When it comes to the holidays, there are three things that we could all use a bit more of -- money, time, and sanity. When online shopping first came into vogue, it helped manage all of those topics, but an even more convenient and ever-present item (the smartphone) allows you to have quite a few helpful apps that make all of your shopping easier.
Some apps, such as GasBuddy, will show you exactly where to find the cheapest gas -- a great advantage if you plan to shop at the mall, visit grandma, or just visit friends over the holidays. Others, like CompareMe, will show you which size of an item is the most economical deal.
When you get into the apps that offer retail coupons, you'll find (as I did recently after updating my RetailMeNot app), that these applications are constantly being updated. I discovered that if you have the app open and walk into a store that partners with the app, coupons for that store will suddenly pop up on your phone. Not a bad feature for someone who won't buy anything without a coupon (yours truly). Plus, RetailMeNot is said to save users $20 per transaction, which is amazing.
Image ÂTorrey Kim