10 Apps to Help You Spend Less, Stay on Budget, and Save for a Rainy Day

Apps can be a great help with money management

Image Source: Flickr User Sean MacEntee

Whether you’re just coming out of bankruptcy, in debt and considering bankruptcy, or struggling to pay your everyday expenses, useful tools to help you save money can be the difference between financial success and failure. Here are 10 apps you might find useful on your quest for financial stability.

#1 Bill Tracker

Bill Tracker Lite is free, and even the full version costs less than $3. This is a great app for anyone who has bills to pay. It will remind you of all your bills, from your student loan payment to your phone bill, gas and electric payments. It reminds you how much is due, alerts you in time to make a payment, and then nags you when the bills are overdue.

#2 Gas Buddy

The free Gas Buddy app allows you to find the lowest priced gas wherever you are. It’s particularly great to have when you’re traveling and don’t want to exit the freeway only to find over-priced fuel is your only choice. It works with GPS, so it knows where you are and will give you the nearby options for low-cost gas. This saves big bucks over time.

#3 Kroger, Publix, Lowes, etc

Whatever grocery store you prefer, they likely have a mobile app that offers digital coupons. You can even open the app while you’re shopping and choose coupons on the spot to match what you’re buying. Even if you don’t want to clip paper coupons, using digital coupons is a no-brainer.

#4 SavingStar, Coupons.com

Both of these apps offer digital coupons you can use at most major grocery store chains. You can clip and use electronically and, in many cases, you can layer these on top of grocery store app coupons. You can also search on the fly from the store to see if something you need has a coupon.

#5 Military Cost Cutters

If you’re active duty military, a veteran, or retired military, you can often score major discounts. This app will let you search by location to check out available deals. You can also read comments on the discounts to see how they worked out for others. 

#6 DebtTracker Pro

If you have debts piled up, this app helps you keep track of all your debts, how you’re progressing on paying them off, and help with prioritizing them. This differs from bill tracking because it is focused on debt like credit card balances, student loans, car loans, etc.

#7 Living Social, Groupon

When you want to go out and have fun, doing it on a discount makes sense. With the Groupon and Living Social apps, you can get discounts on dining, entertainment and more even at the last minute—no printer required. This is a chance to save money while still having fun.

#8 You Need a Budget

YNAB is a great tool for those who are clueless about establishing a budget. It helps you save, pay bills on time, and develop a comprehensive financial plan. This one is attached to a $60 computer program, so it’s not cheap, but if you don’t want to spend the money, there are free apps as well.

#9 Mint

Mint has been around for years and is useful because it lets you know where your money is going and offers insight you might not develop on your own. After it tracks your spending patterns, it helps you develop a budget. This app is free, which is nice compared to the steep price tag of YNAB.

#10 Price Grabber

This app is great because it lets you know if you are getting the best deal on any given item you’re buying. You scan the barcode, and then the app compares it to prices at other stores in your area so you can decide to buy or go elsewhere to purchase the item.

Budgeting tools like these apps can be helpful, but if you’re truly in over your head, you may need a serious debt intervention like bankruptcy. Contact the Law Offices of John T. Orcutt for a free North Carolina bankruptcy consultation today.

Call +1-833-627-0115 now for a free no-obligation appointment at one of our convenient locations in Raleigh, Durham, Fayetteville, Wilson, Greensboro or Wilmington.