Smart Shopper's Tips: How Price Comparison Apps Can Save You More Than Coupons

Couponing was all the rage years ago, and people spent a lot of time and effort tracking down the best deals and saving tons of money on their everyday purchases.

Thankfully, we frugal shoppers no longer need to hunt for coupons when looking for a good deal. Price comparison apps and websites have made shopping much simpler, keeping our personal finances on track -- without hours of coupon clipping.

Here are five ways price comparison apps are better than coupons.

1. They're updated in real time

Many of us have felt the sting of having a coupon rejected because it expired or wasn't applicable to the specific product we were trying to buy. But you won't have the same problem with price comparison apps.

You can set alerts in many price comparison apps, like BuyVia, for item prices that fall below a specified amount, so you'll know where and when to buy it at the price you want to pay. Not only will you save money, but you'll ensure that you don't bust your budget since you can set strict limits for what you want to pay for items.

Sorry coupons, you can't compete with that.

2. You don't have to plan ahead

Clipping coupons requires a lot of planning. You need to know what you want to buy, where you will buy it, and when it will be on sale. Not so with price comparison apps.

You could, theoretically, show up to a store not knowing what's on sale and use the barcode scanner that many of them -- including BuyVia, ShopSavvy, and Price.com -- have built into the app.

Many price comparison apps will let you know what other stores are selling the same item and which one is selling it for cheaper. No pre-planning is required.

3. The apps are always with you

My wife doesn't get angry very often, but accidentally leaving a coupon at home that she intended to take to the store definitely triggers her. After all, a $5 coupon on the countertop does little good when you get to the register.

Considering that most of us take our phones everywhere we go, price comparison apps are always with us, ready to be used.

4. You can get cash back

One of the best things about comparison apps versus coupons is that many offer cash back. Some apps allow you to redeem the cash as gift cards, send it to PayPal, or use the rewards at retail locations.

You'll have to make a purchase through a price comparison app, like Price.com, to receive the cash back deal, but doing so can help you easily save some money. Sure, some coupons may have cash back deals, but using an app makes earning the reward much easier and more convenient.

5. Apps have access to more deals than coupons do

You can't comb through all the available coupons out there. Even if you can spend a lot of time looking for the best coupons at the stores where you shop, you're bound to miss a great deal every now and then.

Price comparison apps, by comparison, do all the work for you, so you never miss a good deal. For example, Price.com's app says you can research thousands of stores in seconds to find the cheapest price.

Smart shopping is efficient shopping

I'm one of those people who can spend way too much time researching what I want to buy and trying to get the best deal possible. That's why these comparison apps can be an excellent tool for frugal shoppers.

Whether you're looking for the best deal or want to keep your spending within a strict budget, these apps are an easy way to save money without needing to sift through the junk drawer to find the scissors.