4 apps that save you money

ATLANTA - We're in the home stretch. Just more than a week of shopping left, but don't get so rushed you miss deals. 

Let's explore four smartphone apps that will help you save while you spend.

If you hit the stores now in the morning or at lunch, they're filling up. The rush is on to get those holiday gifts. Before you head out get your phone and download some shopping apps that will get you get app-only coupons and will help you get the lowest prices. I promise, you will save some money.

Let's start with the Amazon app. It's for price comparison shopping while in a big box retailer. If you shop Amazon at all you probably already have it. Here's how it works. 

At the top right-hand corner of the app is a camera icon. Open it and snap a picture of the barcode of a product you want to buy.  Amazon quickly tells you their price. Now you can compare it to the retailer's deal. If the cost is better in the store, then buy it.

Let's head now to Target. Here's Target's Cartwheel shopping app. You use it in-store. You can scroll through posted sales and quickly see deals. I found a 25 percent off deal in the frozen food section.

I read the barcode through the app and the deal locks in.

I scanned a barcode from a product I liked and it locked in the deal on my phone app.

I also looked at a specific category. Apparel. My daughter needs tights. I see a deal. Twenty-five percent off. But if you look at the price tag alone it doesn't show a deal.  It's only because of the app that I knew about it.

Let's do the math.  Twenty-five percent off of $4.99. The tights are now $3.74.

At check out, the cashier scans the barcode of all of the deals I just added to my app.

"So you will see your total go from $70.14 to $65.01," the cashier tells me.

Here are two more shopping apps that'll save you money this holiday shopping season. Flipp with two Ps. It has fliers from all sorts of major retailers. You can even adjust it to see only the sales you want to see, like 50 percent off only.

And finally Retail Me Not. Again, it uses major big box stores. I like this one because it gives you coupon codes that you can use online.

So get out there. Shop. Yes, shop, but for goodness sake save when you can.

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