In today’s technological world, there seems to be an app for everything. As much as you use your phone, it only makes sense to take advantage of tools to save. In the palm of your hand, you have access to coupons and discount offers on food, gas, and much more. Some apps will also help you meet budgeting and investing goals.
Mint
Mint, a popular free app, is known as the original personal finance app. It gives you the power to keep track of everything related to your budget. You can view your accounts, credit cards, and any investments or other assets that you have. You are also able to set payment reminders and get tips customized to helping you save. The Mint app shows you a clear picture of all of your money as a whole. As with all budgeting apps, some customization is required to ensure your purchases are categorized correctly.
Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame is a free app dedicated to helping consumers understand and improve their credit scores. Once you become a member, you can view your free credit report and credit score for free. Credit scores are updated monthly and generated by TransUnion, one of the three big U.S. credit reporting agencies. Credit Sesame assigns letter grades to each facet of your credit score, and offers practical tips with actionable steps you can take to improve your score. Tracking credit is an excellent way to keep tabs on spending, because you’re likely to see your score go up as your debt balances go down.
If you’re always looking for new ways to save money, explore how some or all of these apps can benefit you and your budget and spending. Some may be a perfect fit for your needs. We’ll be curious to hear about your time and money savings after you give them a whirl.
Prosper Daily
Prosper Daily is a free app that allows you to keep track of your credit score and see the status of all of your personal accounts, including a single inbox for all transactions. This app is popular for its ease of use and stylish look.
Acorns
In the past, many of us had a jar of spare change sitting around. After a bit of time, you could cash that change in and have a decent amount to spend on something. Now, with the increased use of debit and credit cards, we have far fewer opportunities to accumulate spare change. With the Acorns app, you can still collect that spare change even when using your cards. Acorns rounds your purchases up to the next dollar (or you can make contributions) and invests the money for you into various stocks and bonds. This program is simple to use and works anywhere at any time. The cost is $1 per month for accounts with balances under $5,000, and 0.25% of the balance if you have $5,000 or more.
Digit
If you have trouble saving on your own, the free app Digit can help. This program analyzes the spending in your linked accounts and transfers small amounts (usually $5 to $50) of money to a savings account for you. After the transfer takes place, you get a text message that tells you the transaction has occurred and the balance in your savings account.
GasBuddy
Fuel for your vehicle is a major expense. The free GasBuddy app can take away the guess work when it comes to finding the lowest prices in your area. You can also report the prices that you have found to help others. Registered members earn points that can be redeemed for entries in daily prepaid gas card giveaways.
RetailMeNot
Before purchasing anything online or at a retail store, visit the free RetailMeNot app to check for discount codes. This app provides printable and online coupons for most top name stores. From percentages off to free shipping and other offers, there is something for just about every store you shop at regularly.
The Coupons App
Another coupon and discount app worth having is The Coupons App. This free app offers savings on everything from your most visited stores to your favorite restaurants, gas and service stations, and much more. You can even get free product samples sent directly to your mailbox and use a built-in barcode scanner to compare prices.
Investing.com
Research and manage stocks, commodities, Forex, Bitcoin, and an assortment of other financial instruments on your smartphone or tablet with Investing.com. This free app offers live quotes, live streaming of the current market conditions, and breaking financial news so that you can make the best decisions when it comes to investing your hard-earned money.
Ebates
If you shop online, the free Ebates app is a must-have. Ebates earns commissions for customer referrals, and they pass the commission on to you. After signing up for an account, you start your shopping trip on the Ebates site and simply click through to the site where you want to shop. Ebates registers your purchase and the applicable rebate – up to 25% in some cases – is delivered to your account, usually within days. You can request payment any time, in any amount. Ebates is linked up with over 1,800 stores including retailers like Kohl’s, JCPenny, Macys, Amazon and Overstock.com. You’ll earn a $10 coupon with your first purchase.
About Credit Sesame
It’s our mission to be the credit and loan expert and advisor—finding the best way for you to manage your credit and loans to save money and build wealth. Get your credit score, and more from Credit Sesame.
Andrea is the Chief Chick of Smart Money Chicks. After filing BK twice (once because she panicked, second time because the pro messed the first time up), she realized that it all could have been avoided if she understood more about how her Finances worked and the options available. At that point, she wanted to help as many as she could never make the same mistakes again. Our Promise is that all the content you read on here is created or edited by Andrea