5 Apps You Need This Holiday Season

We all know the holiday season can be a hectic time. Between shopping for presents and getting ready for visiting family members, it can feel like you barely have time to think. And that’s not even taking into account the decorating! 

If you’re wondering how on earth you’ll be able to juggle it all, take a deep breath. A few technology solutions might just be able to shorten your extra-long holiday to-do list.  Here are a few tech tips to ditch the stress and make the season merry and bright: 

1. Track Your Holiday Spending

The holiday season means shopping, but you don’t need an unlimited budget in order to give everyone on your list something thoughtful. The spirit of the holidays is about showing you care, not going broke. If your wallet is feeling light, homemade gifts are a great way to show you care without running up a high bill.

However, whether you’re making all your gifts by hand or leaving the mall laden with shopping bags, you’ll need to make a list. (And maybe even check it twice.) Staying on top of your shopping list is easy now thanks to helpful smartphone apps. Keep track of your online orders and know when everything is going to show up at your front door with Rakuten Slice Package Tracker. If you want to make sure you find great deals, ShopSavvy has a barcode scanner that will help you find the best prices in stores or online. Doing a lot of shopping online? The browser extension Honey will scout out all the best coupons for you and instantly apply them to your order. How's that for easy? 

2. Keep Warm and Lower Energy Bills with the Somfy myLink™ App

Presents aren't the only reason your wallet might seem lighter during the holiday season. The cold winter months often mean higher energy bills. Save some of that heat by scheduling your motorized window coverings with the Somfy myLink™ app. You can even schedule your window coverings to open automatically on Christmas morning. 

Let in warm daylight or close the shades against the whipping winds and your wallet will thank you. You can also tell your shades what to do and unlike certain family members, they'll actually listen. Since Somfy's smart shades work with voice control, you can lower your shades using simple phrases with Amazon Alexa and Google Home through IFTTT. Imagine saving on your energy bill with a simple phrase. 

Learn more in the below video from FOX where Money Pit host Tom Kraeutler chose the myLink™ app as a top way to stay warm and lower your energy bills this winter:

Ready to upgrade your home this winter? Connect with a Dealer and get started! 

3. Let it Snow

(photo courtesy of flickr)

Winter weather can complicate your holiday shopping plans and even make it tough for visiting family and friends. Thankfully smartphone apps make it a snap to stay on top of Mother Nature’s whims during the cold winter months. Apps like Dark Sky and Blue Skies notify you when bad weather is coming so you can be prepared for whatever winter has in store. 

4. Make Custom Holiday Cards From Your Phone

(photo courtesy of flickr)

Love sending personalized cards but have no time? What if you could turn the perfect photo on your phone into a holiday card you know your family and friends will love? After all, you probably have hundreds of great photos at your fingertips in your phone’s photo album.

If you want to get creative and personal with your holiday cards, a card creation app could be the perfect solution. Apps like Snapfish, Minted, and Ink Cards can help you create the most festive (and personal) holiday card around.

5. Track Santa's Progress

If you want to keep track of a certain jolly man in a suit this holiday season, there’s really only one way to do it. The story of the creation of the NORAD Santa Tracker dates back to the 1950s, a newspaper typo, and a Colonel with holiday cheer.

When a newspaper accidentally printed the phone number for a top-secret military hotline as the place to call Santa, Col. Harry Shoup took the call and played along. Soon Shoup and his airmen were answering the Santa hotline and giving radio stations updates on where an “unidentified object pulled by reindeer” had been spotted. Today you can still keep tabs on Santa's progress, now using your favorite mobile device with the NORAD Santa Tracker.