The days of coupon clipping on Sunday afternoon are swiftly fading in the wake of the universal accessibility of Internet and the most current hotbed of information technology: smart phones. Smart phones used to be for businessman and techies, but are quickly becoming popular among the general populace as a compact personal device which does just about anything you’d want it to. Besides social media sites, Google, and Angry Birds, smart phones offer apps which function much as programs do on your computer. Ranging from free to expensive, apps can make your life, and specifically your finances, a whole lot easier as well as save you money. Here are a few types of apps which are specifically designed to save you money when you hit your favorite outlet mall.
For the card-carrier. For those who carry rewards cards for every store they love, there’s an easier way to make sure you don’t miss out on savings just because you lost your card or left it at home. Keyring Rewards Cards is an app which allows you to compile your rewards cards all in one place. The app functions by taking pictures of the bar codes on well-known rewards card brands and allowing you to organize and virtually ‘store’ them on your phone instead of in your bulging wallet.
For the coupon clipper. If you’re someone who doesn’t buy an item unless you have a coupon for it, there’s an app for you. The Coupons app, a free app for Android, provides hundreds of coupons directly on your phone, with a search function which will kick out more coupons than you could possible clip from a paper. If you already have paper vouchers printed off, My Voucher Codes for iPhone allows you to scan the barcodes and store them on your phone so you won’t need the paper.
Another great app for those who don’t want to do the math on percent off sales is Discount Calculator. Simply type in the starting price, and slide the bar to the correct percentage to find out the new sale price.
For the comparison shopper. Gone are the days of calling around to different stores to find the best possible price on an item, or even doing Internet searches. Let your smartphone do the comparison shopping for you while you’re in the store with apps such as Red Laser, SnapTell, and Shop Saavy. When you scan the barcode of an item you’re interested in, these apps provide detailed information on the product as well as the current (and local) retail prices from different competitors.
And, if you’ve ever been frustrated when an item goes on sale after you purchase it, an app known as Eyeona will alert you to post-purchase sales and provide instructions on how to cash in on the savings. The app will also let you know when items you indicate interest in have reached the price range you’re looking for.
Never before has it been so easy to save money while you shop. Simply staying aware of new apps will help streamline your savings strategy and transform dreaded shopping trips into deal-finding adventures.
{ 0 comments… add one now }