Holiday shopping apps that will save you money

By Special to MoneySense on December 20, 2013
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

These four handy smartphone tools will help you stay on budget

This article is 9 years old. Some details may be outdated.

According to a recent survey by wireless carrier, Mobilicity, 70% of Canadians don’t use smartphone apps to help them with holiday shopping. If you’re part of that majority, take note: shopping apps can help you save big money. Below are just a few of the many smartphone apps that will help you get the best deals possible. 1. Shop Savvy This app lets you scan the barcode of items using the camera function on your phone. Just scan the product and let the app do price comparisons for what’s available locally and online. Free, available for iPhone, iPad and Android. 2. No More Socks Are you making your list and checking it twice? This app helps you to keep on top of the holiday season. You can easily organize who to buy for, your budget and holiday events. As well, you can share gift ideas and get inspiration from other users. This app can be used all year round to keep track of other special events like anniversaries and birthdays, with a record of what presents you’ve given before — a handy tool if you’re memory-challenged! Free, available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. 3. My Price Canada Travelling across provinces this holiday? This shopping app helps you to easily and quickly calculate sales taxes and discounts for all provinces and territories. Notable feature: A function that allows you to calculate tips before and after taxes. $2, available for iPhone and iPad. 4. SnipSnap Forget clipping coupons; take photos of them instead. This app will then digitally convert them and be ready for use next time you go shopping. You’ll never forget your coupons at home again. Plus, the next time you enter a store where you have a coupon saved (or when a coupon is near its expiration date), this useful app will send you an instant reminder. Free, available for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. This article originally appeared on Chatelaine.com. For more from on budgeting from Caroline Cakebread follow her at Twitter.com/ccakebread or read: