The best apps for getting on top of your cash

Whether you're saving for a new car, want to stay ahead when it comes to servicing, or – worst case scenario - find yourself with unexpected expenses following an accident, you're going to need cash.

And while it’s against the law to use your mobile while driving, it’s not against the law to download apps to help you manage your money when it comes to helping grow your savings for all your vehicle-related needs, because let’s face it, we could all use a little extra help!

Here’s a list of some of the best apps you can download and have on-hand and at the tip of your fingers 24/7, to help you get on top of your financial game.

TrackMyGOALS and TrackMySPEND by ASIC’s Moneysmart will not only help you budget, but also visualise what you’re saving for, and turn you into the money-savvy friend in your group.

Not sure how to divvy up your cash from your pay so you’re putting away a little somethin’ somethin’ for that next major car service or insurance? TrackMySPEND allows you to set out your budget, and record all your expenses, so you can see where your hard-earned money is going.

Meanwhile, TrackMyGOALS - funnily enough – helps you create realistic goals, and track where you’re at in one easy app. You can prioritise what you’d like to save for most (hello new car!), with TrackMyGOALS also providing those little words of encouragement to help you stay on track, and (hopefully) make you re-think that third coffee.

The free Aussie app Pocketbook will allow you to track your expenses, and calculate how much you’re spending each month. It also automatically syncs data from all your bank accounts, and categorises your purchases, so you can actually SEE where you’re spending your cash, without actually having to do a thing.

After tracking your spending for a month, you can set up monthly allowances, and you’re unlikely to over-spending, with Pocketbook notifying you when you’re a little too close to your limit.

While this one is specific to whether you’re an ING customer or not, ING’s round-up feature is here to help you save, without even realising you’re doing it!

If you have an Everyday Orange account, you can nominate for every eligible card purchase to be rounded up to the nearest $1 or $5, and the extra amount will be moved automatically from your Orange Everyday to your linked ING savings account. For example, if you’re serious about your saving, and desperate to upgrade your car after a decade, your $3.50 coffee will be paid for, while $1.50 will be transferred into savings. Just like magic!

That’s right - your daily cup of coffee could help you put $390 towards a new car in a year! Which is good news for those of us who have been spending money on our smashed avo and fancy coffee orders for too long, without much reward.

Raiz is a micro-investing app that automatically invests your spare change into one of six diversified portfolios – so much like ING Round-up, but allows you to eventually play the stock market, if that’s more your thing.

However, you don’t need to be rolling in cash to start using the app, and takes small amount of money daily, and turns it into an investment portfolio. Once again you can choose to have an extra 50 cents from your daily $4.50 coffee purchase added to your portfolio, as well as setting recurring daily, or weekly, investments.

Should you choose to withdraw your money from your Raiz account, there’s no fee for doing that, however for balances under $5000, there is a monthly account management fee of $1.25.

Whatever option is best for you, there’s no doubt you’ll be on top of your finances in no time, and stressing over savings, or how you’ll pay for that next car service, will be a distance memory.

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