I Basically Got Paid to do My Weekly Grocery Shopping Today

Here’s How You Can, Too

Today I earned back more than one-third of my grocery bill by using a couple of valuable apps on my phone and choosing the right payment method. Read on for how it worked, and if you want to try these apps, scroll to the end for links and consider using my affiliate referral codes — I’ll get a bonus and so will you!

Upside app

Upside (affiliate link) is a relatively new app that lets you get a percent back on purchases you make every day, including gas, groceries, and restaurants. (It’s made a huge difference when I fill my car!) In addition, they sometimes offer special bonuses.

The store I was shopping at got 12% back when I used Upside. Additionally, there’s a special grocery bonus running this month, where Upside is offering a $15 bonus if I complete 3 grocery offers this month.

Ibotta

Ibotta (affiliate link) has been around for a long time. You can clip digital coupons in the app and then upload your receipt to instantly get that cash back. They also offer bonuses often to encourage you to go out shopping.

This was a small grocery run for me and I only needed a couple of things, so I just redeemed $0.50 back for one of my items. I’m also in the middle of two different bonuses, one that gives me a $5 bonus for 5 purchases and one that gives a $10 bonus for 16. This trip got me closer to both.

Grocery store rewards program

The store I shopped at offers 10 points for every $1 spent shopping. At 10,000 points, you get a coupon for $2.00 off your next purchase.

Credit card cash back

The card that I used for my purchase is a cash rewards card that gives 5% back on grocery purchases.

So, let’s dive into the math and see how this all stacked up to save me on this trip!

For items I would have purchased, either way, I spent $36.17.

Upside will give back $36.17 x 12% = $4.34

Upside will give me a $15 bonus after 3 grocery trips this month, so $15/3 = $5

Ibotta gave me an instant $.50

Assuming I make the two bonuses I’m working on, Ibotta will give me $1/5 = $0.20 and $10/16 = $0.63

The grocery store gave me 340 points. That’s 3.4% of the 10,000 points I need to earn $2. So, $2 x 3.4% = $0.07

Credit card cash back will be $36.17 x 5% = $1.80

Altogether, that’s $12.34. That’s more than one-third of my entire bill at the store today that I got back just because I have the right credit card and a handful of useful apps on my phone! It took me almost no time to complete the necessary steps in each app to get this money back.

If you aren’t already using Upside and Ibotta, get them today and try them out. You can thank me for sharing my experience by signing up using my referral links. If you do, Upside will give you an extra discount on your first gas purchase and Ibotta will give you a bonus after you submit your first receipt!

Upside: use referral code SARAH63988

Ibotta: use referral code hunaiqi

Thanks for reading along and I hope this helps you put a little cash back in your pocket, too!