Money Saving Apps: GasBuddy

I really hate it when I get gas and then drive a mile down the road past another gas station and see the price is 10 cents cheaper! I realize that if I got 10 gallons of gas, I only would have saved $1.00, but over time it adds up. By using the GasBuddy app, we can find the cheapest gas prices in town!

Steps to Use GasBuddy:
1. Download the app to your device. It is available for Apple, Google, Windows, and Blackberry phones. The app may ask you to create an account, but you do not need one to use the app.
2. In the app, you can either search for gas stations by city, state, or ZIP, or have the app use your location to find the stations closest to you using GPS.

3. Once it has the closest gas stations pulled up, you can sort them by distance or price, or even fuel grade. You can also view the gas stations on a map.

4. Select a gas station and view more information such as the address, phone number, and features (such as if they have restrooms, a convenience store, or an air hose). You can also get directions to the gas station through your phone.

Why I Love this App:
- Even if you are in an unfamiliar city, you can find the cheapest gas stations.
- I like being able to search on the map to see where along my route is the cheapest gas, even if it is over 100 miles away.
- If you have notifications set up, you get an alert notifying you that prices are going up in your area.

Money Saving Apps: Amazon Price Check

I give the Amazon Price Check App a good workout in the weeks before Christmas. It allows me to compare prices I find in the store with prices on Amazon.

Steps to Use Amazon Price Check:
1. Download the app to your device. It is available for iPhone, iPod touch, and Android.
2. Either type the name, scan the barcode, take a picture, or say the name of the product you want to find.

 

3. Compare prices on Amazon with the price in the store.

Why I Love this App:
- Helpful during holiday season to make sure I am getting the best price on gifts.
- You can share information on a product via e-mail, text, Facebook, or Twitter.
- You can connect the app to your Amazon account and add items to your cart.
- If you have an account, you can buy items right from the app.
- I have seen people use this app at garage sales...usually to see if they can resell the item for more.

Money Saving Apps: Target Cartwheel

I already love Target enough as it is, but they recently launched an app through Facebook that made me love it even more! It is called Target Cartwheel.

Steps to Use Target Cartwheel:
1. You will need a Facebook account to use Target Cartwheel. If you don't already have one...get one, even if you only use it for Target Cartwheel.
2. Go to the Target Cartwheel website and log in through your Facebook account. A box will pop up telling you that "Cartwheel by Target would like to post to Facebook for you." Unless you want your Facebook filling up with offers you select, I suggest you choose "Skip." (You could also change it so only you see your posts from Target Cartwheel by selecting "Only Me")

3. Find coupons you want to add by searching or browsing. Click on the offer you want (called an offer card) and it will flip over. Select add. A little red check mark will appear in the upper right corner.

4. You can add 10 offers at a time, but you can earn more spots by unlocking badges. Badges to unlock include using Cartwheel for the first time at Target and saving $10 with Cartwheel and more.

5. At checkout, have the cashier scan your Cartwheel bar code. Either show them your mobile device with the bar code from the Target Cartwheel app (available through the Apple Store or Google Play), or print your Target Cartwheel offers from home and your bar code will be at the top of the print out. Your bar code never changes, so in theory, you could print out your bar code one time and reuse it...almost like a store loyalty card.

Why I Love this App:
- You can redeem all the offers you have loaded at the time of your transaction. So if you have 10 offers loaded, you will save on all 10 items that correspond with those offers.
- You can use each offer up to 4 items in a single transaction.
- Offers do not disappear until they expire...meaning you can use them over and over.
- You can use Target Cartwheel 6 times per day.
- You can use a manufacturer coupon, a Target coupon (mobile texts or printable), and one Cartwheel offer on a single item.
- You can also still use your Target REDcard on top of all those other coupons.

If I am roaming through Target (which I usually do), and I find something that I wasn't planning on buying before I saw it in the store, I will hop on the Target Cartwheel mobile app and see if there is a corresponding offer available. It can really maximize your savings!