Top Money Saving Apps for Canadians

Canadian-specific tools for helping Canucks resuscitate their finances

Has your largest problem this year (and we’re only a few months into 2012) been managing your personal finances? Well you’re not alone, and thousands of finance smart phone apps are proof that the majority of people are turning to technology to help them save money and get on track with their 2012 financial goals on any T-Mobile broadband device.

Regardless of if you’re seeking ways to save more money or just live within your budget, I find that the right personal finance application, or group of apps, can help with general household budgeting and help save money as well.

Here are my top picks for money saving applications for Canadians:

1. BillMinder ($0.99 – for iPhone)

BillMinder is not a guy that you said “hello” to in the Tim Horton’s lineup this morning. It’s actually a very handy smart phone app that keeps track of your bills. BillMinder’s popularity as a bill-tracking tool is supported by giving users a whole-view of their spending—by providing a view of all bills, paid bills, or past due bills by category. You can also customize this app to display bills by collector, amount, etc. And you can have BillMinder send you automatic notifications that alert you to bills due within a certain timeframe.

2. moneyStrands (Free – for iPhone)

If you need to track your spending and bills when you’re on the go—then moneyStrands is the app that will keep your finances organized even when you aren’t so much. This finance apps features synchronicity with all financial institutions, so you can track bills multiple bills from multiple banks, as well as track everyday spending and manage your household budget as you shop, get gas, and buy tickets to that Tragically Hip concert you really wanted to go to on Friday night. You can also set up custom categories to assign certain expenses—for instance, household bills, car bills and expenses, and entertainment expenses so you can keep track of everything that comes out of your personal accounts.

3. Our Groceries (Free – for Android)

Are you one of those shoppers that writes a list before going grocery shopping? Or are you one of those shoppers that goes to the grocery store hungry with no list? If you’re the latter, I bet you make a lot of impulse purchases (i.e., that can of dates imported all the way from Morocco) and spend way more than you originally planned. Well Our Groceries will keep you on track in the eclectic produce aisle. This app allows users to create a shopping list on their smart phone—and the best—share it with others. This way, you and your husband both don’t buy milk on the way home from work because once you pick it up; you can edit your list to delete the item, which displays immediately.

4. Clip Mobile Coupons (Free – for BlackBerry)

Most coupon sites are focused on U.S. consumers and large U.S. chain grocers and stores (like Coupons.com). If you’re Canadian, that really doesn’t do you much good eh? Clip Mobile Coupons is devoted to Canadian coupon clippers for Canadian stores. You can use your smart phone to search a coupon for a specific item, store or restaurant when you search by specific business name. This way you find just the savings you’re looking for each and every time. Coupons can be redeemed by presenting your smart phone or mobile device to the cashier (no coupon printing necessary).

Bio: Jane Johnson is a writer for GoingCellular, a popular site that provides cell phone related news, commentary, reviews on popular providers like T-Mobile.