If you are using a smart phone to find the best Black Friday deals FOX44 and ABC22 went in search for some of the best apps out there.
I spoke with Morgan Quinn, a freelance writer and blogger from southern California. She is the editor of Mint.com's blog MintLife.
Actually before we get into any of the apps a description found on your personal blog that I read said you pretend to be a personal finance expert writing for Mint.com's blog.
Quinn: I'm not a personal finance expert, but I am a mother of two small children and I run a household so I have to be a semi-expert.
I mean I did work in the mortgage industry and I did work for a large bank for about 5 years so it's not completely foreign to me.
I found you because I came across an article on Mint.com's blog which is called Mint Life and it had a list of the best apps you listed for 2011 so what about this year?
Quinn: There are some new ones this year there are still some oldies and goodies from last year.
My favorite app right now is dealnews.com. It has a Black Friday app. What I like so much about this one is that you can check for door busters and other specific Black Friday deals. Each listing has a little icon next to it which will tell you if the deal has been confirmed or if it is just a rumor.
You can also check to see how many door busters each store is expected to have. So if you have your heart set on a brand new TV and they only have 5 of them then you know where your competition lies.
Do you find more of the deals for like the big box stores like Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, Target those kinds of stores?
Quinn: Yes and I want to say that most of the apps that I mention do have geo-tagging so you can find location specific deals.
A couple that you mentioned is the app SnipSnap which is like clipping coupons.
Quinn: You can actually turn a print coupon into a mobile optimized offer and then what you can do is stack them when you go to the store and save even more money on Black Friday.
Some retailers won't accept coupons on Black Friday, but many will so it doesn't hurt to ask.
You can also search the SnipSnap database for specific items and deals if there is an item you have your heart on.
I love RedLaser because it's a scanable app that you can scan the UPC and compare shops from sites like Amazon, a giant obviously.
A lot of retailers don't like when you do that, but you can ask them to price match some won't but many will and if they won't you can directly order from the RedLaser app.
I love ShopKick too because you actually earn what they call kick bucks just for walking into the stores and scanning. You don't necessarily have to purchase. And what you can do is redeem your kicks for rewards like Starbucks cards and even Coach bags.
What's the point of Black Friday shopping if you can't stay within your budget? So, you always want use the Mint.com app. It's for iPhones, Android, or your tablet. We have free money management tools and budgeting. You'll get a mobile alert and an email if you go over your holiday shopping budget.
And if you have one store in mind that you want to hit up on Black Friday there are actually apps that will hold your spot in line. One of them is called Zaarly and the other is TaskRabbit.
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If you are using a smart phone to find the best Black Friday deals we went in search for some of the best apps out there.
I spoke with Morgan Quinn, a freelance writer and blogger from southern California. She is the editor of Mint.com's blog Mint Life.
Actually before we get into any of the apps a description found on your personal blog that I read said you pretend to be a personal finance expert writing for Mint.com's blog.
Quinn: I'm not a personal finance expert but I am a mother of two small children and I run a household so I have to be a semi-expert.
I mean I did work in the mortgage industry and I did work for a large bank for about 5 years so it's not completely foreign to me.
I found you because I came across an article on Mint.com's blog which is called Mint Life and it had a list of the best apps you listed for 2011 so what about this year?
Quinn: There are some new ones this year there are still some oldies and goodies from last year.
My favorite app right now is dealnews.com. It has a Black Friday app. What I like so much about this one is that you can check for door busters and other specific Black Friday deals and each listing has a little icon next to it which will tell you if the deal has been confirmed or if it is just a rumor. You can also check to see how many door busters each store is expected to have. So if you have your heart set on a brand new TV and they only have 5 of them then you know where your competition lies.
Do you find more of the deals for like the big box stores like Best Buy, Toys "R" Us, Target those kinds of stores?
Quinn: Yes and I want to say that most of the apps that I mention do have geo-tagging so you can find location specific deals.
A couple that you mentioned her like SnipSnap is like clipping coupons.
Quinn: You can actually turn a print coupon into a mobile optimized offer and then what you can do is stack them when you go to the store and save even more money on Black Friday.
Some retailers won't accept coupons on Black Friday, but many will so it doesn't hurt to ask.
You can also search the SnipSnap database for specific items and deals if there is an item you have your heart on.
I love RedLaser because it's a scanable app that you can scan the UPC and compare shops from sites like Amazon, a giant obviously. A lot of retailers don't like when you do that, but you can ask them to price match some won't but many will and if they won't you can directly order from the RedLaser app.
I love ShopKick too because you actually earn what they call kick bucks just for walking into the stores and scanning. You don't necessarily have to purchase. And what you can do is redeem your kicks for rewards like Starbucks cards and even Coach bags.
What's the point of Black Friday shopping if you can't stay within your budget? So, you always want use the Mint.com app. It's for iPhones, Android, or your tablet. We have free money management tools and budgeting. You'll get a mobile alert and an email if you go over your holiday shopping budget.
And if you have one store in mind that you want to hit up on Black Friday there are actually apps that will hold your spot in line. One of them is called Zarly (SP?) and the other TaskRabbit.
