessen your reliance on shops. Cress and potatoes can be grown without even having a great garden. You might use an upcycled container, window box, or indoor plant. You'd be surprised at how simple it is.
Growing your own fruit, vegetables, and herbs saves you money and makes you feel proud of yourself.

Do not waste food 

Although it should go without saying, it's astonishing how many students—or people in general—let food in their refrigerators go bad.
There are other possibilities if you're just not in the mood for that chicken salad for the third night in a row. Try experimenting by adding something new to it or by removing the chicken bits and using them to make a pasta sauce rather than tossing it away.

Never go grocery shopping when you are hungry.

We've all been there, haven't we? When you haven't had lunch, you rummage through the grocery store floor and emerge as the proud proprietor of aisle 4. This does not mean that the food you enjoy is off-bounds, but more that you shouldn't be stuffing the basket with whatever catches your eye. Make a list of your purchases and follow it, to spend less on groceries. 

Buy food in bulk 

Purchasing supplies and cooking in bulk not only makes it simple to keep a well-stocked freezer, but it also ends up being less expensive. You can also save money on future meal expenses by purchasing and preparing larger quantities of lasagnas, casseroles, and curries and freezing the extra for another day. Additionally, foods in tins can be consumed after their indicated sell-by date because of their long shelf lives.

We hope that our guide on how to save money on groceries was helpful to you and that you might as well use these tricks to save yourself some bucks and maybe buy something by the end of the year from all the savings you have collected!