Continuing from the last section, this guide will explore various smart shopping-saving tools designed to help you stretch your budget further. These tips will ensure your pantry is always well-stocked without breaking the bank.
1. Too Good to Go: Anti-gaspillage App
Long time members of French student communities are probably already familiar with Too Good To Go (TGTG). Even though I usually plan my grocery shopping to ensure I have enough food for the week, there are times I need to reschedule due to special promotions, especially on holidays that fall during the week. That’s when TGTG saves my day! For just €5 per basket, I can have enough food to feed for 2 days.
TGTG is the world’s largest marketplace for surplus food. The app connects users with local businesses, such as restaurants, bakeries, and groceries stores, that have unsold food. You can purchase a Surprise Bag filled with delicious food at a very reasonable price. Each time you rescue a bag, it is definite meaningful for both the environment, and of course, your wallet 🙂
2. Shopmium: App for discounting supermarket items
Nowadays, there are numerous apps and websites available for seeking discounts on supermarket items. However, I remain loyal to Shopmium since:
- Simple refund procedure: Only need to take a photo of the entire receipt, scan the product’s barcode, and receive a refund within 4-5 working days.
- Verification process: You can scan the barcode before buying the item to ensure the product qualifies for a discount. This feature is so pivotal to avoid buying the wrong item and getting denied for a refund. For example, I once bought a bottle of Andros grape juice, sans pulpe, 1L volume, but the only difference was the word “nouveau” (new) and a different barcode, the other app refused to refund me.
- Wide variety of products: The items are diverse and frequently changing. Unlike the other apps that offer discounted yet unuseful items, Shopmium provides discounts on everyday essentials such as laundry detergent, fabric softener, snacks, and so on with up to 30% off.
- After getting a refund, you can complete a survey, and by collect 10 surveys, you can achieve Gold status, which means that earning refunds “faster than an ex turns their backs on you” 🙂
Thanks to Shopmium, I once managed to buy €70 worth of items and only paid €35, of which Shopmium reimbursed €12.5. Once they even refunded 100% for instant noodles (a holy food for East Asia students), which kept me well-fed during late-night study sessions.
So far, these are all the tips I regularly use for scheduling my grocery shopping. It helps me feel secure and well-organized throughout weeks at school, knowing my cupboard is always fulfilled with my favorite food. The key here is to understand your needs and do it consistently. Soon enough, you will find the most effective way to manage your budget 😉
