Be Smart With Your Smartphone and Save Money!
Your phone can do a lot for you — remember a grocery list, calculate the tip, and keep all your contacts in one place. Smart is right in the name; but are you using your phone in the smartest way?
By: Nick Massie / 2017 / PayYourRent.com
Your phone can do a lot for you — remember a grocery list, calculate the tip, and keep all your contacts in one place. Smart is right in the name; but are you using your phone in the smartest way? There are dozens of mobile apps available to help you use your phone to save money, earn money, and stick to a budget. Here are just a few of the best.
Save Money
MySupermarket
When you create your shopping list using MySupermarket, it will scour major supermarkets in your area to see where your items are cheapest. It’s a great way to find out if your staple items are on sale anywhere without leafing through every store’s weekly ad. If you want to make a spontaneous purchase not from your list while out shopping, you can scan the item in the app and it will let you know immediately if a competitor is offering it at a better price.
ATM Hunter
ATM fees are usually small, just a dollar or so, but that’s a dollar you don’t need to spend. With ATM Hunter, you can find the closest fee-free ATM or one linked to your bank.
Big Oven
Plenty of apps will let you make a shopping list or meal plan, but Big Oven goes a step further: it lets you input all the ingredients you have lying around your kitchen, then provides recipes you can make without a trip to the grocery store. It’s perfect to help you avoid the temptation of ordering a pizza or Chinese food when you feel like you have nothing to eat. Plus, it’s more helpful than a roommate or partner who will just suggest cereal.
Earn Money
Shopkick
With Shopkick, you earn points every time you visit a store they’re partnered with, like Target. In addition to the points you get just for walking in the store, you can scan items inside the store for more “kicks.” If you buy something at one of the partner stores, you’ll get points for that, too, when you scan in your receipt. Even online shopping done on your phone can get you kicks, which you can redeem for gift cards to places like Amazon, Starbucks, Sephora, Target, etc.
Achievement
If you already use a step counter or fitness app on your phone, Achievement requires no extra work. All you have to do is give it permission to access your activity tracker and you’ll earn points for walking, running, cycling, even logging your sleeping habits. You won’t earn much — $10 for every 10,000 points — but it is essentially getting something for nothing.
Stick to a Budget
Mint
One of the hottest personal finance apps, Mint is helpful because it puts everything related to your finances in one place — bills, bank statements, investments, income, everything. It helps you visualize where all your money is going and how you can keep more of it in your savings account. The longer you use the app, the more it will understand about your needs and spending habits, allowing it to suggest ways you could save, like credit cards offering the best benefits for you and savings accounts that may be a better match.
GoodBudget
GoodBudget lets you set a limit on your spending in a variety of areas — travel, entertainment, groceries, restaurants, etc. One of the biggest appeals is that it can be synced across multiple devices, which means you and your partner are always on the same page related to your spending.
What’s Next?
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