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4 Time Saving Tips & Apps for the Social Millennial

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If your iPhone is practically glued to your hand or you’re perfectly content with sharing Hulu & Netflix accounts over traditional cable options chances are you’re a millennial. And as such, life hacks and time saving tips are of utmost importance to you. I know, because I am you.

A millennial is by definition a person born in 1980s or 1990s or Generation Y.  Me, BobbyPen and the other contributors to this site are all millennials.

We are apart of the generation of go-getters, movers and shakers; not to mention the generation that uses smartphones a lot. (Some may even say too much, but we know better– there’s no such thing as “too much.”*) 

We’re able to accomplish so many amazing new feats with little resources due to the accessibility of technology. Our generation has created tons of time-saving, convenient and just plain fun apps that take socializing to another level. Check out these cool ones and enhance your downtime.

Drizly

Drizlyapp-Bobby-Pen-time-saving-tips
Photo Credit: iTunes App Store

Happy hour is a common social outing, but what if for some reason you couldn’t get out to meet your pals and still wanted a drink? Or worse, you find yourself hosting an impromptu gathering and you need to make a beer run for your buddies?

Drizly  is an app that allows you to order beer, wine, or liquor right to your door with a simple tap.  While the company does not have it’s own contractors, it partners with nearby liquor stores that offer delivery services. So it’s more or less the middle man that is facilitating the orders, but it saves you the hassle of pooling money and sending you easily distract comrades to the store for you– time saving at it’s finest.

Drizly’s services are currently available in Washington D.C., Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, St. Louis, Austin. So order up!

 

 

 

 

 


Postmates

postmates screenshot-Bobby-Pen
postmates screenshot from iTunes app store

You’ve heard of PeaPod by Giant, the service that delivers groceries to your house, but what about those items that Giant doesn’t carry? Or what if you just want to shop somewhere else?

InstaCart is the app you’ve been waiting for.  InstaCart allows for you to order groceries from stores such as Whole Foods, Costco and Trader Joe’s to name a few. Yes, you can get that ohhh so good cookie butter from Trader Joe’s delivered to your door!

The app allows you to shop multiple stores at once before you checkout, and you see all your totals clearly on the screen. So no surprises when it’s time to pay, unlike when you go shopping in person and find yourself making life or death decisions at the register due to an overstuffed cart. (Oh, the death stares from those impatient customers behind you.)

Your first delivery is free. Otherwise, it starts at $3.99 for 1-hour delivery and $5.99 for two-hour delivery.

Now, for you skeptics, there is a very human element to this. It is not a factory with a robot arm. You are submitting a list through the app and a personal shopper grabs your items and delivers them. So this app provides job opportunities too.


Vinted

Vinted Screen from iTunes App Store
Vinted Screen from iTunes App Store

Fashion is something that comes and goes. Some trends we are happy to see go, while others make a glorious comeback. Well this next app is for the fashion-centric hipster that likes to browse the vintage and thrift shops for one-of-a-kind items. Meet Vinted.

Think of it as the hipster’s eBay. The app allows you upload items you want to sell or you can browse items that others are selling.  You can customize your feed on the app based on brand, your size, or even preferred sellers.

I love the way this company brands vintage items as “pre-loved”. The app is the on-the-go version of Vinted Limited’s actual site vinted.com. This app helps you too add that extra pop to your wardrobe without breaking the budget.


 

 

 

Mint Personal Finance

Mint Personal Finance screen from iTunes app store
Mint Personal Finance screen from iTunes app store

Now that you’ve signed up for all these new fancy apps to purchase things right from the palm of your hand it’s easy to get carried away and spend, spend, spend.

But with all your newly claimed purchasing power, you also need to be sure to balance your budget. In previous generations, they called it balancing a checkbook. (Checkbooks actually still have that ledger in the back for you to record transactions by the way.) But who writes checks any more?

Why not download Mint and keep an eye on your spending habits?  Mint is an awesome app that really helps you manage your money. You can sync all your accounts: savings, checking, and credit cards, and also your debts like loans and recurring bills.

It also gives you the ability to set up budgets for certain spending in the app, such as your grocery, gas, clothes and dining out. You get alerts when you’re close to going over that budget so that you can reach those financial goals in no time.

Oh, and did I mention you can check your credit score too?  This app is awesome and a must have if you are intent on spending your money wisely. It’s the new way to balance a checkbook!

All of these apps are available for both iOS and Android.

Will you be downloading any of these apps today? Which one and why? Chime in below!

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