I know New Year’s resolutions can often be complete bs, but there’s something to be said about setting goals, challenging yourself, and a fresh start. One of the most important steps in following through with any resolution is to hold yourself accountable. This can be done through a friend, family member, significant other, coworker, journal, or – you guessed it – smartphone application, and according to Entrepreneur, people are 65% more likely to meet a goal when they have an accountability partner. I love the idea of this partner being a real human, but in some cases having it in the palm of your hand can be even more beneficial.
I’m kind of an app addict, and at this point I think I might have one for every aspect of my life. I even have them organized that way on my phone! My categories are all named with emojis because #millennialprobz and include 🌟 (everyday use), 📲 (social), 🎧 (entertainment), 💻 (work/blog), 🧘🏼♀️ (health), 📸 (photo editing), 🔧 (tools), 💰 (finance), 📚 (reading/news), 🎉 (fun), 🍔 (food), 🛒 (shopping), 🚖 (travel), and 🏡(home). I’m normal, guys!
All of the apps below are ones I currently use, have tried before, or recently downloaded and am looking forward to trying. This is very much not sponsored (but like hi, app developers) and you’re getting my true opinions on each one. I did include a couple (2) referral links though, because a girl’s gotta eat.
If your resolution is to save money:
- Mint: Everyone talks about this, so I finally downloaded it and saw what all the fuss is about. Not only does it keep all your finances in one place (bank account, credit cards, loans, 401k, etc.), but it also lets you know when you’ve gone over categorized budgets that month (most of the time it’s me with food), alerts you when you have a payment coming up, and even keeps your updated credit score on the home page.
- Qapital: I downloaded this app exactly a year ago, and it has been one of my all time favorites. Qapital automatically takes money out of your checking account and adds it to the savings accounts of your choosing. I have one for general savings, my student loans, the wedding, and a certain designer bag I’ve been eyeing ($200 to go!). No fees or percentages taken, no having to think about setting money aside each month. I saved about $6,000 total on the app in 2018 which made this shopaholic very proud of herself. If you decide to download it, use the link here so we can both get $5!
- Paribus: Ever order something online only to learn that your friend bought the same thing for 50% off two weeks later? Paribus syncs to your email account so it can monitor your purchases, then lets you know if you can get money back on an item that goes on sale.
- Poshmark: I’ve been using this app for several years now to sell my gently used clothes and accessories to make extra money. Selling things online seemed so daunting through eBay and other sites, but for some reason it feels way easier on Poshmark. You upload photos straight from your phone, and when you make a sale you get the shipping label emailed directly to you. Slap that baby on a box you have laying around (or a *free* priority mail box at USPS) and drop it in the mail. If my anxiety and I can do it, so can you! It also doesn’t hurt that I’ve made a total of $974 since I downloaded it in 2016. Click here to download the app and use code CHLOEFUSSELMAN to get $5 off your order!
If your resolution is to be healthier:
- Fitonomy: A combination of animated exercises, healthy meal recipes, daily advice and articles, all with the ability to customize a plan based on your fitness goals. I just downloaded this one because I love the customizable plan feature, so stay tuned on updates there.
- Zero: For those of you who are interested in experimenting with the oh-so trendy idea of intermittent fasting, this app will help you do it right. I do the 16-hour fast which basically means I stop eating at 8pm and then don’t eat until 12pm the next day. It might sound impossible but I promise it’s not! If you’re more of an early bird when it comes to dinner, you could also stop eating at 6-7pm and then just have a mid-morning breakfast.
- Lifesum: I’ve heard mixed reviews about the keto diet, but I’ve recently discovered that at least cutting back on carbs really helps my body type stay trim. This app helps a lot with that – low carb receipes, tracking macros to make sure I’m consuming more protein and fat, and logging food to stay accountable. If low carb isn’t your thing, the app helps you find your own diet plan and recommends corresponding recipes.
- Waterlogged: I’ve had the cleverly named Waterlogged app for a couple years now, and it continues to be a favorite. You select your water consumption goal and then fill up a virtual water bottle throughout the day – cute! You can even add your own containers with photos, and set up the app to remind you to drink throughout the day.
- Zova: If your issue is finding time to exercise, this app focuses one fitting short, achievable exercises into every week. I’m notorious for using my schedule as an excuse, so I’m excited to try this one.
- Seven: Again for you busy babes, Seven guides you through – yep – 7-minute workouts which are based on scientific studies to provide the maximum benefit of working out regularly in the shortest time possible. We can ALL find 7 minutes in our day to get healthier, right?
- Think Dirty: This app helps you weed out the toxic products you’re putting on your body – you just search or scan an item and the app will give it a rating. This is a slippery slope that I have yet to explore, as the one time I tried it I learned that my holy grail dry shampoo is probably killing me. But hey, maybe new year new me?!
If your resolution is self care:
- Headspace: Meditation seems to be the answer to everything – feeling less stressed, getting better sleep, even losing weight – but how the frick do you do it (and make sure you’re doing it right)? Headspace guides you through daily prompts, gradually teaching you the skills of meditation and mindfulness. I especially love using this app on flights.
- Fabulous: An app to hold you accountable that’s specifically made for accountability? Hey, that’s convenient. It’s like your own little coach right in your pocket that can help you reach your health goals, reset your habits, and improve your productivity.
- Stop, Breathe & Think: If you’re constantly stressed, this app reminds you to just stop and breathe (and think, evidently) with a guided relaxation series depending on how much time you have.
- Kaia: I have the back of a 95 year old, so I’m super thankful for this app. It’s the first medical app that can help ease your back pain at home, and it walks you through every step.
- Reflectly: The world’s first “intelligent journal,” which is essentially a prompted diary to write about your day-to-day feelings. Perfect for those who’d like to foray into journaling but don’t know where to start!
- Daylio: Similar to Reflectly, Daylio lets you track your moods and feelings – but without actually having to type anything (hey I’m lazy, I get it).
If your resolution is to get more sleep:
- Sleep Cycle: If you always wake up feeling exhausted, download this smart alarm clock. It tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you up in a light sleep, which is a more natural way to wake up, so you’ll feel more rested and energized.
- Sleepiest: This app uses carefully selected sounds, stories, and meditations that are proven to help you get to sleep “up to 11x faster.” It can also integrate with the Health app to help you track your sleep each night.
- Calm: Bedtime stories for adults? Count me in. Calm can be used for guided meditation during the day (like Headspace above), but I really like it for relaxation before bed. Now if I could just stop scrolling long enough to open this app before bed and put my dang phone down!
If your resolution is to be more informed/read more:
- OverDrive: Why do we always buy books when they’re just going to sit on our shelves afterwards? Save money and shelf space by borrowing eBooks and audiobooks from your local public library, sent straight to your devices. Um, genius!
- Libby: OverDrive released Libby as a new way to access the same digital library collection, but it’s a little more user-friendly, especially for reading on your phone rather than an e-reader.
- theSkimm: If you love getting daily emails from theSkimm, consider graduating to the app. In addition to reading bite-size news updates, you can listen to audio breakdowns, learn about events based on your interests, and sync to your calendar.
- Goodreads: Ideal for those of you who aren’t sure what to read next. Goodreads combines books with social networking so you can see what your friends are reading (and their ratings and reviews)! I also like that it keeps track of everything I’ve read in one place to be able to make recommendations in conversations with friends and family.
If your resolution is to be more organized:
- Tripit: For those of you that are always traveling, Tripit creates a master itinerary for every trip so you have all your travel plans in one place.
- Splitwise: Will and I love this app! We haven’t decided yet if we’re going to have a ~joint checking account~ so in the meantime we handle all rent, utilities, groceries, and miscellaneous items on here. Great for couples, roommates, or a trip with friends.
- Wunderlist: If you’re a big list-maker like I am, this app combines all your lists and tasks in a cloud-based format so you can use it across all your devices.
- Snug: For millennials who have found themselves obsessing over their “Instagram flow” like me (sigh), Snug is a gamechanger. It allows you to plan out your entire feed to keep your grid looking cohesive and premium as hell.
- Hopper: Always looking for the best prices on flights and hotels? You need this app. Unlike sites like Expedia and Travelocity that boast similar benefits, Hopper gives tips and guidance on best times to buy, whether you should wait for a better price, and they even partner with several airlines to offer “secret” fares at up to 35% off their normal price!
- ParcelTrack: If you’re always expecting a package, you need this app. When you receive tracking information, you upload into the app and can stalk them all in one place. The app even alerts you when a package finally gets delivered!
Just for fun (because you’re doing amazing sweetie, and you deserve it):
- Huji: Feeling nostalgic? Huji brings us back to the quaint, simpler times of disposable cameras, complete with a highlighter orange date stamp.
- Picolo: Perfect for freezing winter nights when you’re pregaming at a friend’s apartment and then decide that the walk to the bar is too treacherous. This app is similar to a game of kings, minus the cards, plus way funnier tasks, dares, and questions.
- Lake: Adult coloring books had a major moment in like 2016, so it only makes sense that we’d move on to digital coloring apps. If you need a mindless break at work that doesn’t require scrolling, meet your new favorite relaxation tool.
- Facetune2: Can this be used to airbrush the life out of your skin and give you radioactive white teeth? Totally. But what I love it for is highlighting details on shiny jewelry and fun textures, adding a bokeh (aka blurred) effect to photos that I didn’t take in portrait mode, and occasionally putting a “no filter” filter on photos that don’t need much.
- Havenly: For you HGTV addicts or those of y’all in the middle of a renovation, this app connects consumers with screened and trained interior designers.
- CapGenius: Always struggling to think of a fire insta caption? This app connects with your keyboard and suggests dozens of clever one liners based on keywords such as winter, food, and birthdays.
