What can the iPhone do to save you cash? There are apps to keep your spending in line, to find coupons, to compare prices, and even more. And while there are dozens, if not hundreds, of these applications, a few stand out for their usability and their money-saving features. Here are five of the best:
1. Shopper
One of the big reasons people spend so much money at the grocery store is because they purchase additional things that they did not need. Sticking to a list can help prevent unnecessary spending. That's where Shopper comes in. Shopper helps you create shopping lists so you don't overspend.
The app doesn't just stop there, though - it allows for multiple lists, adding prices and quantities, calculating sales tax, coupon tracking, and even password protection. It's the ultimate tool to keep you on track. It's well worth the $1.99 price tag.
2. Coupon Sherpa
There's no more need for a coupon book as long as you have an iPhone. Coupon Sherpa is an iPhone app that is exactly as it sounds - a program filled with coupons. Coupon Sherpa does the dirty work of looking through coupons on the Internet and bringing them to you. You can create a list of favorite stores, email coupons to friends, and coupons can even be scanned by optical scanners.
It's not the coupon motherload, but you're sure to save some money. Another bonus: Coupon Sherpa is currently free.
If you're looking for another free coupon app, an honorable mention goes to Yowza.
3. Amazon Mobile
Have you ever been in a store and said to yourself, "Hmm, I wonder how much this costs online." The easiest way to answer that question? Amazon Mobile for the iPhone. Every item on Amazon is available to browse, compare, and purchase. You can read up on customer reviews before your purchase or just plain purchase it online.
A few comparisons a year could save you hundreds of dollars. And as you might expect, Amazon Mobile is a free app.
4. CompareMe
Did you ever have two boxes of cereal and wonder which one was the better deal based on volume? Even worse, what if you're trying to compare gallons to liters? Well, for $1.99 the application CompareMe helps solve that issue by comparing different items based on their size or volume. Just type in the price, the unit, and the size, and CompareMe will tell you which one is cheaper and the percentage of savings.
5. Save Benjis
It's intuitive, it's easy-to-use, and it saves you money. For 99 cents, Save Benjis puts a comprehensive price comparison iPhone app in your hands. The strength of this app is the ability to compare a product across multiple vendors. You can search by the product name, bar code (useful!), manufacturer, keyword, and a half dozen other criteria. It also has the ability to add product reviews.
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