How to save and manage money from your mobile

There’s an app for everything these days. Some can help you reduce waste, others can help you tackle loneliness.

There’s even apps that can help you manage your money.

The rising cost of living is very real. In June 2022, over 2 million UK households missed a bill payment due to high costs (that’s according to new research by Which?). An online poll also found that six in 10 consumers have had to cut back on essentials, or have dipped into savings to cover essential spending.

No-one wants that. So what can we do to manage it? The answer lies in budgeting.

Benefits of a budget

Really, it’s a no-brainer. By creating a working budget, you’ll be able to see how much money you have, how much you’re spending and all the places you could be saving.

If you’re spending your money on things you don’t really need (which we’re all guilty of), you’ll be able to see this in your budget. You might even have subscriptions to things you’ve forgotten about.

By tracking your expenses and creating a budget plan, you’ll have greater confidence in your spending and feel better prepared to save in all the right places.

How your mobile can help you manage your money

Let’s face it. We all know budgeting is a good idea. But it’s boring, right? That’s where your mobile can help.

Here are four apps you can download straight to your mobile to help you deal with the rising cost of living.

1. Money Dashboard

Want to keep an eye on the amount of money taken out each month by Netflix, Disney Plus, or Amazon Prime? With the Money Dashboard app, you can easily see all of your subscriptions and bills in one place.

Pro: Categorise your spending into buckets like household bills and set targets for your budget Con: You can’t move your money around from the app

Download Money Dashboard on iOS and Android.

2. Plum

Say goodbye to spreadsheets and hello to automation.

Plum links all your bank(s) and credit cards to create one smart account that can help you control your spending and compare household bills.

Pro: Artificial intelligence automatically calculates how much money you can save based on your spending patterns Con: You need to upgrade to a Plum Pro or Ultra account if you want to set savings goals

Download Plum on iOS and Android.

3. Snoop

Saving doesn’t get easier than Snoop.

This free money management app analyses your spending and helps you cut down on your bills, stop subscriptions you don’t use, finds vouchers and sales at the places you shop, and always ensures you get the best deal.

Pro: You can combine all your accounts in one place and track your spending Con: Features are still being added to the app so you might not be able to get full use out of it straight away

Download Snoop on iOS and Android.

4. Emma

Embrace Emma. An app that acts as a spending tracker. Emma analyses your savings and current accounts as well as credit cards and categorises your monthly spending.

It also lists your subscriptions, so you can see if there’s anything you’re paying for but not using.

Pro: This app is super-easy to navigate Con: Emma Pro is quite expensive for the additional features

Download Emma on iOS and Android.

Other ways your mobile phone can help

As well as giving you access to useful budgeting tools, your mobile phone can also help you save money in other ways.

With apps like Vinted, for example, you can sell and buy second-hand clothes from your mobile. Or with OLIO, you can get food from your neighbours, or share yours with others. Find out more in our blog 10 free apps to help you cut waste.