I got a smart phone in 2013, after I had my previous cell phone for four years. I had been putting off purchasing a new phone because it was so expensive, but I did not realize all of the money that I was losing by not having a smart phone. I am an extreme couponer/extreme saver. I get excited whenever friends and family give me coupons, I glean every clearance rack we pass by, and I carry my coupon binder into every store like a child. But what if you haven’t decided that you are ready for that? Or what if you want to take your coupon savings to the next level? This is where smart phone applications come into play. I have listed my favorite, most valuable (FREE!) applications for saving money below.
Ibotta
This app pays you to shop! For every qualified purchase, ibotta will give you money back. This is ON TOP of your coupons, so in some cases with free items, I actually make money on purchases. This is definitely my favorite app so far, as I can submit my receipts (by taking a picture of my receipt with my phone), and ibotta will give me money for items that I would normally already purchase. They have also included a new store specials section, with more deals exclusive to specific stores, like Target and Walmart, and give you cash bonuses for redeeming more offers. Last month, I received $50 in cash from this free app. I would highly recommend it, and new users get a $10 bonus! Click the link below to get started.
Favado
The Favado app is a great way to interact with this blog. You can go to any of the store matchups and create a shopping list, that you can then access from your phone. You can also search and see which stores have the best deals on which products, as well as discover the items in your store that have coupons associated with them. This app is a great way to interact with the blog on the go!
DOSH
DOSH is a relatively new app (at least for me!) that will AUTOMATICALLY give you cash back on your shopping; no submitting receipts needed! This is a “set it & forget it” app where you add your credit cards, and when you make a purchase at participating stores, you will automatically get a percentage back. That’s some EASY money, and it will be ON TOP of your coupons, rebates, and other savings! They will even start you off with $5 for adding your first card. Sign up here:
Acorns
Here’s another great opportunity to get some AUTOMATIC cash!! Acorns is an automatic investment company that will help you to save by “rounding up” your transactions. Just add your credit cards, and go about your daily purchases. A transaction for $4.90 will round up to $5.00, and the $0.10 will be automatically invested for you. Just for signing up they are offering a $5 sign up bonus, getting you well on your way to boosting your savings. NOTE that this company does charge a $1 monthly fee. If you decide that this is not for you, just make sure to cancel within the first five months, and your $5 will cover the 5 months of service 🙂
Shopkick
This is such a great app that I use almost every day. This app is great when you are shopping, as you get points for walking into stores, as well as for scanning items in the store (using your phone’s camera). There are coupons for specific stores in the app as well, such as $3 off $15 of men’s apparel, or $1 off of a bag of chips. You can even get points for actual purchases, by linking your debit card if you want to earn extra points. There are dozens of rewards to choose from, but my favorite by far are Target giftcards. I earn an average of $10 a month in Target gift cards, which can be redeemed in store, and instantly scanned from your phone at the cash register. These are great to lower your shopping trip costs, or to save up for your holiday shopping. Click the link below to get Shopkick for your phone.
Paribus
Paribus is a brand new app that you NEED to get that you don’t really need to do anything with. This app tracks your online shopping through the emailed confirmations that you receive. If you purchase something and the price drops, Paribus will go to work and get you the difference back. You don’t need to do anything special on your shopping trips; everything here is automatic after you set it up!
SavingStar:
This website turned app is SUCH a great resource for freebies and stacking savings! You submit your receipt, and get money back on your purchase. A couple of things that set this app apart from the others are the healthy offers (20% off a produce item, new every week), Freebie Friday (100% back on an item, new every Friday), and their “threshold offers” (get $5 back wyb $25, etc). There are also the regular $1/1 type rebates available, which come in handy when there aren’t coupons out for items. Overall, GREAT app!
This app is great for saving money at the pump! So much money is spent on gas in our house, that this is another app that we use every week. This app will use your phone’s GPS to locate the cheapest gas prices in the area. I like to use it especially when I am not near home and our “favorite” (also known as the cheapest) gas stations. It is very surprising that there can be a .50 difference per gallon a quarter mile away from one gas station to another. Sign up below for this app.
I use all of these apps to save, and earn, hundreds of dollars a year, in addition to all of the money that we save with coupons. I do not like downloading lots of apps, but I do have one page on my phone set aside just for these applications. I figure that if I am getting paid by my smart phone, these are some of the most valuable things that I could have on my phone. I would recommend trying out all of these apps for at least a month or two, and see how much you can add to your wallet!
