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Just a year ago it was costing me about $60 to fill up my gas tank. For the past few months, it’s cost me, on average, just north of $100. I never thought of a trip to gas station would cost me three figures.
Gas prices are not the only ones to rise. A trip to grocery also increased significantly. The inflation rate for June was 9.1%, the highest since November 1981. These three apps have helped me save money as inflation continues to rage.
1. GasBuddy
GasBuddy is an app that provides real-time information on gas prices at over 150,000 stations. The app will compare gas stations in your area so you can find the cheapest gas. GasBuddy says it has saved North American drivers over $3 billion and has been downloaded nearly 100 million times. It has a free membership program that can save you up to $0.25 per gallon.
2. Mint.com
One of the best ways to fight inflation is to back to basics. It means watching how you spend your money. If the term “budget” can make some people shudder, an application like Mint or TrueBill does all the work for you. You can see all your financial accounts in one place and the app tracks your cash flow. You can set up notifications to know how much you spend in certain categories. Mint can also negotiate your invoices for you for free. It claims to have saved its members more than $2 million. In times of high inflation, every dollar saved is a dollar you can spend on your future, and mint can help.
3. Ibotta
Ibotta gives you cash back on clothes, groceries, travel and more. Ibotta has a mobile app and a browser extension for Chrome. When you are on a supported site, the extension will appear. You can then activate the extension to earn cash back on your purchases. The extension also allows you to compare prices from different retailers in real time.
You can also shop on the Ibotta website and choose from stores like Walmart, Target, and 2,000 other retailers and food delivery services. If you shop at a store, you can add deals to your shopping list to get cash back on groceries and household items. If you’re shopping on your phone, you choose the site you want to visit and shop as usual. The app will calculate your cash back and add it to your Ibotta earnings.
As inflation continues to rage, it’s important to be more vigilant about how you manage your money. These apps are just some tools that can help you spend smarter and get money back.
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