Apps to help make life easier

Keep track of your money, plans and mindset

From mindfulness training to managing your cash, here’s a selection of apps to help you stay on top of things.

We’ve rounded up some apps that can help make life that little bit easier.

Clear your mind

A modern reworking of traditional Buddhist meditation, mindfulness is championed by everyone from celebrities to business leaders as a way to help us think more clearly. Headspace (iOS and Android) – an app that has more than 25 million users – offers an introduction to the practice with its free Basics programme. A paid subscription gives you access to a variety of exercises ranging from a couple of minutes to an hour.

Organise your diary

It makes sense to have a to-do list on the go. The free (and highly rated) Todoist app (iOS and Android) lets you list tasks and share them with up to 5 people. There’s also a paid-for version that sends you location-based reminders and charts how productive you are.

Boost your productivity

The Forest app (iOS and Android, £1.99) stops you looking at your phone too much. Plant a seed in a virtual forest and, if you resist the urge to pick up your phone before your time is up, the tree will flourish. If not, it will wither away. Get friends and family involved by sharing your forest to give you even more motivation.

Save your paperwork

Can’t find that travel insurance policy you put in a ‘safe place’? Help is at hand. With Barclays Cloud It, you can store documents safely and securely and retrieve the information whenever you need it. Access Cloud It through the Barclays app¹ (or Online Banking).

Manage your money

It can be easy for monthly income to disappear on bills and everyday spending unless you put a plan in place. One solution can be to open a separate account, and then to transfer money into this account every month straight after payday. Make sure it’s enough to cover all your regular payments. This way, you’ll know that whatever’s left in your current account is available for spending (or saving). You can set up standing orders easily with the Barclays app¹.

Our app can also be used to manage your money when you’re on the go. From temporarily freezing a mislaid card, to cancelling Direct Debits, changing your address and much more. If you haven’t done so already, download the app. For more budgeting tips, visit our money management pages.

Compare prices easily

Shopping around is one of the best ways to save money – and the free PriceSpy app does the cost comparison for you. Type in the name of the product you want to buy and the app will show you prices from thousands of retailers. Or if you’re out shopping and see something you like, you can scan the barcode to work out whether you could get a better deal elsewhere.

In case you were wondering, we don’t have a commercial relationship with any of the companies that develop these apps, we just really like them. That means we don’t accept any liability for the content. And we’re sure other ones are available too.