Michael Robin | APPS | 08.03.2012 @ 5:00 pm
I’m a big fan of saving money, so I decided to let you in on a few little secrets and share some apps that are crucial to my monthly budgeting and spending habits! I was using both of these sites frequently before they created mobile apps and as a longtime, loyal user of both money-saving opportunities, it is my righteous my duty to share them with you too!
Cost: Free
Devices: Android, Blackberry & iPhone
Gasbuddy.com was my go to site I used to use all the time when looking for the cheapest gas in my area. It only made sense for them to make a mobile version of their app! With the constant fluctuation of gas prices, I use gas buddy any time we need to fill the car up with gas. It’s pretty simple to use.
When you open the app, you are taken to a screen that allows you to type in a City, State or Zip code OR use the Find Gas Near Me Button. Once you define a search you’re taken to a list that categorizes gas by type, regular, mid grade, premium and diesel. You can sort each of these categories based on price or the distance from your location to the list of stations.
I typically sort by price and switch the list mode to the map mode on te top just to see where the stations are in relation to my current location. Using gas buddy has saved me over $0.20 on the gallon in some cases. Another interesting feature is that you can enter in gas prices if they’re different than the listing shows. If you earn enough points you can enter to win free gas.
Cost: Free
Devices: iPhone
Another useful website that has listened to their users and built an app! I’ve always been a fan of RetailMeNot.com and have saved hundreds of dollars using their site. Using the core branding and simplicity from RetailMeNot.com the app is similar in design and usability.
When you open the app you can search any store for savings or select by category: Top Coupons, Popular Stores, Categories or Saved Coupons. Most stores have an Online coupon offering as well as an In-store coupon offering. Anytime I’m out shopping I look to this app when searching for a deal.
Additionally, with the category feature you can select from a list of categories including Food, Travel, Apparel and many other items. One of our family favorites allows us to save money on eating out by seeing which restaurants are hosting deals. We’ve used using coupons for Pizza Hut, Sonic, Qdoba, California Pizza Kitchen or Marie Callendars.