Mobile Apps Provide Ways to Save
According to just-published survey results from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) “56 percent of Americans believe that technology has made it easier to spend money and only three out of 100 say it has made it easier to save.”
Perhaps that 3 percent was thinking about mobile apps designed to help you save money when you spend.
Like GasBuddy. This app, free for iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone devices and the mobile web, depends on a community of users in the U.S. and Canada to report gas prices and keep its data up to date. GasBuddy lets you search for gas prices by city, state, province and postal code. (Today it helped me find gas for $0.02 less than the average price in the state where I live.)
GasBuddy is just one of countless apps designed to help consumers find good deals when they shop. And for people who want to manage their money wisely, there are mobile apps for handling personal budgets, banking, and investing – and many of those apps are free.
Other mobile apps help save money by saving time. Like GPS apps that help drivers reach their destinations by taking the shortest route or using only highways.
Commenting on the AICPA’s survey results, Jordan Amin, chairman of the National CPA Financial Literacy Commission, said, “Our gadgets and connections can bring benefits like mobility and efficiency. But they can also bring financial challenges, like taking money that could go to savings, for instance, or contributing to credit card debt. We have to mind these expenses and budget for them to ensure the benefits outweigh the costs.”
True. And there are plenty of mobile apps to help us try to do just that.