Christmas

The Best Apps to Help You Save Money this Christmas

The Best Apps to Help You Save Money During the Holiday SeasonEditor’s Note: Tanya is back to share with us some apps that can help you save money on Black Friday and throughout the holiday season.

I grew up in Minnesota, so it always amused me to see people on TV shivering outside their favorite stores, so they could be first in line to snatch whatever doorbuster enticed them to brave the frigid temperatures. Meanwhile, I sipped hot chocolate and helped my Mom decorate for Christmas instead. Granted, I lived in a small town where Black Friday wasn’t a huge event because we didn’t have many major retailers. Even when I moved to Minneapolis, the cold kept me indoors, but when I eventually moved to LA, I decided to experience Black Friday up close and personal.

I quickly realized that I am more of a Cyber Monday kind of gal. But there were definitely people having the time of their life and waved their receipts like badges of honor. They proudly shared their tales of racing all over the city to find the best prices. It sounded exhausting to me! The good news is with the help of a few apps, you can significantly reduce the amount of time you spend running from store-to-store in search of the best price and deal. All the apps are free and there are no affiliate links.

Black Friday Apps

These two apps are considered the must-have Black Friday apps.

TGI Friday Black App

This is one robust app and it’s jam packed with the features every Black Friday shopper wants, including:

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Black Friday by Fat Wallet

What I love about this app is that it organizes information into Black Friday Ads and Black Friday Deals. You pick how you want to search and they find the deals, which saves you valuable time. Other features include:

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Great Coupon Apps

I’ve never been very good at cutting coupons. It’s cumbersome and I can never find the coupon I need. Not to mention that I am notorious for leaving them at home on my kitchen table too. These apps remove all my complaints and make it easy for me to save a little extra money on the things I plan to buy, whether they are Christmas presents or groceries.

Retail Me Not

The RetailMeNot Coupons app makes it easy to save in store with thousands of coupons at the places you love to shop. You don’t have to worry about printing coupons or accidentally leaving them at home. Now you can access them anytime and any place. Features include:

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Coupon Sherpa

This app lets you search for coupons via store, product or your GPS location. Just show the offer at checkout for a scanning and receive your discount. Features include:

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Price Comparison Apps

Comparison shopping has never been easier, thanks to these apps. I love a good deal as much as anyone, but nothing annoys me more then to find out I overpaid. These apps can help find the best prices on Black Friday and every time you shop.

Red Laser

Red Laser helps you find the best prices, coupons, and deals for all your favorite products and stores, online and locally. Features include:

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Amazon Price Check

This app allows you to compare the prices you find in stores against the price at Amazon by using Flow, scanning a barcode, or typing your search.

Get the App: iPhone | Android

Walmart Savings Catcher

This app helps reimburse you the difference in cost if there is a lower price in your area on the items you bought. If you are a regular Walmart shopper, I would definitely recommend this app year-round. Here’s how it works:

  1. Scan your store receipt using the Walmart app.
  2. Savings Catcher compares the prices of eligible items on your receipt against the advertised deals offered by top competitors in your area.
  3. If a lower advertised price is found, Walmart refunds the difference on a Walmart Rewards eGift Card.

Get the App: iPhone | Android

A Final Word of Caution: Don’t Get Carried Away

One of Shannon’s tips to Black Friday Saving Success was to take advantage of email alerts now and unsubscribe after the holidays. The same holds true with these apps, especially if you are prone, like me, to shopping. If frequent push notifications on great deals is too much of a temptation for you, then delete these apps and free up room on your devices after the holidays. You can also download them again next holiday season.

I hope these apps help you stretch your budget and save money this holiday season. You will find me in my pajamas on Black Friday, giggling over the fact that Californians pretty much dress as warmly as Minnesotans do to stand in line for door busters on Black Friday. #wimps.

What apps do you use to save money during the holidays or throughout the year?

TanyaTanya is a freelance writer, web designer and blogger. You can find her at Eat Laugh Purr where she and her ginger tabby, Max, enjoy simple pleasures every day and at TV Fanatic reviewing Madam Secretary and more. Connect with Tanya on twitter and Pinterest. And please, no judgement on the number of cat pins I have.
November 19, 2014  •  18 Comments  •  Christmas

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  1. Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
    LOVE this!!! I'm going to try the Walmart savings catcher this week (I've been meaning to do that). Also, the Target Cartwheel app is a great new one.
    • Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
      Thanks, Natalie! I'll have to take a look at the Target Cartwheel app. I tend to shop there more, so anything that saves/earns me money I like! :)
  2. Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
    I have the best app of all which is basically spending next to nothing at Christmas. Yay! :) But I do think its great there are options out there for people to save. I do have to wonder though, that by having all those things, are you there more temptations albeit subtle temptations just because you are looking at so much stuff you can buy? Meaning you weren't planning on buying a TV, but wow look at that price?!?!
    • Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
      I've managed to cut back on holiday spending, but I still have a few gifts to buy! Oh, I thought you are spot on - seeing good bargains, whether you need them or not, are a huge temptation and cause people to spend, which is exactly what stores want. Good reminder that a good deal on something you don't need isn't much of a deal AT ALL!
  3. Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
    This is a great list!!! I am not a big holiday shopper in general; however, I think it's key to be prepared and make sure you check everything before making a purchase. Apps like these make it difficult to not take the extra steps that will save you money.
    • Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
      I actually enjoy holiday shopping, although I do avoid Black Friday because I don't like the crowds or feeling so pressured where I can't really browse. I really like how the apps make the comparison shopping so much easier. It takes out the guess work.
  4. Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
    It's not really a savings app, but I like Ebates a lot for buying things online when I was planning to do so anyway - it's always nice to have a little kickback, especially if there's double percentage days or something.
    • Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
      I have heard great things about ebates but haven't personally used them. I see the commercials on TV all the time and those people earn big checks. I imagine to earn so much back, they have to also be spending a fair amount too. Still, if you're planning on buying something anyway, you might as well get a little back too!
  5. Wednesday, November 19th, 2014
    Woohoo I'm a Minnesotan too! Thanks for sharing the great apps. It's great to see that so many stores are moving towards pushing online orders versus getting people in their physical stores. There's not really much reason to wait in line at stores anymore.
    • Thursday, November 20th, 2014
      Then you know what I'm talking about! People in so many layers that they waddled and were bigger than snowmen. LOL! Yes, it is nice how many stores are pushing online deals. It's the only way I shop Black Friday/Cyber Monday. It's so much nicer and I love not having to deal with crowded stores and long checkout lines.
  6. Thursday, November 20th, 2014
    I love Retail-me-Not. I always check it before I buy anything online- its crazy how often they can provide additional savings!
    • Thursday, November 20th, 2014
      I know! If I'm going to buy something anyway, any extra savings they can provide just sweetens the deal. And it's so much easier than trying to hunt down physical coupons. Even a basic online search brings back a lot of "junk" and it can be difficult to find any coupons/discounts. They make searching a lot easier.
  7. Plain Jane
    Thursday, November 20th, 2014
    This is a great list. Saving Catcher looks good - thanks for recommending that one - I will try it this weekend!

    Here are other savings apps that I have now incorporated into my shopping routing to save $! I use the following free apps:
    flipp – scan the weekly flyers for groceries (love this app!)
    RetailMeNot – coupons! (works better for online shopping)
    RedLaser – compare online prices (great for electronics and other large purchases that have lots of online comparables)
    Price Cruncher – manage frequent items, track unit prices, and shopping list (great for weekly groceries and other household items that don’t have online prices)
    Checkout 51 – get rebates on items that I purchased by scanning my receipt (who doesn’t like getting money back on things they were going to buy anyways!)
  8. Friday, November 21st, 2014
    Hi Tanya!

    Thanks for sharing these apps with us. I'll check out anything to help me save money on my holiday shopping. Now I have two grandkids and I'm sparing no expense...okay a little :). I'll be using the Walmart Savings App for sure and I love Target's Cartwheel app too.

    Gladly passing this along! Happy Friday. Have a great weekend lady!
  9. Friday, November 21st, 2014
    I might have to download these. I have none.
  10. Sunday, November 23rd, 2014
    I'm familiar with most of these, but not the Black Friday apps! Thanks for sharing! I'll be sure to get them and see how they are. I should probably tell my wife as well. lol
  11. Monday, December 1st, 2014
    I have downloaded the Coupon Sherpa. I am just amazed with the app because it really is giving me great deals! I don't know how it manage to do it, but I am happy with the results. I bought some coupons for a fine-dining restaurant. So happy that I have it on my phone.
Shannon Ryan SHANNON RYAN, CFP®
  • Meet Shannon

    "As a Certified Financial Planner, it is my passion to help individuals and families build a healthy relationship with money. I look forward to helping you raise financially confident kids.” - Shannon Ryan