It’s difficult to feel productive when it seems like your life is going in 100 different directions. From meal prep to planning your next vacation, these apps will help you streamline your life.
FOODIE
1. BigOven
Wouldn’t it be great if you could look up your favorite recipes even when you’re on the go? With BigOven it’s possible! This app allows you to easily organize recipes, create grocery lists and look up your favorite recipes instantly. With access to thousands of recipe ideas, you won’t have to dread the question “what’s for dinner” again.
2. Blue Apron
If there’s one app that every busy household needs, it’s Blue Apron. You’ve probably heard about this fresh ingredient and home delivery service, but you can make meal planning even easier (and fun) with the app. From speeding up your meal with exclusive tips to unlimited access to over 1,400 Blue Apron recipes, this app is the foodie’s go-to tool.
3. Grub Hub
For those nights you don’t want to cook, Grub Hub is the best way to have your favorite restaurant food delivered right to your door. Planning ahead? Grub Hub allows you to place your order two hours to four days in advance for right when you need it. It’s like exploring your neighborhood eats without ever having to step out your front door.
4. OpenTable
OpenTable is a great app for anyone who struggles to make timely restaurant reservations. Using the app, you can view available time slots, read reviews, and receive personalized recommendations based on your preferences. Plus, with every reservation you make you can earn points to redeem at other OpenTable restaurants.
5. Yummly
If you’re looking for a helping hand in the kitchen, you need to download Yummly. This app has everything you need to improve your cooking skills, including helpful videos and step-by-step guidance. Not sure which cooking gadgets you need? No problem! You can purchase right within the app and see recipes to make with each gadget.
FITNESS
6. MyFitnessPal
Having fitness goals is great, but how can you make sure you put it into action? MyFitnessPal allows you to track your health anywhere, anytime. Rated as one of the best free programs, this app helps you track both your daily exercise and calorie intake. Keeping track of your calories has also never been easier, just scan your groceries barcodes to instantly log your food journal.
7. Lose It!
Calling itself one of the most fun and effective weight loss apps available, Lose It helps you set goals and keep track of your diet. Using the proven principles of calorie counting, you can create a daily calorie budget that’s best for you. Not sure how to get started with portion control? The app has tons of helpful guides and helpful insights to help you develop better long-term eating habits.
8. Strava
Designed by athletes, for athletes, Strava helps you connect with a global community of millions of runners, cyclists, and triathletes – all with a goal of unlocking their best potential. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or ready for a marathon, you’ll have access to challenges, photos from other peoples’ activities, and can follow some of your fitness heroes. If you’re ready to dig deep, this app might be perfect for you.
Do more with your steps this year with Charity Miles. Stroll around the block, walk your dog, or just grab a coffee – whatever you do, every step you take helps to donate to over thirty world-changing charities. So far the Charity Miles community has raised over $2.5 for some of the nation’s leading charities!
LIFESTYLE
10. Zoots
Picking up dry cleaning can be a chore. The Zoots Cleaners app helps you track your order, view your cleaning history, and instantly download your receipts. Picking up your dry cleaning has never been easier. With just one tap you can even let the store know when you’ll be by to pick up your order. Picking up your dry cleaning just got a whole lot easier.
11. Venmo
Avoid awkward IOUs. If you’re someone who hates to carry cash, Venmo is going to be your favorite app. This digital wallet allows you to instantly make and share payments with family and friends. Even better, there’s no transaction fee.
If you’re trying to keep better track of your dollars this year, Venmo’s simple interface allows you to quickly see who owes you and where you’ve spent your money.
12. Waze
Waze is more than a navigation app, it’s a community working together to help make your drive easier every day. Using user-submitted travel times and road info, Waze is one of the first community-driven GPS apps. Not sure where to find gas along your route? Waze helps you find the cheapest station, all verified by community-shared gas prices. In 2017, Waze also added specialized routes for motorcycles and carpool lanes.
13. Shop List
Instead of scribbling your grocery list on a scrap of paper or wandering aimlessly in the grocery store, use the Shop List app. It helps you sort your grocery items by section and speed up your shopping trip. If grocery shopping is a team effort in your family, Shop List makes it easy to email your shopping list.
14. Passport Parking
Forget digging around in your purse or cup holder to find loose change. Passport Parking makes it easy to pay for your parking right from your phone. This free app is quickly becoming the preferred parking app for major cities across the country, including Boston. Passport Parking even offers users the option to pay for their parking using their pre-tax dollars.
HOME
15. Trello
Every day life can be chaotic, but you can make it more streamlined with the Trello app. Trello is a collaboration tool that allows you to organize your projects and long-term goals into boards. At a glance, you can see what you’re working on and when something is due. It’s just like a white board, minus the annoying sticky notes. Since it’s on your smartphone, you never have to wonder if you’ve missed a deadline or assignment from a colleague.
16. Skype
First released in 2003, Skype has changed the way people video chat. Call everyone – from your colleague at the office to your friends across the globe. With its recent updates, Skype’s app is now supercharged with new features, including new messaging features and group plans. Frequent Instagram users will love Skype’s new highlights feature. Keep others updated about your top business and personal developments, and instantly react to any highlights your contacts share.
17. WeMo
WeMo wants to help you control all of the everyday objects in your home. Pair your WeMo Mini, Light Switch, or Insight with Amazon Echo or Google Home to instantly control your home with just a tap of your finger. When you’re away from home, you can enable WeMo’s “Away Mode” feature to turn lights on and off randomly, fooling potential buglers to think you’re home even when you’re not.
18. Nest
Your entire home can be in the palm of your hand with Nest’s app. Designed to be paired with Nest’s devices, including the thermostat, alarm system, and doorbells, Nest provides you easy access to manage your home. Did it start snowing on your way home from work? Turn up the thermostat. Want to know when your smoke alarm batteries are running low? With Nest you’ll get instant push notifications. Once you download Nest, you’ll never feel far from home.
19. Cozi
Say goodbye to chaos. Rated by The Today Show as a “must-have app” for a better life, Cozi is the surprisingly easy way to mange your family’s everyday life. This free app helps you coordinate and communicate everyone’s schedules and activities, grocery lists, and keep everyone on the same page. To make things even easier for you and your family, Cozi synchs your family’s list from any computer (PC or Mac) or smartphone device (iPhone/iPad, Android phone/tablet).
TRAVEL
20. TripAdvisor
One of the most popular travel apps around is TripAdvisor, which gives you access to over 500 million reviews and opinions by travelers. No matter where you plan to jet off to, TripAdvisor’s app instantly compares over 200 hotel booking sites so you can find the best price and the perfect hotel for you. Using TripAdvisor’s app, you can also explore your destination and discover new recommendations from your fellow travelers. You can also save yourself hefty roaming charges by downloading maps from over 300 cities worldwide.
21. Expedia
Expedia lets you take an all-in-one travel companion wherever you go. Need to book a rental car? With the Expedia app you can reserve a rental car in as little as 30 minutes. Plus, Expedia app users get access to exclusive savings and travel bundles. Once you land, Expedia can provide you with helpful alerts about gate changes, flight delays, and airport shuttles.
22. Citymapper
Ok, navigating public transportation isn’t always easy (or enjoyable). But Citymapper wants to take all of the annoyances out of transit – unexpected disruptions, confusing bike lanes, and hard-to-read maps – so you can easily manage your commute. Rated as one of the best travel apps by the New York Times, this app has maps from almost all of the major hubs in the U.S. and major cities around the world. The app also tells you the cost of the different methods of transportation so you know the most budget-friendly route to take.
23. iTranslate
If you’re planning to go abroad this year, iTranslate is the travel companion you need. Rated as one of the best translation apps, iTranslate lets you instantly translate voice-to-voice conversations, websites, and verb conjugations in over 100 languages. With its offline mode, you can take iTranslate with you without having to pay expensive roaming charges.
24. PackPoint
Are you a chronic last minute packer? PackPoint helps you organize everything you need to travel. Are you heading to a bustling city or planning to hike? PackPoint creates custom packing lists depending on your destination and length of travel. PackPoint even checks the weather for you so you won’t forget a jacket or sandals. Get everyone in your family organized by sharing your lists so they’ll know what to pack too.
