The Holidays Are Coming. Plan Now With Our Top 9 Apps

Santa Claus’s sleigh is much heavier (and expensive) these days. A 2014 report projected that the average American would spend $765 on Christmas last year—the highest during the study’s nine year run. And since the economy continues to improve and the Christmas season creeps ever closer to fall and summer, this year might be one for the record books. Currently, it’s projected that America will spend over $600 billion on the 2015 holiday season.

In order to prepare for this expensive time of year, you should start saving and planning now, and not just your gift ideas. There are a bunch of apps out there that will help you track your gifts, set budgets, and find the best deals.

1. 1. Santa’s Bag
      Available on iTunes, this gift managing app will make you feel like the jolly man himself. Input every person you’re buying for, what they want most, gifts you’ve gotten them, and your budget. Then, check off as you go and enjoy a more organized holiday that won’t blow your bank account out of the water.
   2. Red Laser
      This free app allows
   3. you to scan barcodes while you’re shopping and comes back to you with where you can find the best price. Since most stores offer price matching, this can save you money and won’t cost you another trip to another store. The app also finds coupons you can use to save even more.
   4. Slickdeals
      Slickdeals is for the person who loves a good price cut. Get deal alerts to your phone on items you’re searching for, displays handpicked deals from the Slickdeals team and deals from sites like Groupon and LivingSocial to make sure you don’t have to break your budget this holiday season. Plus, this app is free. 
   5. Christmas Gift List
      

      Budget, buy, and manage your holiday shopping list with Christmas Gift List app. If you use it year to year, you can look up past gift history to make sure you don’t double up on the same gift. It’s also just a really convenient tool to monitor your spending and gift list.

   6. The Christmas List
      This merry app allows you to keep track of stores where you’re doing holiday shopping, so you don’t waste money on shipping or trips out. It also lets you set a max spending budget and allocate how much to spend on who—so you stick to your financial goals. The lists you create are shareable, so if you’re not the only one playing Santa Claus, you can loop someone else into the shopping plan too.
   7. Gift List Manager
      Monitor everything you need to know about your gifts from if they’ve been purchased, ordered, shipped, received, and wrapped with Gift List Manager. It’s an all-around easy tool to use to keep holiday shopping in check. 
   8. GiftPlanner

      
      Even when the holidays are over, you can track gifts for any event with GiftPlanner. Send gift cards straight from the app, bookmark online shopping items through a widget, and stay on top of your finances by balancing your budget. You’ll love how easy it is to use this app.

   9. Christmas List Snowball
      

      Don’t let the holidays result in an avalanche of stress! This app will help you manage your holiday shopping budgets with a variety of breakdowns. Look at your overall budget and what you’ve spent so far. See who you blew the budget for. Also check in to see who is getting the most expensive gift and who you haven’t shopped for yet. You can check off who you bought for and keep track of everyone easily. 

   10. Holiday Planner Lite
       

       The holidays don’t just mean spending on gifts, but on travel and food as well. With this planning app, you can set a budget and track your expenses based on categories like airfare, hotel stays, rental car, and gas. That way, you’ll stay on top of your budget and be able to see exactly how much you’re spending.

Try these tools so you don’t say, “Ho, ho, ho-ly cow this holiday is costing me a fortune!” when Christmas rolls around. They’ll also save you a from unnecessary stress and keep you organized.

You can also save more for the holidays by paying less for your insurance. Shop around for a better quote now.

[SUREHITS]

Before making any final decisions on your insurance company, it is important to learn as much as you can about your local insurance providers, and the coverages they offer. Call your local insurance agent to clear up any questions that you might have. Questions to consider asking include, “What is the best coverage plan for me/my family/my situation?” “What are the minimum coverage requirements in my state and what form of coverage do you recommend?” “Do you guys offer any bundle discounts if I take out both my auto insurance and home insurance with you?” and “What is the average rate of insurance quotes you guys offer?”

Before making any big insurance decisions, use our free tool to compare insurance quotes near you. It’s simple, just plug in your zip code and we’ll do the rest!