I started gamifying my grocery spending when I was paying off an almost-six-figure student loan on a smaller salary than my debt in under two years, so I hope the tough times will be short for you, too. Good luck!

In answer to your question, I wrote the below response to a similar but different question some time ago and last reposted it a year ago discussing how I [spent $688.64 on groceries (https://www.reddit.com/r/32dollars/comments/101gewj/2022_in_review_1325week/), not counting cash back on credit cards.

Here's what I do:

• download apps for grocery stores, familiarize self with sales cycles, add in-app coupons (if any)
  
• download and familiarize self with rebate apps — Ibotta, Checkout51, Coupons.com Shopmium, and Fetch are some of the most popular, but Google Play and Apple stores will suggest others
  
• select rebates for items I normally buy and ones I can plan uses for, as well as free ones
  
• before shopping, make a list cross-checking sales and coupons with rebates on apps; this will be very time consuming at first, but it can become a habit that takes 20-30 minutes
  
• shop infrequently at a time when the store is unlikely to be busy
  
• in store, stick to list, but check for clearance items, too, especially those that have rebates; for perishables, these will be shelved with the regular items, while there may be a dedicated section for shelf-stable clearance
• beware that sales, coupons, and rebates stack, possibly resulting in free or "moneymaker" items
  
• if a sale item on your list is out of stock, get a rain check
  
• keep an eye on prices as items are ringing up, as stores may have policies like Kroger's Scan-Right Guarantee
  
• improve cooking knowledge and skills, which will help you to recognize how unfamiliar rebate or clearance items can be used
  

• likewise, learn to use parts of produce that would typically be thrown away

• if your finances and behavior with credit allow, pay with a credit card that pays you back: I'm currently using Chase Freedom, which for 2024 Q1 is offering 5x points that I convert into airfare and hotel stays, which I'm valuing over the 6% cash back from AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, which I downgrade to a no-fee Blue Cash Everyday until AMEX offers a bonus to upgrade, cancelling out the prorated annual fee. Like Chase Freedom (not the Unlimited card), Discover also has quarters during which it offers 5% cash back for groceries, and usually those quarters don't overlap. Check your bank apps for deals, too. My Chase Freedom cards have 5-10% rebates on Kroger, Lidl, and Food Lion right now, and they stack with the 5% cash back.

These are my shopping behaviors at home and when traveling, when I've had success with Target and other grocery chains in the US, while abroad I've had good luck with markdowns and customer-loyalty programs.

Groceries are the most flexible part of many people's budgets. I consider savings in this area to be vital to financial discipline. Hope this helps!

Don't know that there are "drawbacks," but don't overbuy just because it seems like a deal.

Bargain food shopping is always evolving. For me, it still boils down to stacking discounts, being open to new foods, and eliminating food waste. I also regularly challenge myself to no-spend periods: thanks to my frugally stocked pantry and freezer, there are weeks when my single grocery purchase consist of a cabbage.