Save Money with Your Smartphone

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MarchIntoSavings #CollectiveBias

Did you know your smartphone can actually help you save money? Almost 75 percent of mobile phone users own smartphones. I know for some though, making the switch can seem like a big financial decision. It doesn’t have to be! There are ways you can save money just by using your smartphone.

Find a Smartphone

The first thing you need to do is find a smartphone. Next time you’re at Walmart, take a look in the Electronics Department. You can find your new smartphone right there with Walmart Family Mobile.

I picked the LG L90. Even though it had the sticker price of $149.88, it was actually on sale for just $99.88! Disclaimer: All prices for phones and plans included in this post are accurate as of the date of posting; however, these prices are subject to change. Please refer to http://cbi.as/aafid or your local Walmart for current pricing.

I need a phone that has great service and does what I need it to do. The Walmart Family Mobile service is $29.88/month (for the first line) Unlimited Talk, Text & Data service plan which includes up to 500MB of 4G LTE data. 500MB is plenty for us because when we’re home, we’re connected to wi-fi at home. Having the 500MB allows me to use my data while I’m out and about or in the store using apps.

Get Organized

There are several apps out there that can help you get organized. I’m thinking in terms of specifically saving you money.

On my phone, I have my bank’s app. I think most banks have their own apps these days; even my small credit union does. It makes it super easy to check how much you have in your account while you’re on the run. I know as a stay-at-home mom now, I don’t always have a lot in my bank account. I frequently check to make sure I have enough while I’m out shopping. I don’t need to worry about swiping my card and then getting nailed with an overdraft charge. Using my bank app, I’m also able to transfer money from savings to checking if I need to with just a few taps of my finger.

We also use Mint. If you’re not familiar with it, Mint is a way to organize all of your financials in one place. You can add your loans, credit cards, bank accounts, investments and properties. Budgets are easy to create and keep track of using Mint. Your budget will tell you how much you spend and where each month. This could really be enlightening if you’re running through the drive-thru several times a week or picking up take-out often.

Do you still making a shopping list for your groceries? You need to see this app for your modern day grocery list! Check out Out of Milk. This app allows you to create and sort your shopping list, add items and keep track of what’s in your pantry and how much you paid for it last. A really awesome thing I like is that you can share your lists with other people. Meaning, I can share my grocery list with Tom and when he makes random stops at the grocery store (in the same plaza as his work), he can check the list and grab things while he’s there. If you’re unsure of how this translates to saving money: when you don’t have a shopping list, you get a ton of things you don’t need and forget things you do. When you forget things you do need, you have to make another trip.

Save Money

Gas Buddy is one of my favorite apps for saving money. Gas is expensive. I know this year it has finally started to drop, but it’s currently sneaking back up there again. While Gas Buddy is great to use everyday, I really love it for when we’re traveling. A quick check of the app and I find out where the cheapest gas is. Also, if you report gas prices you are entered into weekly drawings for prizes.

Snap by Groupon is one of the newest cashback apps for your smartphone. It’s easy to use and saves me money on everyday items that I’m buying anyway. You don’t need to do anything special before you shop. After shopping, you’ll just snap a pic of your receipt and it will credit you with the amount of certain items. We frequently find cashback for bananas, tomatoes and milk. The great thing about Snap is you can use coupons on these items and shop anywhere you want.

I’m pretty sure everyone who shops online has used RetailMeNot at some point or another. They also have an app now for your smartphone! No need to print coupons for stores, just pull up the app and it’s at your fingertips! You’ll find apps for Old Navy, Best Buy, JCPenney and so many more retail stores. If you’re like me, by the time you get to checkout your kids are fried and you’re ready to just get through the line and go home. With RetailMeNot’s app, I don’t have to dig through my purse (aka the diaper bag) and find my printed out coupon that I hopefully remembered to toss in there somewhere.

So I know you’re going to Walmart to get your new Walmart Family Mobile plan started and to pickup your new smartphone, but did you know Walmart has an app that can save you money too?

We love using the Walmart app for Savings Catcher! Have you noticed that weird looking square at the bottom of your Walmart receipts? That’s what you’ll be zapping with the app to get your credit. When you submit your receipt to Savings Catcher, it will check local competitors for better prices on the items you purchased. We don’t typically get a whole lot back, but something is better than nothing, it all adds up. On my most recent transaction, it found my Mountain Dew 6 pack bottles on sale at another grocery store for .25 less than I paid. I then received that .25 credit in my Savings Catcher account. At any time, I can redeem the money in my account for a Walmart eGift Card.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Walmart Family Mobile plans, you’ll need to purchase a starter kit for $25. Once you’re on the plan, you won’t need to purchase this again. Unlike other no-contract plans, Walmart Family Mobile plans are a post-paid plan, meaning you pay for your service at the end of each month instead of paying up front.

Switching to WFM can definitely help you March Into Savings! Not only can you cut your monthly phone bill, but you can actually save money – deflecting some of that cost – when you use these money saving apps!

How do you use your smartphone to save money? What will you do with the extra money you save switching to Walmart Family Mobile?