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It’s no surprise to any of you that I love sharing how to save money by combining coupons and sales and buying groceries at your local stores. But in this day and age, you can also get great deals and save money with online groceries. It may not save you quite as much money as shopping at a brick and mortar store, but different lifestyles and seasons of life might make online shopping the absolute best choice for you right now. If so, I’ve got several tips to share about how to save money with online groceries.
Ways to Save Money with Online Groceries
Always Use a Coupon
For most major retailers you can now use digital coupons online. As you place your order you’ll see dollar off, or percentage off, discounts next the products description. You must click to load the offer, there are no sites that automatically load the coupons for you! One example right now, Amazon is offering 40% off your first order of diapers or 50% off your first order of pet food!
Order In Bulk
In a grocery store I would always tell you to get the smaller sizes for a better deal, but online the larger the package typically the larger the discount they offer. You’ll also see extra discounts when you purchase more than one! Tip: Pay attention to the price per ounce when comparing items online to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Subscribe for Recurring Shipments
Every retailer, even pet supply stores, are now offering extra discounts if you set up a recurring order. Amazon and others call this subscribing. The discount ranges from 5% to 20% off and is very worth it! You don’t have to keep the subscription. Set it up to ship every 3 or 4 months, get the discount on this order and then go back in and cancel any future shipments.
See all of our Amazon Subscribe & Save Tips, Tricks & Hacks
Never Keep a Subscription
It might seem frustrating to set up a subscription and then cancel it, but you don’t ever want to keep the standing order. You will not get the sale price or any additional coupons on future orders. There could even be available coupons when the next order ships, but they won’t apply them to the order. You have to completely reorder the product to load any new offers.
Never Pay Shipping
Most online retailers offer free shipping on orders around $35. If you are placing an online order think of other things you need or want and get more items rather than wasting $7 or more to have your order ship. You can also get free shipping on any order with the Target RedCard, CVS Carepass, and Amazon Prime programs.
Don’t Forget Local Stores
There are a number of local grocery, drug, and retail stores that you can order online with and pick up at the store. Some you won’t even need to get out of the car! This is perfect to get fresh produce and meat and take advantage of this week’s sale ad. Tip: They all allow you to also use paper and digital coupons with your order!
Check out our list of all the current Amazon coupon deals!