Home technology is changing rapidly, with voice-activated lights and remote cameras adding to our comfort and peace of mind. But home life is still complicated, particularly if you have a large and busy household. We’ve been seeking out some apps that will help ease your planning and admin burden.
Apps for meal planning
A good meal plan helps you save money, eat better and avoid food waste. By planning all your meals for the week (or the fortnight if you are really ambitious) you can shop in one go and avoid making unhealthy impulse purchases. You can also reduce the number of food decisions you need to make, and cook some dishes ahead of time so even on the busiest days you can be sure of a quick, nutritious meal.
One of the best apps available on Google Play and the App Store for healthy eating is the Public Health England sponsored Change4Life Smart Recipes. It provides simple, healthy recipes and allows you to create a quick shopping list.
Another handy app is Yummly – and it even has a timer that reminds you when it is time to start cooking.
Family calendar apps
A shared calendar can be a game-changer if you are never quite sure where you are supposed to be and when. Google calendar is a good, free starting point. You can overlay multiple calendars – so that means you can run a separate calendar for each family member. It has a handy task-reminder function too.
A recommended alternative is Cozi, which is free but supported by advertising, though you can subscribe and turn ads off.
Task lists for households
A good task list can promote a peaceful homelife by letting everyone know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by. It can help you avoid overwhelm, too, by making it easy to prioritise, plan and schedule tasks. Remember the Milk comes well recommended, and your calendar app may have a task list function.
We’ve also spotted that the children’s payment card GoHenry allows you to link household tasks to a financial reward, which may allow you to offload some of your domestic chores!
Budgeting tools
A household budget lets you take control of your incoming and outgoing money. It gives you protection from fraud and payment errors because it encourages you to regularly check your bank accounts. It encourages you to discuss finances with your partner, which can ease tensions and improve your relationship. And budgeting can help you to meet a financial goal. A simple spreadsheet is a good start. Try a free spreadsheet like Google Sheets or OpenOffice. Martin Lewis has a good template to get started with budgeting.
But there are more sophisticated solutions out there – Money Dashboard, Yolt and Emma are all available for IOS and Android.
A budget will give you insights into your regular outgoings and you will know how much you spend on self-storage or your phone bill per month. (By the way, if you are wondering about costing up self-storage, we have a blogpost for you!)
What ways have you found to harness the power of technology in your home life?
