How To Save Money on Groceries – Technologist

As the cost of groceries continues to rise, many of us are looking for ways to reduce our bills. Flipp offers a way for shoppers to directly search and compare local grocery store circulars to find the best deals. 

I downloaded Flipp myself and found that it’s an excellent way to find relevant local sales and discounts. In this article, I’ll share what you need to know about Flipp and how you can use it to save money at the grocery store.

How To Save Money on Groceries With Flipp

It’s easy to get into the routine of going to the same grocery store for all of our needs. However, there are often better deals available right down the road. Flipp is designed to help you find the best deals on groceries in your area.

According to Flipp, the website and app help users shop smarter and save up to 20% weekly on groceries.

“Our Mission: Help people make smarter shopping decisions. With the recent increase in costs of living, our mission has never been more relevant for our shoppers and partners.”

Flipp

Flipp is completely free to use, and you don’t need an account to get started. Instead, you can enter your ZIP code to instantly view, search and save deals from local circulars. Additionally, Flipp makes it easy to organize your shopping list and receive alerts for new deals on items you’re looking to buy.

Before you’re ready to start saving money on groceries with Flipp, here are four things to know:

Below, you’ll find more detailed information on Flipp including how to find coupons and deals near you.

What Is Flipp?

Flipp is a website and app (iOS and Android) that allows users to view ads, circulars, deals and coupons at major retailers nearby. Specifically, Flipp is focused on helping shoppers find the best local deals on groceries and other essentials. 

Flipp was founded in 2007 and works with North America’s top companies including retail and brand partners. Flipp partners with Amazon, Walmart, JCPenney, Circle K, Dollar General, Sephora, Kroger, CVS Pharmacy, Lowe’s and more. Brand partners include Johnson & Johnson, Kraft Heinze, Coca-Cola, Energizer, Hershey’s and others.

According to Flipp, 100 million shoppers trust Flipp to help them make smarter decisions. Here are a few statistics Flipp has shared regarding its users:

• 95% have purchased grocery items based on deals they have seen on Flipp. 
• 81% say that Flipp helps them choose the store(s) they visit each week.
• 64% have seen a deal on Flipp that was so good they changed the store they planned to shop at.

You can learn more about Flipp on the company’s website.

How Does Flipp Work?

Flipp’s easy-to-use platform allows users to shop at specific stores, search for local deals on specific items and connect store membership cards to apply digital coupons directly to their account.

Flipp is completely free to use, and you don’t have to deal with any unwanted ads to access the app or website. Instead, the company appeals to partner stores and brands by increasing the number of shoppers that will see their circulars, sales and deals. In this way, Flipp makes money from its partners and not the customers who use it.

When I tried out Flipp myself, I downloaded the app (iOS or Android) to get started. You can also visit the website to begin. You won’t have to create an account, but you can make one for free to save your favorite stores and shopping lists across multiple devices.

When I first downloaded the app, I was asked to share my current location or enter my ZIP code. This helps Flipp locate stores nearby. In my area, Flipp found 39 partner stores. You can select your most-visited stores to add favorites. You can also select your must-have items to add to your Watch List.

Once you’ve entered your location, you’ll be able to browse nearby ads and circulars from your favorite stores and other partner retailers.

In the app, you can click “Explore” to see deals from your Watch List and other suggested savings. On the website, you’ll see all the featured nearby circulars for your location after entering your ZIP code. From there, you can start selecting your favorites. 

You’ll also see additional pages and tabs to further sort your shopping list. In the next section, I’ll share specific tips that I’ve found to help you get the most out Flipp’s app and website.

How To Get the Most Out of Flipp

Flipp is an excellent resource for compiling local circulars, deals and coupons. The app and the website are relatively easy to use. However, Flipp offers so many free features that it can be overwhelming to organize the deals that you find.

My first tip for staying organized with Flipp is to create a free account. An account isn’t required to use Flipp, but if you plan to revisit Flipp regularly, an account will help. With a free account, you can save your favorite stores and items, save your shopping lists and access everything across multiple devices.

In addition to creating a free account, here are five tips to help you save the most money on groceries with Flipp:

1. Create a Shopping List
2. Create a Watch List
3. Use the “Search” Feature
4. Clip Coupons
5. Preview Upcoming Deals

1. Create a Shopping List

Flipp’s shopping list is the most helpful feature for staying organized while you browse local deals. While you’re viewing circulars on Flipp, you can click directly on deals that you’d like to save.

On the app, these deals will be circled and added to your shopping list. On the website, you can click “Clip Item” to save the deal to your shopping list.

Your shopping list will automatically sort your saved deals by store. This makes it easy to remember which products you’re buying from which location when you go out for groceries.

Additionally, you can add items to your shopping list manually. Even if there are no deals available for the items you need at the grocery store, you can add them to your list so that you won’t forget. This is a great way to organize your entire shopping list directly in the Flipp app.

2. Create a Watch List

Flipp’s Watch List is an awesome feature that looks through local deals to find savings on items you need to buy. You can add specific items to your watch list and set up notifications to be alerted when there are deals available.

In the app, you can click the bell icon to enable notifications on specific watch list items. You can also click the bars next to the bell to set a price filter. With this feature, you can enter a maximum price for specific watch list items. Then, you’ll only see deals for those products in the selected price range in your watch list.

3. Use the “Search” Feature

Both the app and the website have a “Search” feature. On the website, there’s a search bar at the top of the page. In the app, click the “Search” tab at the bottom of the screen to access this feature. 

This feature allows you to search Flipp for specific deals and stores. If you don’t have an item on your Watch List, this is the best way to search all local ads for a deal.

You can type in something like “eggs” or “butter” and Flipp will search all available deals in your area. You’ll see local store circulars advertising deals on the entered item as well as any available coupons and online deals that are currently available.

4. Clip Coupons

You can click “Coupons” on Flipp’s website or in the app to see available coupons. You may also see coupons pop up as you search for specific stores or deals. Clipping coupons available on Flipp is a great way to save even more at the register.

Coupons may be redeemed in a couple of different ways. First, loyalty card coupons allow you to link your account for specific stores and directly apply the coupon digitally. At the time of writing in my area, loyalty card coupons were available at CVS, Meijer and Walgreens.

Other coupons may also be available that don’t require store loyalty accounts. I saw these coupons as images of traditional coupons with barcodes displayed to be scanned at the register.

Additional Tip: I found that the “Coupons” tab was better on Flipp’s website than in the app. On the website, manufacturer coupons are displayed with “Matchup” savings at local stores that are offering additional discounts. This is a great way to combine offers for the most savings!

5. Preview Upcoming Deals

Click on the “Latest” tab to browse the newest available deals. In this tab, you may also see previews for upcoming deals that aren’t available yet. In my area at the time of writing, I was able to preview an Aldi “Sneak Peek” circular with deals that would be available the following week.

This is a great way to make sure you aren’t about to buy something that will go on sale soon. Before you take your shopping list to the grocery store, take a second to check out the “Latest” tab to make sure you aren’t about to miss a deal.

How Does Flipp Compare: Pros and Cons

Overall, Flipp is an excellent free resource for finding local deals on groceries and other essentials. Both the app and the website are easy to use, and all the features are free without relying on unwanted advertisements.

In the past, I’ve used other apps and websites to save money on groceries including Ibotta, Coupons.com, Rakuten and Checkout 51. Flipp’s ability to quickly search and compare local sales as well as its incredible organizational features make it stand out above the rest. However, other grocery-saving apps and websites do offer more opportunities for earning cash back and finding online discounts at a wider variety of stores.

After downloading Flipp myself, here are the biggest pros and cons that I found: 

While Flipp offers excellent free features, it does lack when it comes to online savings and cash-back opportunities. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to use more than one method for saving money on groceries. As an example, you may be able to find a great deal on Flipp and activate a cash-back offer on Ibotta before making your purchase.

For more ways to save on groceries and other essentials, check out these 22 clever ways to save. You can also see our top picks for the best apps to save money on groceries here. 

What are your favorite tips for finding deals and coupons at local grocery stores? We’d love to see them in our Clark.com Community!