These apps won’t only help you save money, they’ll get your student finances back in control. Well, help anyway.

Zweet

I recently discovered the beauty of cashback rebate apps, and let me tell you, there is no going back! Think: couponing backwards. Not only do they save you the shame of being the person holding up the grocery line with your giant pile of coupons, they also send you a sweet cheque in return for buying the weekly featured products. There are several of these types of apps out there (Checkout 51, Snap by Groupon, and Save.ca), but my personal favourite is Zweet. Plus, you get extra money every time you refer a friend!

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

Apples2Oranges

It can be difficult to figure out what the cheapest price is at the grocery store when everything comes in different sizes. Should I get the bag of 5 avocados for $3.99 or the bag of 8 for $5.99? If you’re anything like me, halfway through asking yourself these questions, you’ve already grabbed one of them and headed to the coffee aisle. Apples2Oranges makes it easy to compare the unit price (which one is actually cheaper) by typing in the quantity and price. Sayonara, calculator!

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

GasBuddy

Gone are the days of fueling up and driving down the street to see a cheaper price, which is the worst. This app allows you to find the cheapest gas near you, so you can keep your necessary expenses to a minimum.

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

Skyscanner

When I was studying across the country from my family, dropping $600 on a roundtrip plane ticket became part of the budget a couple times a year (someone else’s turkey dinner just isn’t the same). Skyscanner allows you to see the range of flight prices over a couple of weeks so that you can make sure you are booking your ticket on the cheapest day. The best part is it takes all airlines into account so you don’t have to have 5 tabs open and ninja your way between them all. Plus, it doesn’t charge you any booking fees—it just finds the cheapest price for each day and then takes you to the airline’s site to book your ticket.

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

Groupon

We all got on board with Groupon when they launched in 2008, but the app takes those killer deals to a whole new level. Allowing you to redeem vouchers instantly, you can make sure you’re getting the best deal while you decide where to go for dinner. Since it allows you to search by location, you look at the map to find out which deals are just around the corner.

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

My Data Manager

If going over your phone data and getting nailed on every other bill sounds familiar, it might be time for My Data Manager. We’ve all been there. It is a lot easier to avoid unnecessary charges when checking how much data you’ve used up only takes a second. Several similar apps exist, but this one is free. And we’re trying to save you money, not spend it.

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

BestParking

If there’s one thing I hate paying for, it’s parking. But, maybe you’re going to a Jays game or hitting up Yaletown in Vancouver and you know it’s going to be a necessary evil. BestParking will show you all the parking rates in the area so you can find the cheapest spot in a matter of seconds, instead of driving around for so long that you miss the first inning. Plus, if the app gives you inaccurate pricing, they will send you a $5 Starbucks gift card—pretty hard to go wrong, if you ask me.

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

Mint

It is hard to save money if you don’t have a clue where you are spending your money. Mint is one of the most user-friendly, effective budgeting apps out there. While I also used to shudder at the word budgeting, anyone will tell you that living in the dark about your finances isn’t an effective way of managing them. Mint will categorize your spending so you know which areas you’re overspending and show you a colourful little pie chart to make the whole process feel less painful. Setting up an account is free and once you’ve added your bank information and bills, it does all the work for you!

Available on the App Store and Google Play

Cost: Free

What’s your go-to app that helps out your wallet? Let SLNers know below!