There are times when you wonder what we did before we had all this technology at our fingertips. As I get older, I appreciate even more all the convenience, knowledge and assistance some apps give me. Here’s a personal resource list (blog resource list can be found here) of my favorite apps that I use to help me through life.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic. – Arthur C. Clarke (Author)
For Grocery Shopping:
I love OurGroceries. I love a simple (and free) app that just does what I want it to do and this is one of them. You can create multiple lists for the stores you frequent most and keep a running list of what you need. I have a Grocery Store list, a Target list, a Hardware Store list for example. Because it’s on your phone it’s always with you. Another great feature is that you can link it to someone else’s phone, so if my husband stops at the store he can check the list and pick up what we need.
For Home Design and Inspiration:
The Houzz app allows you to browse gorgeous photographs of home decor and interior design. You can filter by room, style, color and multiple other settings. You can create your own “ideabooks” to save for later. And there is a shopping feature, as well, if you just have to have it.
For Shopping:
The Amazon app is great, of course, for general shopping and ordering. But I take full advantage of their “List” feature, as well. I use my Wishlist to keep a running list of books I’m interested in for future reference. And I have created a list for each member of my family where I can keep a gift idea list going all the time. It’s a handy place to keep all those ideas you may want to act on later.
For Fun and Hobbies:
I almost always opt for a free app, but iBird Pro Guide to Birds was an exception. I treated myself to this because my husband and I do enjoy amateur birdwatching and this is a great digital book. It has gorgeous photos and illustrations for identifying birds, a great search feature, bird calls and more.
If you ever look up at the night sky and wonder what you’re seeing Night Sky is an amazing tool. The app is free but you can upgrade to the premium level for even more. The free version for observation and identification is quite spectacular.
For Music:
If you ever hear a song playing and want to know the title, SoundHound is a great little tool. It will identify the song by listening and save it in your history. You can also search by lyric using your voice.
There are numerous music streaming apps. Spotify has become hugely popular and I still listen to my free version of Pandora every once in a while. If you’re an Amazon prime member you have a version of Amazon Music that’s included. But I have to say my favorite music service is Apple Music. My husband really likes it so we’ve kept it and now I’ve gotten used to it and don’t want to let it go either.
For Travel:
My navigation app of choice is the integrated Maps on my iPhone. I think I’m the only one in my family who uses it over Google Maps or Waze but I love the ease of using Siri with it (Siri…take me home) and I think it has greatly improved over years past.
When I go and stay with my mother or if I’m staying in a hotel I love to use a sound or sleep noise machine app at night. I’ve used a few but my favorite is Relax Melodies. Even with the free version you can customize and create your own calming and relaxing sound to help you get a good nights sleep or some peaceful time to meditate or relax. Try it!
When we head to the beach, one of the things I look forward to most are taking walks along the beach and looking for shells. It’s always nice to know the tide schedule and Tides Near Me is a simple little app to do just that. If you’re a boater, it also has ocean current information. Simple, free and it works.
What’s your favorite app that we may not know about? Let us know and leave a reply.
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