Loan Express does not require credit checks, decline a loan based off a credit check, nor do credit checks affect the minimum approved amount of the loan. The following article is purely for educational purposes.
How Grocery Costs Can Affect Your Budget
Inflation is affecting everyone right now – especially during weekly grocery shopping. While buying meals, snacks, and drinks for yourself and your family used to cost no more than $150 a week, it’s now reaching grand totals of up to $400.
10 Grocery Budgeting Apps to Help You Budget
Below, we will discuss many items that will help you budget for future grocery shopping trips, such as cashback apps, coupon apps, and price comparison apps.
Mint
Mint is a free money-managing app designed by Intuit. It links your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and investments to provide a detailed picture of where your budget is being spent. It updates your financial status every time you log in and presents your economic status in an easy-to-digest way with visually appealing graphics.
Mint can also create a budget for you, categorize your spending, regularly check your credit score, and let you know when bill payments are due. It’s available as a web app and has just been introduced to Canadian budgeters.
Mint may still not be compatible with certain phone software, or it cannot link up with some smaller Canadian banks. Here are some Canadian alternatives that give you all of the advantages of Mint while we wait for the app to be fully ready for all Canadians!
Splitwise
If you split expenses between you and your partner or have a big family who helps with the grocery budget, Splitwise is the perfect solution.
Divvy up expenses in groups and track the balance owed by each participant while effectively budgeting for groceries every week. This app is free and loved by anyone who wants to ensure communal expenses are covered without nagging roommates, family members, and loved ones.
KOHO
KOHO is a 3 in 1 app – you can use it for budgeting, saving, and earning rewards. It also doubles as a prepaid payment card! KOHO’s features allow you to categorize where you’re spending your money, and it rounds up payments to put small amounts of money into your savings account that will add up over time.
If you spend $197 on groceries, KOHO will round it up to $200 and add the $3 to your savings account. This feature is optional to participate in, but is a great introduction to how adding small amounts to your savings account over time can quite literally pay off.
In addition, KOHO offers multiple functions, acting as a financial app and a prepaid car. It also informs you of rewards offered at stores near you or rewards offered within the app when you reach certain budgeting goals.
PocketGuard
PocketGuard is a straightforward app that links all your bank accounts to provide complete transparency regarding your financial situation. It provides quickly updated overviews of your financial situation and lets you know how much money you can spend without going over budget and into the red. Make sure you’re only spending what you can afford, and increase your budgeting literacy easily with PocketGuard.
GoodBudget
GoodBudget is a highly user-friendly app that will appeal to those who want to set boundaries on how much they spend every month and where they’re putting their money. GoodBudget focuses on planning and limiting your spending to keep yourself and your wallet in check, whether grocery shopping or buying birthday gifts.
This app is based on the classic “envelope method” of saving money, where budgeting is done by categorizing your spending and allocating more money to more important areas. Any money leftover is put into savings, and the envelope method helps you realize where you can reduce your budget and where you can add a little extra spending money. With GoodBudget, you can sync and share budgets with friends and family members, save gradually while paying off debt, and plan your spending.
Ampli
Ampli is an app that gives you cash back when you use your debit or credit cards to shop at participating retailers in Canada. Connect your bank account and start earning right away at your favourite retailers. Then, when your account is credited with the cash back you’ve earned, you can put that into your weekly grocery shopping budget!
Checkout 51
Checkout 51, unlike Ampli, is a cashback app that is only for saving money on groceries – and it is completely free to join. When you make an account, you will begin to receive offers every week that are regularly on your grocery list. Shop at your local supermarket like usual, then upload your receipt to the Checkout 51 app and receive cash back for every advertised item you purchase. Cashback can be as high as 30% on certain items!
Wealthica
Wealthica is more of an investment and finance tracking app instead of a budgeting app, but personal wealth growth and tracking your spending is always a form of budgeting! You can track all the fees you’re paying toward your investment management or your family’s net worth to keep tabs on what may impact your household wealth.
Paymi
Paymi is a free app that tracks spending and cash back on purchases. Paymi helps you budget by allowing you to make money from your common, necessary purchases. It lets you put that money into your savings account or allocate it to other important spending categories in your budget plan.
PC Optimum
The PC Optimum digital card and rewards app are one of Canada’s best and most well-known loyalty rewards programs. If you often shop at PC-owned stores like Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, or even Shoppers Drug Mart, you need to be signed up for PC Optimum.
With PC Optimum, you receive weekly grocery offers and deals through a digital flyer, giving you opportunities to save. You can also scan your PC Optimum digital (or physical) card every time you go grocery shopping to earn points that can be used as a form of currency when you collect enough. Just ask your cashier or check on your device how much money you have in points and redeem it whenever you want to save a few bucks!
What Budgeting Can Help You Achieve
Budgeting, whether you do it yourself or with the help of an app, helps you keep track of your expenses and know where you should be putting your money. If you’re constantly on the go, too busy to do the envelope method every time you spend, or have trouble keeping track of your bank accounts, budgeting apps can help you where it matters most.
We all need to put food on the table, and the increase in grocery prices has made that harder for families and individuals across the country. Why not save on groceries while working towards saving more, getting out of debt, and earning cashback rewards that you can allocate to other spending areas that could use a bit more cash?
If you want more tips on how to save on groceries, check out our blog How To Save Money On Groceries During A Recession.
With these helpful apps and budgeting knowledge, you’ll get through these difficult financial times by categorizing your expenses, preventing overspending, growing your savings, and getting out of debt. However, taking that first step can seem overwhelming, especially when you have debts to pay off before you can begin to save.
With over 15 years of experience in helping people get rid of their financial stress, Loan Express is here to help you with our easy, quick payday loans that can provide you with some flexibility to pay off your debts before you can start saving for that car, house, or big vacation.