They say money can’t buy happiness. While on some level this is true, I have to respectfully disagree. After all, if you don’t have money struggles, you have a lot less worries and much more disposable income to go do “happy” things.
Now I’m not here to tell you how to make a fortune, because if I knew how, I wouldn’t be here yapping at you. Instead I’d be basking in the sun on a white sand beach in Hawaii, sipping something with an umbrella, served by a surfer with… (*ahem* got a little lost there). Where was I? Oh yes, on the other hand, I can share a few tips that will hopefully leave you with a few extra bucks in your pocket each week.
With that said, every other week I’ll be sharing money saving tips that might allow you to buy an extra bottle of [insert your favorite drink here]. And we all know that a glass of wine after a long day or a margarita after a long week of screaming bosses (aka your children) might be the only thing keeping your sanity intact. On alternating weeks, I’ll be suggesting ways to preserve your other most precious commodity – time. My hope is that with a little extra cash and a little more time, you can slow down just a touch to put an umbrella in your favorite drink, close your eyes and spend a few minutes in your own little paradise with a glistening surfer.
Today, in part one of this series, I’ll offer two of my five favorite money-saving apps. (See part two of the best money saving apps.) If you don’t have a smartphone, well, then go sell your Whitney Houston records and Back to the Future VHS tapes so you can buy one. Welcome to 2012.
BEST APPS FOR SAVING ON GROCERIES
Coupon Sherpa
Sherpas are skilled local mountaineers hired to guide and assist individuals in their ascent of Mount Everest, and this app certainly lives up to its name by guiding users through the rocky and challenging world of coupon clipping.
Like a good sherpa, the app uses your smartphone’s GPS to locate nearby grocery stores (you can customize the results to only show your favorites) and then scours the web for coupons redeemable at those stores. The app even eliminates the hassle of printing and clipping, as coupon barcodes can be scanned by the cashier from your phone. And the less time you have to spend with scissors in your hand in the land of chaos, the better off we all are. Now if only someone would invent a Cooking Dinner Sherpa.
Coupon Sherpa for iPhone and Android
Grocery iQ
This app lives up to its name by taking a torturous task – grocery shopping – and helping to get it done in a more efficient way, saving both time and money, and perhaps a little bit of sanity.
With Grocery iQ, you can create, sort and manage multiple grocery lists for multiple stores (and even share lists with friends and family), thus ensuring that you get all of the things you need and none of the things you don’t. To use the app, simply scan the barcodes of the items in your home that you need or add them from a massive database. Once the list is complete, a built-in link to Coupons.com will display potential discount offers for each item on your list, thus completing the glorious cycle of time and money savings.
Grocery iQ for iPhone and Android
This is awesome! Thanks! I am going to try these apps out!
Those are so awesome – never heard of them before this!
Hope they help you guys out!