Seven Must Have Apps to Gain Control of Your Shopping and Finances

Thinking about how to use your smartphone to save some money? You certainly aren’t the only person that’s thought about using the apps for improving their personal finances. Luckily there are some great apps out there that are designed to help you save money and improve your finances while you’re on the go.

Mint

If you’re serious about taking control of your finances Mint makes great mobile apps that will give you instant insight into your personal money flow. The apps will automatically track bank account information, credit cards, spending, and loan payments. The apps themselves are very user friendly and allow the user to clearly see a snapshot of their finances as well as the larger view. You can get the Mint apps here.

ShopSavvy

This clever app shows you what deals there are around you as well as giving you online prices that are often lower than the brick and mortar store choices. A second choice in this area is Google shopping for those peeps with an android device.You can find out more about the Shopsavvy app here and get the Google Shopper app here.

Shoeboxed

As the name suggests, this app works like your digital shoe box. You know, the one you use to throw receipts into that you never really look at again? All you have to do is take a picture of the receipt and Shoeboxed will pretty much do the rest for you. It will process the receipt into data that you will be able to look at to track your spending as well as give you a record of your receipts for future reference. You can find out more about Shoeboxed here.

Key Ring

Kiss those plastic loyalty cards goodbye! Key Ring automates and stores all of your loyalty card information in one place which means you can chuck those little plastic things on your key ring into the trash. Key Ring will even speed up the process of enrolling in a new loyalty program through the Key Ring services so you can get the savings at the register without holding up the line of people behind you. The secret here is that Key Ring works with retailers all you have to do at the register is tap the app for savings. All in all an app that is pretty cool and highly convenient. You can find out more about the app here.

Gas Buddy

While not a personal finance app per se, gas buddy will find your location and show you a list of gas stations around you sorting the list by price. Updated regularly by the social network of gas buddies the app can save you some serious dough at the pump. find out more about the GasBuddy mobile apps here.

Paypal

The paypal app is a must have for anyone that shops online or gets payments online and wants to have instant access to their PayPal account. The user interface is clean and intuitive, easy to use and delivers the information you’re looking for with minimal hassle. As a further tip, if your out at dinner and splitting the bill you can easily send the cash to your dinner partner using the paypal app for instant payment without ever having to reach into your wallet. More details on Paypal's apps can be found here.

Check

Are you in debt or out of debt? Are you spending more than you’re making or making more than you spend? With the Check app you have instant clear access to what your finances look like. What your spending habits look like and what the overall picture, good or bad looks like. Some of us would rather not see this sort of thing although those of us that rather not see the information are probably the ones who would benefit the most from this nifty little app.You can find out more about the Check app here.

About the author: Jennifer Palmer is a professional blogger who provides financial information on savings and loans. She writes for InstaLoan.com, the best place to get auto title loans and auto equity pawns.