Christmas shopping might be one of the most hectic “fun” activities in existence. Even though it’s nice to go out and search for the perfect gifts for loved ones, it’s not so fun when the bill rolls in and you realize that in a moment of shopping frenzy, you accidentally spent $70 on a pair of reindeer socks. Don’t lose track of your budget while you’re on your mall adventure by taking advantage of these great financial apps.
App: Mint
Compatibility: Android, iPhone
Price: Free
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Don’t keep track of your budget simply by trying to remember your recent transactions or even by scribbling down notes on scrap pieces of paper at home. You need a thorough, organized budget, but even then, it’s hard to keep updating it when you’re not sitting at your computer all day.
Instead of adding up all of your expenses at the end of the week, panicked about how much money you have left, use this extremely useful app to keep track of spending as you spend it. This app creates a customized budget for you based on spending, hooks up to all of your accounts, and pulls in your transactions (but if you’d like to enter pending ones as they’re happening, you can do that, too!).
App: BillMinder
Compatibility: iPhone
Price: $1.99
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With the holidays approaching, it’s easy to lose track of, well, anything. But forgetting to pay a bill is not going to help keep your stress level down to a healthy minimum. In order to make sure you’re in good financial health, stay organized with this handy app that allows you to see all of your bills in one place.
Instead of scrambling around to find out which bills are due or which you’ve missed, BillMinder consolidates everything and displays all of your bills’ due dates on a clear, organized calendar. Even if you forget to check the calendar, the app will send you a reminder without you even needing to open the app!
App: Debt Free
Compatibility: iPhone
Price: $0.99
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Before worrying about holiday spending, getting some of your debt paid off would be a huge load off your mind. Why not chip away at the money you owe while you have the chance? Instead of looking at it like a daunting task that’s impossible to manage, purchase this app and see how easy it can be to organize.
Debt Free uses the snowball method to help you manage your debt and eliminate it in the most efficient way possible. By doing this, you can keep track of multiple debts and watch the progress you’ll be making!
App: Free Christmas List
Compatibility: Android
Price: Free
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When you’re checking out sales and finding the perfect gifts for people, you might forget about spending limit you set for yourself. It’s okay to go above and beyond, but not knowing where you stand financially could put you into trouble.
Once you’re in Christmas-shopping mode, take control of your spending money by allotting certain gift-giving budgets .This app helps you keep track of the people you’ve already purchased gifts for, remember the presents you plan on buying, and summarize the total cost of your shopping.
App: Mobiloans (coming soon)
Compatibility: iPhone
Price: N/A
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Even if you do a great job planning, a financial emergency can come up during the holiday season, leaving you in a tough situation. Don’t panic! There are ways to take care of financial issues, and now you can even do it on the go.
Mobiloans will be releasing an app in early 2012 that will allow you to get a line of credit from your smartphone. You can get money extremely quickly and conveniently, so you won’t have to rush around trying to figure out a solution!
Conclusion
It’s always important to keep track of finances, but it’s hardest when the holiday season approaches. There’s so much to do and think about that it’s easy to let money matters fall to the wayside. If you’re having trouble or just want to be more organized, use these apps to help you manage everything on a day-to-day basis.
