5 Free Apps for Moms on the Move
That moms have hectic lives certainly goes without saying, but it seems with more two-income families, more school requirements and kid activities, and the constant information overload we're subject to, things appear more hectic these days. While technology is a likely culprit to that daily clutter, when used efficiently, it can actually cut through it and make our lives more productive. Most of us have smart phones and/or iPads now, and there are thousands of apps out there designed to help us out in our daily lives, many of them free. To help you cut through the clutter, we've found five free apps for moms (all available on iPhone, iPad and Android systems) to help you organize, budget, shop, cook and diagnose what ails you. Sure, we could extol the virtues of Angry Birds and Words With Friends as well, but that's a different subject altogether...
Remember the old Filofax personal organization systems? Well, think of Evernote as your Filofax on steroids, with the capability to add notes, photos, websites, and pretty much anything else you find online. Plus, you can organize them into “notebooks” and helpful tags to always find what you're looking for.
There are quite a few competitors in the personal finance and budgeting app world, but we still think Mint is the best out there. Aside from the obvious virtue of being free to use, the interface is simple yet in-depth, allowing you to enter in transactions, check real time balances and set up bill reminders. What's great is that you can also track investment accounts as well as getting quick reports on where your monthly cash flow is going. When you see Starbucks taking up a chunk of that pie chart, you may start re-thinking that morning Cafe Mocha!
If you're like us, you probably spend a lot of time on your laptop browsing Amazon.com, if only to compare prices and formulate a “wish list.” The great thing about the Amazon app is that you can do the same thing on the go, which is helpful when you're out shopping and want to see how much you can save, or how much you may be over-paying for those boots you're about to buy. What's more, you can actually scan the barcode of a product you're looking at in-store and Amazon will do the price comparison instantly, plus you'll get exclusive daily deals.
We love this website and we love the app even more! Just plug in the ingredients you have on hand and the All Recipes machine goes to work with great meal ideas using what you've got. If you're just looking to get some general mealtime inspiration, take a chance and spin the wheel and see what comes up. Makes for a fun way to plan your weekly dinners. You can also save your favorite recipes and instantly create a shopping list.
Ok, who hasn't called the emergency room or on-call nurse at 3 AM with some mysterious symptom that your infant or toddler is displaying? Well, with the first child anyway … when the second one rolls around you know the ropes a little better! With the WebMD mobile app, you can save that late night call and plug in the symptoms and find out what the likely cause may be. The “Symptom Checker” will walk you through and help you decide if everything is ok, or if a doctor's visit is recommended. Plus, you can get visual guides on First Aid procedures like CPR and what to do with insect bites and broken bones. It's sure to come in handy on many occasions.
