Holiday shopping made easier with these Android Apps

Once again the holiday season is upon us.  As much as we would like to think of the idea that the shopping experience is a joyful, exhilarating experience, the reality is much different.  From finding a parking spot to long lines to forgetting someone on your list and having to repeat the process all over again, shopping during the holidays can turn from festive to bah-humbug.

That doesn’t mean that you need to confine yourself in the house and opt for online shopping as your only resort.  I have chosen some of my favorite apps that can make your shopping experience a little less stressful.  Keep in mind these apps cannot magically part lines or make that front row parking space appear, but can save you time and money in other ways.

Find My Car

After 30 minutes of stalking shoppers as they are leaving the mall just to have a standoff with another driver, you finally find a parking spot.   Ok, it might be a quarter mile from the mall and somewhere between Macys and Neiman Marcus but that’s ok.  FindMyCar remembers the position of your car so you don’t need to.   Just open the app and record your location.  Once you are ready to head back, the GPS will navigate you using turn-by-turn directions.  If your parking spot is on a meter, you can also set an alarm from the app to remind you to add more time.

 Retail Me Not

You are in line and notice the lady in front of you has a coupon.  No worries!  RetailMeNot collects data from over 50,000 online and brick-and-mortar retailers and stores their promotions in one place.  Whether there is a sale or a coupon that was mailed, you will have access to all the promotions.  The best part is that the app geo locates you and sends a notification if you are in a store or near by offering a discount.

Keep

This is a must have app not just for the holidays but life in general.  Just as the name, this app keeps everything you need to remember in one place.  From notes to checklists, to images Keep stores it in an easy to organize (and find) layout. The best part is you can add keep on your tablet and computer for easy access to your notes anytime, anywhere.

Assistant

Especially during the holidays, everyone can use a personal assistant.  The Assistant app comes with a cute cartoon avatar whom you can customize.  She will answer questions, reply to messages and add events to your calendar.   Whether you need to reply to a text or search for a restaurant to unwind after a long day of shopping, the Assistant can do that.