Best shopping apps for the holiday season

Looking to save money this holiday season? Here's our list of the best shopping apps

Frugal, savvy spenders will want to check out this roundup of the best shopping apps. It’s never too early to start thinking about holiday shopping, especially if you want to crush your budget goals and get the best deals.

We’ve covered lots of money saving apps here on the Tingand the three apps we’ll talk about today will help you save and be a more conscious shopper. You don’t have to break the bank to get everyone on your list the perfect gift. We’ve put together a list of apps and some other helpful shopping hacks to get the best price no matter what you’re looking to buy.

We’ll cover the top shopping apps, our favorite barcode scanner app, mobile coupon apps and our go-to digital shopping lifehacks. These apps will help you save during the holiday season when gift giving can put extra pressure on your budget.

Flipp app: | Android | iOS | Here’s a solid coupon app

As far as coupon apps go, we like the Flipp app the best. The best coupon apps for iPhone and the best coupon apps for Android will work like consolidators, and that’s exactly what the Flipp app does. This is the coupon consolidator you bargain shoppers have been waiting for. Flipp gathers weekly promotional flyers and coupons from every local store in your area, plus online retailers too. No more fumbling with pages and pages of coupons and comparison shopping on paper. With Flipp, you can browse through digital copies of flyers and circle or clip items you’re interested in.

Flipp is also available on desktop, so you can set up your shopping list at home and head out armed with your deals on your phone. You can browse for specific products by category, like electronics, kids, fashion, sporting goods and more.

Don’t head out to shop this holiday season without consulting the Flipp app first. It’s one of the best shopping apps to save money available today.

ShopSavvy app: | Android | iOS | A barcode scanner app for comparison shopping

ShopSavvy helps you “find the right product at the right price.” This comparison shopping and barcode scanner app draws from a massive library of product reviews where real ShopSavvy editors have tested and evaluated products to help people make informed purchase decisions.

To get started, download the app for iOS or Android. While you’re out shopping, simply scan any barcode to compare pricing and to get other product recommendations. ShopSavvy will help you make an informed choice, so you never suffer buyer’s remorse again.

When you scan a barcode, the app will show you other prices associated with the product, including online options. You can also use ShopSavvy’s online database makes to find trusted product reviews and sales in an instant.

Take ShopSavvy with you this shopping season. Get the best deals at major retailers like Walmart, Target, Best Buy and more.

Honey app: use this Chrome extension for the ultimate shopping life hack

If you’re more of an online, at-home shopper, you’ve got to check out the coupon app Honey. Honey is a browser extension, which makes it the perfect application for shopping on your laptop at home.

Here’s how Honey works. Shop as you normally would and when you’re ready to check out, Honey will automatically apply the best coupon code it can find at checkout. No more hunting for coupon codes on your own. In 2017, Honey saved its users over $170 million from coupon code discounts.

Some coupon clippers love the thrill of the chase, but it's not hard to see the benefit in letting Honey do the work. You can even connect Honey directly with Amazon to watch products and get notified when the price drops.

Other holiday shopping hacks and tips

Looking for some more ways to save? We’ve got some non-app, frugal tips and tricks that will help you get your holiday shopping off to a great start. Consider this a saving lightning round. Try some of these tips and tricks to hack your holiday budget!

RetailMeNot

On the RetailMeNot website, purchase gift cards for less than the dollar amount listed on the card. Grab yourself a discounted card, use it like cash at your favorite store and watch your savings grow.

Follow brands on social media

For the latest deals, discounts, sales and more, you’re going to want to follow your favorite brands on social media. Brands are known to launch exclusive deals to their followers with unique promo codes. This is definitely a more applicable tip for direct brands rather than retailers.

Free Shipping Day

Have you heard of Free Shipping Day? A ton of major retailers participate in Free Shipping Day, and its exactly what it sounds like. Get free shipping on your last minute holiday shopping. Free Shipping Day for 2018 is on December 14.

Curate your promotions inbox

Tidy up those old subscriptions for the holiday season. By curating your list a bit, you’ll actually look forward to seeing those promo emails roll in, rather than just deleting them all outright. Consider using an app like Unroll.me, a service that lets you mass unsubscribe from email lists you’d rather not be on.