5 Lifesaving Apps That Will Get Your Coins Together
Nov 10, 2017
All right people, we’re getting into the nitty gritty of the holiday season and we know all too well that the holiday cheer can fade pretty quickly when our bank accounts are in the red. Sometimes you need to split the check at a holiday gathering, or you want to track how much you’re spending on gifts for your friends and family but it feels overwhelming. How the hell are you supposed to keep tabs on your cash flow? Luckily, there’s an app (actually a couple!) for all of that.
Holidays don’t need to be a financial burden if you have the right tools by your side. Learn how to survive the holidays with these five financial apps. The best part? You won’t have to alienate everyone this year.
1. The App that helps you Pay it Forward and Pay it Back
Venmo is a fund-transferring app owned by PayPal that’s making it ridiculously easy to send and receive money. If you’ve ever used PayPal, it’s basically the same thing. Link your credit card or checking account to use Venmo, get the info of the person you’re sending to or receiving money from, add a cute note complete with a witty emoji, and off the funds go.
Pros: See funds instantly, easy to use
Cons: 3% fee for credit cards and non-major debit cards. A small price to pay for convenience
The bottom line: We’re living in the future, people. Let’s act like it.
2. The App That Helps you Find Deals for That Perfect Gift
Since you’re a human being, I’ll assume you’ve been in this situation before: you finally find that one gift` you’ve been searching for. Weeks later, you see it at a different store at an even better price. “What the !?%*$” Honestly, this could have been prevented. And with the holiday, a.k.a shopping season, approaching - just kidding, it’s here!- you’ll need help now more than ever.
This calls for the ShopSavvy app. Use it next time you’re in a store. Just point your camera to the barcode to get that product searched in over 500,000 retailers, just like that! You won’t have to search the web for better prices and you can make sure you’re getting the best bang for your buck.
Pro: You can use the app to get a price match, convenient
Con: App can be glitchy, but hey, it’s an app
The bottom line: It never hurts to get a second opinion on current deals, amirite?
3. The App that helps you Keep your Budget Tight
As the holidays roll around, it’s easy to get carried away with all the festivities, holiday dinners, and shopping sprees. But can your wallet handle all this cash flow? If you’re not sure, use PocketGuard. This little piece of financial heaven helps users manage budgets and track account activity all in one place.
Pros: great design, easy to use, connects with Venmo
Cons: Not so intuitive for categorizing savings, RRSP, and investing accounts #adulting
The bottom line: If you need a hefty tool to help you visualize your spend, give this app a try.
4. The App that Helps you Track Your Spending
If you need something to keep track of how many pumpkin spice lattes you’re consuming this month, LearnVest might be just what you need. It’s a personal finance tool that tracks expenses and analyzes credit card debt repayment options, pretty cool. Once you link your bank accounts, it automatically pulls past transactions and allows you to customize the app to your pocket’s content.
Pros: fully customizable, see spending habits instantly
Cons: a fee is required to access more robust features
The bottom line: Maintaining and tracking your financial goals is hard. Get the help you need with LearnVest.
5. The App that Slays Them All
There are budgeting apps and apps that track your spending, and then there’s Penny. It’s more than an app, it’s a chat-based personal finance coach that does it all. It’s really like having your own accountant right at your fingertips, or a BFF who’s really obsessed with your finances...
Compare how much you’ve spent between months, get updates on changes to your current bills, and a whole lot of other great stuff.
Pros: Does it all- budgeting, tracking, and account updates.
Cons: You can’t access or move money on the app.
The bottom line: Nobody likes complicated. If there’s a tool that can do it all for you, wouldn’t you want to add that tool to your arsenal?
Looking for even more ways survival tools? Club Thrifty has more than 50 ways to help you save money on a tight budget.
Happy Holidays!
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