Our latest podcast we are focusing on the artificial intelligence tools that are able to help with the cost of living crisis. This covers a range of topics from help in managing your money to tracking energy bills to finding work. This is an overview of the different tools that are out there now for you. If you'd rather listen then check out our latest podcast episode on Spotify.
Money, budgeting, and tracking tools
· Mint is a free personal finance app that helps you track your spending, set budgets, and identify areas where you can save money.
· You Need A Budget or YNAB for short, is a personal finance app that helps you create a budget and stick to it. This tool has a free trial, and after that, it’s $99 annually or $14.99 per month.
· Plum is a smart money app that helps people to save, manage their spending, and invest their money. The app can be downloaded and used for free.
· Emma is an all-in-one financial app that can track, send, save, and invest money. There is a free version and a range of paid subscriptions.
· Monese self-styles as the ‘peace of mind money app’ one of the disruptors in the banking sector, as it explains on the Monese website, “an account that’s not just for those with perfect credit scores or the right set of utility bills. An account you can open instantly and use on your mobile, so you don’t lose access to your money every time you cross a border on a map. We launched in September 2015 as the UK’s first mobile app alternative to the banks”.
There are a range of budgeting and money-managing apps and tools available, in researching this piece, I came across this great article from Forbes Advisor by Candiece Cyrus on the best free budgeting apps of 2023. I would highly recommend you take a look at it if you’re interested in finding a money-managing support tool at the click of a button.
Travelling around
· Google Maps is on devices and can help you work out the quickest and cheapest route to get you where you need to go.
· Citymapper is great if you’re in a bigger city. Citymapper is a transportation app that provides real-time information on public transportation, bike sharing, and ride-hailing services.
Energy efficiency help
· EnergyIQ is an app that helps you track your energy usage and identify ways to reduce your energy consumption.
· Smart thermostats are one way to manage the energy consumption in your home from your mobile device, usually through an app. They do have a cost so whether it would be the right thing for you would need a little research. To help you along I’d recommend checking out this article from the Money Saving Expert website on smart thermostats.
· Aside from AI tools, it’s always a good idea to look up the websites of your energy provider as they will have useful tips and contact details if you need some guidance on how to manage your energy bills.
Food, clothing, and toys
· Too Good To Go is an app that connects you with businesses that have surplus food that they would otherwise throw away. You can purchase "magic bags" of food at a discounted price. It’s about helping each other, preventing food waste and helping save the planet. What’s not to like?!
· Olio is an app that connects users with their local communities. The idea is that neighbours can help each other share food and pass on items like clothes and toys they no longer need. As Olio says, “Give and get for free; lend and borrow for free; or buy and sell pre-loved items”.
· Freecycle is a tool that helps connect people to reusing other peoples' items to reduce waste.
Finding work
· LinkedIn is a go-to social media platform for professionals and has a dedicated jobs section. It’s a great tool that has both free and paid for options that enables you to connect with other professionals, create a CV/resume on the site and gives you direct access to jobs listings.
· Indeed is synonymous with job hunting and is a great place to start and it’s free.
· Resume.io is a free AI tool that helps you build a CV using templates, and expert advice.
· Jobscan helps you optimise your CV by highlighting the key experiences and skills the job asks for and that recruiters will want to see.
· Enhancv helps you build a CV with a professional template super fast.
Keeping calm and managing mental health
· Headspace is a meditation app aiming to help you find calm and manage stress and challenges in your life by teaching you meditation techniques. There are subscription options for £49.00 per year or £9.99 per month.
· Calm is a meditation app designed to help you find calm and peace and improve your health and happiness. You can try it for free for seven days and then it’s £39.99 annually but can be cancelled anytime. You can also buy a lifetime subscription with a one-off payment of £399.99.
· 7 Cups is a free service providing emotional support.
Hopefully this whizz through a variety of different AI tools available to help you during the cost of living crisis will give some helpful ideas. There are a variety of tools here from managing your money to helping your mental health.
To discover more AI tools check out our past blogs on all things AI.