offers cash back from lots of popular retailers both in-store and
online, and the cash can be redeemed with either a photo of
the receipt or the online purchase itself. Just be sure to add the
offers before you shop, and Ibotta will handle the rest. You can
even share the wealth and earn up to $100 just by inviting your
friends! Cash out with PayPal, Venmo, or any number of various
gift card options. Shop in advance, and your savings from Ibotta
can help purchase holiday gifts for your loved ones!
With a knock on the door, the food has arrived and you’re
set to begin your master chef duties—but the family is getting
antsy and somehow you’ve misplaced your grandma’s recipe
that you never really had... anyway, fear not. This is when you
introduce 23Snaps (free) to the fam and launch Holiday Reci-
pes: Food Recipes, Cookbook, Meal Plan (free) for yourself.
23Snaps is a brilliant platform that’s like a social media app
exclusive to your family and select friends. You can take pho-
tos, record videos, or post status updates to share with your
loved ones within the app or via email. Create family journals
with collections for holidays, birthdays, graduations, or any
event you’d like. You can even order prints or photo books of
your collections. With 23Snaps, selfi es and video shoots will
keep the family busy for a good while as you navigate the eve-
ning’s food preparations.
With Holiday Recipes, you’ll produce restaurant-quality
dishes in no time since you can choose from a wide variety
of engaging, easy-to-follow video tutorials. Try vegan recipes
like sweet potato biscuits, health-conscious choices like the
avocado chocolate pudding, and classic gut-stuffers like lasa-
gna and macaroni and cheese. Basically, there’s something
for everyone, because we know people have different dietary
preferences. The app does have ads, although they’re general-
ly only fi ve seconds or so. Recipes are from popular websites,
such as allrecipes.com and feature world-renowned chefs like
Gordon Ramsay. And yes, for those with a sweet tooth like
myself, there are also dessert recipes. You’re welcome.
Stress Free Gift Giving
Now that you’ve made sure the guests are fed, you’re think-
ing ahead. Did you get gifts for everyone you intended to? Is
your nephew going to like the new Nintendo or is he an Xbox
kind of guy? Well, before you fall into the endless rabbit hole
that is your mind, consider downloading the free Christmas
List: Holiday Shopping Made Easy app. Christmas List
helps you keep track of who wants what; how much you want
to spend; and what gifts you’ve bought, mailed or wrapped.
Christmas List auto-creates a shopping list from your input
and removes items from the list once you’ve marked them
as bought. You can export the list to your email for storage
or printing, and password protect the app so no one knows
what you’re up to until they rip open the decorative wrapping
papers you spent hours taping together.
While you’re making your list, remember to throw in the
gifts that you’ll need for that work party next week! Addi-
tionally, go ahead and download the Elfster app (free) for all
the parties and friend circles you’re destined to be a part of.
Elfster makes gift-giving a breeze. You create an event—say, a
Secret Santa work party—and then add the date, budget, and
method of exchange. Invite others and, if desired, allow them
to invite their friends as well. You can add items to your wish
list to offer clues to your Secret Santa, and you can chat anon-
ymously within the app to learn more about what your giftee
might like. Is Secret Santa happening at the kids’ school,
too? No problem, since with Elfster, you can add children’s
accounts to help keep track of their gift-giving obligations as
well.
So that’s it from me, everyone! Grab your superhero cape,
your iPhone, and a jolly spirit to prepare for the wonderful
days ahead. If you’re hoping to have a carefree, smooth, and
peaceful holiday season with your family and in-laws, good
luck and let me know how that goes! If you’re looking to add
a little more ease, higher-quality memories, and a lot more fun
to your upcoming holiday, check out these apps in the App
Store and let’s ho-ho-hope for the best! Happy Holidays!Melanie has been writing for as long as she can remember, and she loves using
words to express ideas, convey emotions, or educate an audience. From speeches
and journaling to poetry and screenplays, writing has guided Melanie through vari-
ous experiences and continuously expands her intellectual and creative horizons.