You do want to be a better money manager, don’t you? I know I would like to do a better job of managing my money. Thanks to today’s smart phones, it’s much easier to be a better money manager. Here are eight apps that could help you do just that.
Wallaby
This app is available for both iPhones and Android phones. It can help you determine which credit card is best to use depending on what you’re purchasing. If you’re like most people and have several cards, you probably have at least one where the awards change often based on certain categories. This app will help you use these cards better. Just select a merchant in the program and the app will tell you which card offers the best deal.
Billguard
This app is available on its website and for the iPhone. It will scan your credit and debit cards for what are called “gray charges.” These are ones that you may miss like the “free” credit report where you signed up for credit monitoring. It can also help you with disputes over billing.
Manilla
If you’re ready to go paperless, this app will let you see your bills at a glance. It will also alert you via email, smartphone notification or SMS when a bill is coming due. While it won’t allow you to process payments, it does give you the option of clicking on an account to login on the site of the company that’s billing you.
Wattzon
If you’re interested in cutting your energy bills, this app is for you. It’s available for both Android phones and iPhones. You use it to compare your energy bills with those of your neighbors’ homes. It will also provide suggestions as to how you can shrink your costs. This could include improvements such as adding insulation or using more efficient light bulbs, as well as tax credits and associated rebates.
Hukkster
You can add this app to the bookmark bar of any major browser. When you spot a product that interests you at a good price, you can click on the item and then on your “Hukk It” bookmark. If the price falls, you’ll then get an email. You can choose to get a heads-up alert as soon as the product is marked down, when it takes a dip of 25% or even one for 50%.
BillShrink
This free software is available on its website. If you tell it something about your needs and usage, it will help you find the right credit card, cable company or savings account.
Honey
This free app is available as a browser add-on. However, it works only with Chrome. What it does is find discounts that you can apply to your online shopping order. It adds a “find savings” button to the checkout page of more than 100 shopping sites, including Amazon.com. When you hit that button, the app will find and apply any possible discounts to your order.
Debtminder
If you’re having a problem with debt, this app would be for you. Unfortunately, it’s available only for use on iPhones. It can help you get on track to become debt-free by providing a clear picture of your progress. It will also lay out a payment plan using what’s called the “snowball” method for dealing with debt. If you’re not familiar with this method, it’s where you order your debts by balances owed from greatest to least. You then do everything possible to pay off the debt that has the highest balance. When you get it paid off, this will free up money you can use to pay off the debt with the second highest balance and so forth.