I can’t blame my penny-pinching habits on the current economic recession. I have always looked for the station with the lowest gas prices and have made some of my best purchases at garage sales. Time.com recently published their “20 Money Saving iPhone Apps”. From this list, I was able to choose three that I MUST immediately download so that my miserly ways become almost effortless.
“Economizer App #1”: “Yard Sale Mapper”
Gone are the days when I have to drive around for those pesky garage sale signs or dig out the previous day’s newspaper, circle the yard sale ads in my neighborhood, and then find only about 20% of those I circled because I didn’t know where the streets were. The iPhone app “Yard Sale Mapper” takes all the guesswork out of secondhand buying, allowing you to hit as many as you possibly can. With the help of Craigslist.org, the app compiles a list of nearby yard and garage sales. Then, that list is plotted on a Google Map. Another plus: the app is FREE.
“Economizer App #2”: “Economy Shopping Lite”
I hate going grocery shopping. I will stand in front of the detergent section of an isle for 10 minutes before I make that critical decision of “What’s the best bang for my buck?” “Economy Shopping Lite” goes far beyond the detergent isle scenario. First, you compile an electronic shopping list to help with organization issues. Data can be entered on your Mac/PC and then transferred to your iPhone. The Lite version limits you to 5 lists, but all other functions are enabled. The app also sorts your shopping list by the date of your last purchase, tracks the prices and shop of each item, and tells you when another store is charging less. While shopping, the app tallies a price summary each time a new item is added to your shopping cart. With this type of data, you will know exactly what your bill will be at the register, and you can watch monthly statistics for better budgeting. “Economy Shopping Lite” definitely fits into my budget – its FREE.
“Economizer App #3” : “Gas Buddy”
Believe it or not, and friends will testify to my truth, I have actually run out of gas driving around to find the station with the lowest gas prices. No matter how long the lines are, I want the lowest price. “Gas Buddy” can somewhat help me to not be stuck on the side of the road. This app tracks prices at gas stations near you, no matter where you might be in the US. Then, it gives you directions to your station of choice with a simple tap. Even though the app costs $2.99, with today’s gas prices fluctuating rapidly, I predict the app will pay for itself through my savings at my first visit to the pump.
