If you’re out and about shopping on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, you know how exhausting and at times, frustrating it can be to be running around.
It’s no secret there’s an app for everything these days so we’ve compiled a list of a few to help you navigate the holiday rush.
Shopping:
Flipp: The app aggregates all your local circulars (flyers) in one place — now with more than 1,000 popular retailers — whether you want to browse through weekly ads or search for something specific by keyword.
When you land on a product you’ve had your eye on, Flipp looks to match the deal with coupons, to save even more cash.
Shopkick: Who doesn’t wan to get free stuff for shopping? The app rewards you with free gift cards for stores like Target, Walmart, Amazon, Sephora, Starbucks, and more.
To get going, open the Shopkick app while you’re at the mall, and you’ll start to earn points (“kicks”) for simply walking into select stores, scanning products (like a retail scavenger hunt), and purchasing products (submit your receipt as proof). You can also open the Shopkick app when you’re lounging at home, as you can receive kicks for virtually “visiting” a store or making an online purchase.
DealNews: Rather than scouring the web for the best deals, DealNews has an “obsessive” team of deal experts that looks for the best prices on the biggest brands, and then publishes the 300 best deals and coupons (and in some cases, freebies) to the DealNews app.
And it’s not just high-tech toys, like tablets and laptops, but also apparel, home décor items, and more.
Along with letting you peruse the list of regularly updated deals, this free app also offers alerts, so you’re instantly notified when something you like goes on sale. Other features include cloud syncing (so you can shop on your phone or tablet but pay later when on your laptop), the ability to share deals with family and friends (via email, instant messaging or social media), and online and in-store coupons (divided by retailer).
Mint: Finally, a savings app as opposed to a shopping app.
Just like the website it’s based upon, Intuit’s Mint.com Personal Finance app helps you set budgets, track expenses and reach financial goals.
This handy money management tool for smartphone, tablet and computer users lets you see what you’re spending (and saving) through color-coded lists, charts and graphs, plus you can track your bank account and credit card balances in real-time, follow investments (including retirement contributions and balances), and even break out your expenditures by category. Receive alerts you when it’s time to pay a bill or if you’ve exceeded your budget or face possible late fees (notified via email or text message).
Another convenient feature is a weekly summary email of your money, along with a tab that shows the history of your spending, income and net worth over time. As with most other personal finance apps, Mint is password-protected, therefore your data is safe even if your device is lost or stolen.
Santa’s Bag: a smart shopping list manager that allows you to manage your budget for everyone on your Christmas list. You can track the days remaining until Christmas and see how much you’ve spent over or under your original goal.
Parking:
ParkMe: Find a parking spot, see how full lots are and pay for spots that are available across the country.
Travel:
App in the Air: Your flight is split into four stages: Check-in, Boarding, Take-off and Landing and notify you on any flight-related change. With “Timeline” you are always prepared and you’ll never miss your flight. Text messages notifications will reach you even if you are abroad and don’t have Internet connection.
Calcbot: When you’re traveling abroad a currency converter is a must-have. Calcbot has a converter for nine major currencies and converts other things like metrics, speeds and more.
Courtesy of Alisha Embrahimji and USA Today, WFAA