Great Apps to Keep You on Track During the Holidays!
December 4, 2013
There’s no denying that we can all get wrapped up in the happy hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Whether we hum carols while window shopping at the mall, or stay up extra late for one more Christmas movie, we can easily lose track of time and end up scrambling to get everything done.
Fortunately, you might have the best little helper (aside from Santa’s elves, of course!) at your fingertips. New apps are released every day. Why not use them to keep you sane during the “most wonderful time of the year?”
Shopping
Black Friday has past but for many of us, there is still shopping to do! Whether it’s food or gifts, the stores are crazy and it can be hard to maintain your sanity. Do you love coupons but hate clipping them and carrying them around? How about those lovely times when you see a great sale item but realize you left your coupons at home? SnipSnap is a great app that allows you to take pictures of your favorite coupons and store them in your phone. Also, there are a number of big name retailers such as Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy that now allow you to shop through their apps. If you download one like FatWallet, you can shop at multiple stores through one interface and you will earn cashback!
Cooking
Cooking for the masses can be a lot of fun but, since these recipes are only used a couple times a year, it’s easy for us to forget. We wonder how long a turkey needs to defrost and then how long it needs to be cooked. We try to remember the rules for food safety when it comes to putting stuffing in our bird. We also wonder what kinds of wine go well with the food we’re preparing. Fortunately, there are endless cooking-related apps including Food Network in the Kitchen, A Bon Appétit Manual, Dirty Kitchen Timer and Hello Vino. Experiment with the ones that work best for you!
Weather
Few things can ruin holiday plans as much as bad weather. Roads close and flights get grounded due to storms and, with all of the other running around you are doing, you may neglect to do one simple thing – check the weather report! Apps such as the Accutrack Weather App and the My Warn Weather App can be set up to send alerts based on National Weather Service storm warnings for specific areas. It’s better to know ahead of time than end up stranded!
Travel
Aside from downloading any apps associated with your airline or travel agency, there are some great applications that can make traveling during the holidays a little easier. TripIt manages all of your confirmation emails and makes everything easy to decipher and verify at a glance. Now you won’t have to go digging for your flight information, car rental details or hotel reservations – just open the app. FlightStats is extremely helpful in determining whether your flight is leaving/arriving on time which gives you time to make alternate plans, if needed. Hotel Tonight is also extremely valuable since anything can happen and you may suddenly find yourself looking for a last-minute place to stay. This handy app will help you locate vacancies in your area so that you don’t waste time driving from hotel to hotel for hours.
During this festive, but stressful, time, make use of any resources that can help make life more manageable so that you can focus on the important things.
