So, you've already purchased an iPhone and spent a ton of money. Fail. Don't despair though. The iPhone can actually help you save money! These fifteen apps offer creative, practical ways to save money. They're convenient too, since your iPhone is wherever you are. From scanning barcodes to make sure you're getting a good deal to last-minute checks on vehicle maintenance rates, these apps will help you stay on top of your checkbook and ahead of the crowds.
Mint.com
After signing up for a free account, this app helps you track your budget by sending a weekly categorized financial report. You can program your categories yourself, and include purchases made on several debit or credit cards. It even sends a friendly reminder if you exceed one of your budget categories.
ShopSavvy:
With this app, you can scan the barcode on any item before making a purchase, and it generates a list of the best prices for the item from online and local retailers. With this quick price check, you'll always know if you're getting a good deal. Japanese consumers have gone crazy for it, and we're
eBay Deal$:
You can be an ultra-prepared bargain hunter with this app from eBay. Quickly sort through the best deals in your searches, receive alerts about new bids, and manage your account. The interface is extremely simple, which is a wonderful surprise considering all this app can do.
The Fashion Pixie:
Love high fashion, but not the high price? This app searches designer boutiques and online retailers for the best prices on the clothes you crave. Best of all, you get to skip waiting in long check-out lines!
Meal Ticket:
This GPS-based app connects you with the best restaurant deals in your area, whether you're local or traveling. Coupons for happy hours and price breaks are sent directly to your phone. There's no need to print; the coupons are redeemable just by showing them on your phone.
Garage Sale Tracker:
Turn your lazy Saturday morning garage sale trips into strategic missions! This app lets you search garage sales by zip code, generates driving directions on the go, helps you search for items, and even lets you scroll through photos that the seller may have posted. Free for garage sale shoppers, however there is a small price to post your own sale.
Wanderlust:
Search airfare from over 400 airlines worldwide to find the best deals on travel. You can book flights, select seat preferences, and apply your frequent flyer number from the app interface.
Priceline Hotel and Car Negotiator:
From the founders of Priceline, this app lets you bid on hotel rooms, up to the last minute. You can search hotels by the neighborhood you'd like to stay in, and by quality. You can book your chosen room though the app as well.
ShopShop:
Admit it, every once in awhile you make an impulse buy. This app helps you avoid those surprise purchases by managing your lists of what you really need. Once you purchase an item off the list, it's removed.
Grocery IQ:
This app helps you grocery shop both faster and cheaper. Create grocery lists by snapping a photo of the barcode of your most frequently purchased items, or typing them in. You can search the coupon gallery for relevant sales or search by specific food categories, and print coupons directly from the app.
RepairPal:
Unexpected vehicle maintenance can be overwhelming, particularly since the reasonable cost of maintenance isnt always clear. RepairPal helps you figure out the accurate cost of your repair, by selecting the model and year of your car, and the parts that need to be replaced.
Stanza:
Stanza is an electronic book reader that lets you customize your reading experience. You can choose your font size and word spacing, save your place, translate vocabulary on the built-in multi-lingual dictionary, and turn the page by tapping the screen. The built-in library links to over 100,000 books.
Cellfire:
Cellfire is a digital coupon database. You can select the coupons you want, and either store them on your phone or load directly to your savings card. When you get to the supermarket checkout, simply show the picture or slide your card to redeem the coupon.
Skype:
Keep in touch with your long-distance pals. You can make free calls to any other person with the Skype app, from anywhere with access to WiFi. You can also send instant messages to one person or a group, and receive incoming calls through Skype.
Bump:
Save money by saving time. Bump lets you swap information with another phone by gently bumping the phones together, saving you the time of adding new information letter by letter. You can swap contact numbers, send payments, and share many other bits of data with one simple bump.
About The Author: Laurah Hagen is a guest blogger for The Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on online schools for Guide to Online Schools.
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Saving Money on Your iPhone