Real-Life Savings: A Month Using Gift Cards to Stock the Pantry
Can changing how you pay for groceries really help you save more? For one month, we tested a simple grocery payment switch: buying gift cards through cashback platforms like Fluz instead of using a credit or debit card. The result? Real savings, minimal effort, and smarter pantry management. Here’s how the month unfolded—and how you can replicate the strategy to make your own pantry work harder for your budget.
Week 1: Setting up a grocery budget and cashback plan
We started by setting a $400 monthly grocery budget for a family of four. Our primary goal was to cover pantry essentials—rice, pasta, canned goods, baking ingredients, spices, and long-lasting snacks. Before each grocery run, we used Fluz to purchase digital gift cards for stores like:
These gift cards could be bought down to the exact amount we needed and were delivered instantly, so they were ready at checkout—whether in-store or online.
Week 2: Stacking rewards and loyalty programs
We layered savings by using store loyalty programs like CVS ExtraCare. Since we were using prepaid gift cards, we still earned loyalty points as usual.
We also used digital coupons from store apps and checked circulars for weekly deals at stores like Aldi and H-E-B, planning meals around what was on sale and available for less.
Week 3: Tracking cashback earned through Fluz
By the third week, we had spent around $300 and earned approximately $14.50 in cashback from gift card purchases on Fluz. While that might not sound huge, it’s a 4.8% return on money we were already spending. Compared to a standard 1–2% cashback card, this was significantly better.
And because Fluz lets you pay the exact total at checkout, there was no leftover gift card balance or waste.
Week 4: Final grocery haul and summary of savings
For our final week, we stocked up on baking staples and shelf-stable snacks. Total spent: $98. Cashback earned: $3.90. That brought our total monthly savings to $18.40 without using a single coupon or clipping any circulars by hand.
We also appreciated how easy it was to track everything. Fluz kept a record of each purchase and cashback earned, making budget reviews quick and clear.
What we learned
- Fluz is best used just before checkout, especially for in-store trips.
- You can still use digital coupons and store promos with gift card payments.
- Planning meals around sales helps amplify cashback value.
- Fluz is compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay for even faster checkout.
Conclusion
If you’re serious about saving money on groceries, buying gift cards through a cashback app like Fluz is one of the easiest wins available. You won’t need to change where you shop or what you buy—just how you pay. Over time, the savings add up and can help stretch your pantry budget further than you thought possible.
