If you’re like me you constantly have your smartphone attached to your hip. In my case, I have my trusty digital sidekick (my iPhone) and I’m still amazed how far we’ve come with technology and mobile phones. I remember my first brick-like phone and only imagined in my wildest dreams having a phone this, well, smart!
I got to thinking the other day, as I went on a mindless app tour on my phone looking for something to grasp my attention, how many great applications there are for saving money and getting deals! So today, I share my favorite apps with you and ask you to let me know what apps you use (iPhone or Droid) that help you find deals and save money!
Daily Deal Apps
As you know from previous articles I’m a huge fan of Groupon and Living Social. I like to use these services for finding deals for things around my area. Now, I should mention that I do not buy a deal everyday. In fact, I only buy deals for things I have been eyeing or wanting to try. Weeks go by for me without purchasing a deal but when something pops up that I know I have been eying I will snatch it up.
Location Apps
Location Apps may not seem like a way to save money but more and more business are incorporating “Check-In Deals” to their establishments. My favorite location app is Yelp but I know FourSquare is in talks to partner with Groupon in the future. For example, a few weeks ago I discovered a local spice shop on Yelp that had a check in deal. With just one check in I received a pound of their top selling seasoning! I actually didn’t end up getting anything else other than my freebie but I fully intend on visiting again. Many restaurants will offer 20% off entrees and special offers just for checking in, although some establishments require multiple check ins for deals.
Shopping Apps
Coupon Sherpa is a recent app I have found and have not had the opportunity to give it a try first hand. This app provides deals and coupons for major stores, most you’d most likely find at your local mall. For example, right now there is a Bath & Body Works coupon offered through the app which expires on Thursday. The coupon for for a “Free Signature collection Body Care Item with Any Purchase of $10 or More”. You can view the coupon on your phone and show the sales associate upon check out to apply the coupon! If the coupon is not excepted you can make a note on the app to warn other patrons.
Grocery/Gas Apps
It’s no secret that I like to coupon and these apps make shopping for groceries and gas ten times easier. GasBuddy is an app which uses your current location to find all of the nearest gas prices to help you find the lowest price without driving around (wasting gas) looking for a cheap price! CellFire also uses your local location to find grocery stores featured in its app to which you can link your loyalty cards to and add coupons offered through the stores directly onto your loyalty card so you don’t need to clip the coupons! CardBank, which costs $0.99 is a good tool if you don’t wish you carry around your store loyalty cards you can input the numbers into this app to always have them with you. The only downside to this app is that your phone won’t scan in some stores so they manually have to input the number into the computer and if your phone resets (like mine did a month ago) you lose your stored numbers, so don’t throw away those cards after inputing them in here (like I did).
The final app I’ll mention is Grocery Gadget. This app will cost you $3.99. This is an excellent tool for creating your grocery lists and even finding coupons for items. In this app you can scan the UPC of an item you need and it will add it to your shopping list. The price of an item will not come up upon the first scan and you may need to enter the price yourself. After inputing the price your shopping list will keep an updated list of how much you will spend at the store. You can scan for coupons based on the UPC and see where you can find and use said coupons if available. Another great feature is you can take a picture of the item you need and e-mail it or send it to another user. That’s right, no more sending someone out to pick an item and having them pick up the wrong thing!
What are some of your favorite applications you like to use for finding deals and saving money? Leave a comment below!
Note: At the time of this article all of the apps mentioned are free to download except for those where a price was mentioned. All pictures are from Apple.com.
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