Below are a few of my favorite apps and sites that help me keep it together all ze time. Muchas gracias tecnologia.
The Skimm
Somewhere in my early 20’s I became so consumed with my life I was hardly aware of the outside world. It was absurd and I was uncomfortable feeling oblivious to world events. Our days are about prioritizing what is important to us, and even though this was important to me, I still was struggling to find a way to change it. ENTER: The Skimm – I subscribe to this special smattering of news and read it every morning to keep up with current events. I feel it’s my duty as a human to be aware of the happenings of my world. This is the easiest way for me to do it. Related: Twitter is also a great source for news – it has lots of noise (hilarious noise if you follow the people I do), but such a great resource especially for keeping up with local events and happenings at a glance. I love it because if I want to know more than 140 characters, I’m one click away. But back to TheSkimm. If you like to be informed but don't want to work to hard to get there, this is for you. Let the news drop into your inbox every morning in a succinct, fresh way and get yo' read on.
Level
Finances can be difficult regardless of income. They’re quite obviously hard when we feel like we don’t have enough money. But unfairly enough, “Mo’ Money Mo' Problems” is a truth bomb. Amassing money many times equals more bills, more payments, more upkeep. So, yes, even having plenty of money is hard. Anyway – I’m not to that point yet. I’m still wheelin and dealin with a WHOLE SLEW of financial goals. I’d like to pay student loans, improve my credit, save for a new car, and eventually be able to use my additional income for travel, experiences and giving back to my community and favorite causes. Level helps me get there. It shows me the harsh truth about where I am spending my money. Connect this app to your debit card and watch the insight roll in. Your personalized spending tracker will show you exactly where you can make financial adjustments in your life.
For example: I have been guilty of spending $20 a week on coffee. And all I ever get is coffee! Or espresso! Nothing fancy! But when I make it a daily habit - it adds up. This insight helped me make the switch to an $8 bag of coffee beans, and $3 of creamer which will last me 2+ weeks in turn saving me $15.50/week ($806/year). WALLAH!
Maybe you don't have a coffee habit you can revamp - but you eat out every day? Level will show you that you are spending $20 a day on FOOD ALONE. When you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. In this case you'll want to make to switch to grocery shopping and planning ahead. "It's not about how much money you make, it's about how much money you keep." Keep your money where it really counts.
No more mystery of "where'd my paycheck go?". You'll get detailed insight on your expenditure habits. It also auto categorizes everything for you (ex: Gas, Groceries, Gym Membership Fees, Restaurants and Bars, etc.) This insight can help you adjust your spending and develop realistic financial goals. Depending on these goals, Level will tell you exactly how much money you can spend each month, week, and even down to the day. This keeps you in line and moving in the financial direction you desire! Whoop, whoop.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ok this is totally my guilty pleasure app but still a time saving short-cut. I love to read, I love to stretch my brain (whatever the hell that means), I love to observe new perspectives, I love to learn. Sometimes, I have a short window of 15 minutes to read - but no new material. ENTER: Flipboard. This baby does all the work for you. When you download the app it prompts you to choose topics you are interested in. While you're at work living, it's pulling articles from ALL OVER THE PLACE and poppin' them into your app. Your only job is to flip through at your convenience and click on the articles you're interested in reading.
The app also has the ability for you to create your own "Flipboards" of articles you want to save to read later, share with others in the app, or archive to revisit.
Find me on there if you want to get started with what I'm reading now. It’s how I fill my in between time. I might be Flipboard's biggest fan.