mGifts

These days, most people have a love hate relationship with smart phones. They’re an undeniable distraction and the constant connection to everyone else via social media and the phone can leave us feeling like we never truly have that much-needed alone time. Still, smart phones have their fair share of perks. Prime example? Holiday organization.

From shopping to planning to directions to so-and-so’s house for another holiday party, smart phone apps means we have the potential to never be lost or unorganized again.

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite, most useful holiday apps for you below.

	Flit Flit is a free shopping app that’s perfect for year-round use. It aggregates all your favorite stores and styles into one app, allowing you to streamline the searching process. So, for example, say you’re looking for a particular bauble. Instead of searching at W, X, Y and Z, you simply enter the search into the browser bar and Flit searches all the stores at once. It also allows you to save items or share them, compare prices at different stores, buy within the app and also has alerts for when new items are added.
	Macy’s App For Macy shoppers living in New York City, the store’s newest iPhone app is definitely one you’ll want to download. The massive flagship store can be an overwhelming one to navigate, but the app provides an indoor mapping system that’ll help shoppers find what they’re looking for. In addition to step-by-step directions, the app also informs shoppers about offers based on where they’re standing in the store.
	mGifts – Gift List Manager Organize your holiday shopping list with an app like mGifts. This particular gift managing app, available for $0.99, allows you to make shopping lists and budget your money. It’s also password protected so you don’t have to worry about someone sneaking in to see who’s getting what under the tree this year.
	Packing (+ To Do!) This $0.99 app goes above and beyond your standard packing and to-do list. It helps you organize your packing list for multiple trips, including both pressing trips and those still a ways into the future. Because it ensures you’ve dotted all your i’s and crossed all your t’s before any trip, you don’t have to worry about what you forgot to do or pack.
	iCookbook Whether you’re cooking for two, twenty or somewhere in between, the iCookbook app is here to help. For $4.99, it provides over 12K recipes for you to sort through and plan your meals around. In addition, it provides conversions, substitutions, a section for shopping lists, timers and even instructional videos. This is a great one for the entire year.

By Wendy Rose Gould

Whether you’re a holiday shopping procrastinator extraordinaire or the type who buys gifts months in advance, there’s always — without fail — a last minute mad dash to round off holiday shopping lists. No matter who’s on your list this year, how much you want to buy or how long you procrastinate, we urge you to get organized. Organization leads to thoughtful gifts, happy recipients and, ultimately, a saner you.

Gather Pertinent Information

Get information from your giftees that goes beyond a basic wish list. For example, make sure you know clothing sizes, color preferences, style, interests, etc. Knowing such information helps you get creative when buying. A wish list is helpful, of course, buy holiday shopping is more fun for both parties when you get to color outside the lines.

Brain Storm and Research Gifts

Once you have all the information you need, take an hour or two to brain storm potential gifts for each person on your holiday shopping list. Do your research on the items, noting prices and where to buy. Creating this list on your computer is more efficient since you’ll be able to edit and add information as you go.

Plan at Least Two Shopping Trips

Trying to buy all your holiday gifts at once leads to headaches and frustration. It’s just not possible to get everything all in one trip, so don’t put that much pressure on yourself. Plan at least two shopping trips, though preferably three. Hit as many stores as you can on the first day (both virtual and brick/mortar) and then organize and assess all the gifts once they’ve arrived. Plan your second trip and repeat. The third (and hopefully final) trip should take place no less than a week before you exchange gifts and should serve as a final “last minute” excursion.

Use Holiday Shopping Apps

It’s not called a smart phone for nothing. Take advantage of your know-it-all phone this season by utilizing some of the best shopping apps out there. For example, the free Slice app automatically tracks any holiday gifts purchased online (or shipped out), keeps all your e-receipts in one place and monitors your spending. Other holiday shopping apps worth checking out include mGifts ($2.99) and The Christmas List ($0.99).

Track Your Spending

If you don’t use a holiday shopping app to keep track of your spending, at least keep track elsewhere. Set a budget for each person on your list and keep track of every purchase. Spending even amounts on family members, children and others will ensure no hurt feelings when all is said and done. You can keep track with a computer document, by storing receipts or by writing purchases down with good old fashioned pen and paper.

By Wendy Rose Gould