Gift exchanges are lovely, and we look forward to seeing the joy our thoughtfully selected presents will bring to the people we care for this holiday season. However, the idea of entering any store between now and the end of the year, trying to sort through the barrage of deals that will inundate us for the next month and making sure we get everyone on our list the best gifts at the best prices in a timely manner makes us want to renounce the holidays and move to a desert island ASAP. Luckily, we can use the technology found on our phones to make this shopping season a lot less stressful (and also to phone a friend after losing our car in a crowded mall parking garage, obviously). Here, eight apps that will keep your inner Grinch at bay.
Santa’s Bag
If you have a lot of people to shop for this holiday season—friends, family, coworkers, etc.—this app can be incredibly useful for keeping track of who gets what, what remains to be purchased and how close you are to hitting (or exceeding) your budget at any given time.
Price: Free
Black Friday 2015 by Slickdeals
If you’re a go-getting Black Friday shopper, this app can be incredibly useful in sorting the sales that are relevant to your goals. It will alert you to deals as they go live in real time, help you compare sales to get the best possible price and even enable you to skip long lines by purchasing items directly through the app.
Price: Free
Pounce
This app allows you to snap a photo of any item of interest, whether you spot it in-store, in a magazine or elsewhere, and then gives you a list of online retailers who sell that item. Once you’ve selected a retailer, the app will purchase the product for you with one click.
Price: Free
BuyVia Personal Shopper
This app is for those short on time, a.k.a. every modern human. It searches multiple stores to find you the best deal on an item of interest, and can even do IRL price comparisons when you use it to scan an item’s barcode. Personal Shopper also notifies you of price drops.
Price: Free
Shopkick
Even if it is better to give than to receive, it can be tough to part with your hard-earned money around the holiday season. Shopkick rewards you for shopping, awarding you "kicks" for various actions (browsing, buying) at retail partners that can then be redeemed for gift cards.
Price: Free
BluePromoCode
This app is another great way to avoid paying full price. It will load discount codes based on a personalized feed of your favorite stores (it boasts a database of over 30,000). It will also source promo codes in the vicinity of wherever you’re shopping and remind you before any deal you might be interested in expires.
Price: Free
GiftFund
This app is ideal for any group of people such as siblings, grandkids, coworkers, etc. who are looking to split costs on one gift. It also works great for those looking to gift something to someone they can’t quite afford. For example, if your 5- year-old wants a ridiculously expensive toy you probably shouldn’t buy him or her, you can put it on GiftFund and let your relatives aid and abet the spoiling.
Price: Free
Slice
Trying to track the zillions of packages you’re likely to order this holiday season, particularly the ones you’ve done on a last-minute Hail Mary, can be a daunting task. This app will automatically retrieve tracking information from any confirmation emails you receive and store your receipts for easy post-holiday accounting and returns. As an added bonus, the app will also alert you to price drops post-purchase and help you request a refund when applicable.
Price: Free
