Following a keto lifestyle can sometimes be more expensive than a standard American diet. To make healthy eating more budget-friendly, I’ve discovered a few useful “life hacks” that can help stretch your grocery budget without compromising on nutrition.
Below, you’ll find a selection of apps I’ve tested out—some are more effective than others, and I’ll share the details so you can decide what works best for you. Full transparency: I’ve included my personal referral links. There’s absolutely no pressure to use them, but I’d truly appreciate it! Plus, using a referral link typically comes with an in-app bonus for you as well. Thanks for reading!
REcEIPT / cash APPS
These are apps that let you scan in your receipts for points, which can then be redeemed for money – usually in the format of PayPal or a gift card. The ones I have used so far are Ibotta, Fetch, Receipt Hog, and ReceiptJar. Another that I use that I would put in this category is Upside.
Crypto APPs (coming soon)
I use several apps to earn passive crypto, each with different levels of initial effort. Some require more upfront work, while others involve a bit of hustle at first and then just a simple daily login to maintain progress. The key to maximizing rewards with these apps is taking advantage of special events and maintaining daily login streaks.
Ibotta (Referral Link)
Ibotta is a cashback and rewards app that helps users save money on everyday purchases, including groceries, online shopping, and travel. It works by offering cashback on eligible purchases when users upload receipts or link store loyalty accounts. Ibotta partners with major retailers and brands, making it a convenient way to earn money back on items you’re already buying. Users can cash out their earnings via PayPal, gift cards, or bank deposits, making it a simple and effective way to save.
It works really well for families that purchase a lot of non perishable foods such as cereal, however Ibotta is also striving to include healthier items such as rebates on cauliflower based food items. During the expensive egg H1N1 bird flu insanity of late 2024, early 2025, Ibotta even offered a $2.50 rebate, every Friday in February for any brand egg from any store in their systems.
Ibotta features many different stores with different rules for redeeming. They are all pretty simple steps. For example, at the time of this publication, if you are a shopper at FoodLion, you need to link your FoodLion customer loyalty number to the app. You’ll select the items that you plan on purchasing, and then be sure to use your same number in the grocery store! Then pop back into Ibotta, select FoodLion again, and just hit “shop”! If the proper items are on your receipt, Ibotta will provide the credit back into your app! Once you reach $20, you can withdraw to your bank account, paypal, or a gift card.
Other stores such as Wal-Mart have a slightly different system. Rebates earned through Ibotta by making a purchase at Wal-Mart will be sent to your Wal-Mart account as credit to use. You can order online then at Wal-Mart, or at the self checkout, there are usually options to be able to apply that Wal-Mart cash.
Fetch (Referral link)
Fetch is a rewards app that allows users to earn points by scanning receipts from any store, restaurant, or online purchase. These points can be redeemed for gift cards to popular retailers, making it an easy way to save on everyday purchases. Fetch partners with major brands, offering bonus points for specific products. Unlike other cashback apps, there’s no need to pre-select offers—just scan your receipts and earn rewards effortlessly.
I find that Fetch gives me the best ROI for my effort. Fetch is also fantastic at always having bonus offers; e.g. make two Colgate purchases within a certain period, and receive bonus points. There are also brand boosts providing bonus points when buying a specific brand.
Fetch also provides the ability to earn points by achieving goals on games. As far as return on investment of time spent, games provide the best amount of points between Fetch, Receipt Hog and Receipt Jar.
I typically turn my Fetch points into an Amazon digital gift card because the – rate of points to gift card redemption – is better then some of the other options. In 2024, I easily was able to redeem $75 from Fetch without changing how we purchase thing or much effort at all.
RECEIPT HOG (REFERRAL LINK)
Receipt Hog is a rewards app that lets users earn coins by uploading receipts from any store, restaurant, or online purchase. These coins can be redeemed for cash via PayPal, Amazon gift cards, or magazine subscriptions. The app also offers bonus rewards through surveys, slot machine spins, and streak bonuses for consistent receipt uploads. Receipt Hog helps users turn everyday shopping into real rewards with minimal effort.
Receipt Hog works a little differently from the others. Bonuses increase with time as you “level up”. Your level is based on how often you upload receipts. Each week you upload a receipt, you’ll earn 1 experience point, so you’ll get closer to the next level each week you upload at least 1 receipt. As you level, your weekly bonus rewards increase.
The app also features a “slot machine” component. You’ll be able to use the slot machine to earn bonus points as well.
Points can be redeemed to Amazon, Visa or PayPal. The longer you wait to redeem, the more your points are worth. For comparison, in 2024, I earned $15 total. If it was more effort to scan my receipts into these apps, I would not use Receipt Hog, nor Receipt Jar.
Receipt jar
(Referral Instructions) (Referral Code: JESSSK83D )
Receipt Jar is a rewards app that allows users to earn points by snapping photos of their receipts from any store, café, or restaurant. Users can redeem points for gift cards or cash out via PayPal. The app also offers bonus points for completing surveys and maintaining streaks. With its simple receipt-scanning process, Receipt Jar makes it easy to turn everyday shopping into valuable rewards.
Like Receipt Hogs’ slot machine game, Receipt Jar features a “shake” feature. As you consistently upload receipts on a weekly basis, you’ll have the opportunity to fill three blue jars – one for each week. Each blue jar gives you varying amounts of shakes, and the fourth week you unlock the Golden Jar which will give you bonus points. To redeem the shakes, you go to the shake page to activate. You can then shake your phone or click a button to shake the animation on your phone for you. I do really appreciate that feature for those who are unable to shake their phone for reasons; Inclusivity is always important!
When redeeming, like most apps, the longer you wait and the more points you redeem at a time gives you a better value for the points. For comparison to the apps above, in 2024 I redeemed $20 from Receipt Jar. My plan to maximize this app in 2025 is to just wait and cash out just before Holiday shopping at the end of the year; e.g. a $100 cash out saves you 1000 points.
To receive a referral bonus, you’ll need to take the referral code and enter it in the proper area – BEFORE uploading any receipts. The short video below is from the Receipt Jar help page.
Referral Code: JESSSK83D
UPSIDE (REFERRAL LINK)
Upside is a cashback app that helps users save money on gas, groceries, and dining at participating locations. Users earn cash back by claiming offers in the app, making a purchase with a linked card, and either scanning a receipt or checking in. Earnings can be redeemed via PayPal, bank transfer, or gift cards. Upside makes it easy to get real savings on everyday expenses without needing coupons or loyalty points.
I really like the Upside app. It has been working on including more features over the last few years. I can not only save money on gas fill ups, but I save a varying percentage on shopping in the convenience store, fast food, and other restaurants. At the date of this publication, I currently have awesome deals such as 36%!!! cash back at Pizza Hut, 2% back at Dunkin Donuts, 25% cash back at Taco Bell… the app is 100% worth it!
Earning the cash back it easy – you simply link your cards securely to the app. Then when you arrive at the location, open Upside, and select “claim” to show that you are at the store. Once you finish making your purchase, simply hit submit, and the app will process and provide your cash back. Upside can be used in conjunction with your loyalty apps, and Upside will simply make an adjustment. E.G., I use my Circle K loyalty to always have 5 cent off per gallon. Upside will make a slight adjustment to the earnings because of the stacked discount, but you still end up saving more using both.
Cashing out is simple! You can cash out to your bank account with no fee and no minimum, or, with a $10 minimum, you can redeem a gift card for various places such as Amazon, Dunkin, AMC, Adidas, IHOP, Lowe’s, Nordstrom, Google Play, etc.
For comparison in 2024, I earned about $42 cash back. This amount staggers me, considering I was doing DoorDash for the first 3 months of 2024, when a majority of said cash back was earned. 2025 will be much higher; they just opened a Taco Bell four minutes from me.
Crazy Keto Chick 
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