In today’s economy, holiday shoppers are well aware of the need to stick to their budget. Whether you need to find the best deal or you need quick access to your budgeted holiday list, the iPhone can become your new best friend this year. Use these budget-friendly iPhone apps as you hit the malls this holiday season.
Make a list with these iPhone apps
Juicy Christmas is a festive shopping app created for the iPhone. Manage groups and individuals’ wish lists, complete with images and product details. For 99 cents, you can add items to lists via keyword search, item code, or barcode scan. Multiple options for easy data entry makes for quick operation, whether at home or on the go.
Holiday Gift List creates budgets around your holiday shopping list, assigning both lists and budgets to everyone you need to purchase gifts for. Available in the iTunes App Store for $1.99, Holiday Gift List offers a nice dashboard view with budget details and number of gifts purchased for individuals. Organize by groups such as work, household and family.
Target is looking to corner the market with its free iPhone app. While specific to the retailer, Target’s app lets you create lists, search for and add items to those lists, and see if those items fit into your budget. If you were already planning on shopping at Target, utilizing its list and budget-management tools could be useful.
Find the best deal with these iPhone apps
ShopSavvy’s new, free iPhone app is great for shopping on the go. Scan an item’s barcode and ShopSavvy will search multiple retailers for the lowest price. View item details and read reviews from others. Create wish lists, which can be used for upcoming holiday purchases. Set price alerts to be notified of future price drops that fit your budget.
Gifts are not the only things that can blow your budget this season. ShopALot — Groceries and Recipes is good for holiday dinner parties, as it budgets your grocery list according to the recipes you use. This iPhone app costs 99 cents and is customizable for shopping lists, with search options to create a list from its existing database.
Save Benjis + is the updated version of this iPhone app, complete with a barcode scanner. Compare prices across multiple retailers, view product details and read reviews. For $1.99, you can add a review of your own and view recent product searches, helping to ensure you find the best deals on your holiday shopping lists.
eBay’s self-serving market has its own appeal in today’s marketplace. Find what you want from eBay without the hassle of an auction, or even variables like shipping prices. With eBay Deals for the iPhone, you get just the facts. Send deals to friends and save searches. No alerts yet, but the free app plans on adding them soon.
Staying on a budget using iPhone apps
The holiday season is more than just shopping for gifts. We spend a lot of money on decorations and food as well. The free Holiday Budget Planner iPhone app from AOL keeps tabs on your budgeting for the entire holiday. Gift lists, food, beverages and decorations are tallied with this app, giving you a better idea of your spending.
Travel is often another large cost associated with the holidays. Keep on budget by using Kayak’s free iPhone app to find low prices on flights and hotels. Pulling from multiple airlines and hotels, Kayak directs you to the online services for booking reservations.
Mint’s personal finance tool for iPhone users is the ultimate budgeting service. The mobile version of Mint can keep you on the straight and narrow as you do your holiday shopping. Create a budget, manage lists and monitor banking and credit card accounts to ensure that you are still working towards your goals, even during the holidays.
