Looking for ways to make life easier? Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day to complete everything we want to achieve. With work, family, and the thousands of other tasks we need to get done each day, it can sometimes be difficult to find balance and do it all.
The good news? It’s 2020, and you can have almost anything you want with the click of a button or the tap of a finger. There are so many apps and services that provide us a way to get things done, without actually doing them. And if you’re looking to make life easier, these 10 services and apps can make a huge difference.
So, get your phones ready! Because you will probably want to create an account on all of these!
Apps and Services to Make Life Easier
Winc
After a long and stressful day of work, sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is the glass of wine you’re planning on having with dinner. What if you’ve run out, though? Heading back out and going to the store isn’t something you want to do. With Winc, you don’t have to, they make life easier for you.
Winc is a Los Angeles-based subscription wine club that delivers wine to you every month. Founded in 2012, Winc sets itself apart from the competition by making its own wine and marketing them under its own brands.
So how do you pick your wines? First, you take a quiz online to discover the type of wine you will enjoy. Winc will send you some recommendations, and then you can choose which ones you want. The best part, though, is that they then deliver the wine right to your house. Yep, no more going to the grocery store for a bottle of wine after a hard day at work!
You can rate the wines you receive each month via their app, which gives Winc a better understanding of what you like. And if your worried about travel (or stocking up on too much wine… is that a thing?), you can also cancel at any time or skip a month if needed.
Hello Fresh
Don’t know how to cook? Or don’t have the time or energy to buy a hundred ingredients for one meal? No problem. Hello Fresh has got you covered! They make life easier with their meal delivery service that provides you with fresh ingredients and recipe cards, so you can make delicious meals without all of the extra effort and hassle.
The service has several different plans you can choose from. You can choose from different sized meals, the number of meals you wish to receive each week, and even the types of meals. They offer family-friendly meals, low-calorie meals, all-veggie meals, etc. So really, there is a plan for just about everyone.
Each recipe from Hello Fresh is tested by several chefs to make sure you’re getting something extra tasty. The recipes are also pretty simple, so you don’t have to go to culinary school to know how to cook any of these. Plus, the recipe cards give you step by step instructions, and the measurements are already done.
A bonus, they use recyclable materials to make sure they are eco-friendly. It’s honestly a win-win for everyone!
Instacart
Instacart makes regular grocery shopping a thing of the past. The service works with suppliers from all over, including Publix, Costco, Kroger, PetCo, Aldi, and more. You can get almost any product that you would find in these stores and add it to your “cart.” It’s super easy, time-efficient, and it just makes life easier.
After you’ve created a cart online, someone will deliver the groceries to you. Yep, it’s that simple. Although not in every city just yet, Instacart is available in most major cities around the US. And if you’re thinking this is going to cost you more money than going to the store, think again. The service offers exclusive deals just for users of Instacart, and you won’t have to sit in traffic trying to get to the grocery store after work. Your time is money too, don’t forget that.
TaskRabbit
Have you ever needed to be in two places at once and thought, “well, I’ll just have to do that another time.” Well, now you CAN be in two places at once. Not physically, of course, but you can pay someone to do the things you need to get done while you go to work, school, or do the other errands.
With TaskRabbit, you can pay someone to do anything you need (that’s legal, of course), including waiting for your package to be delivered and signing for it. There’s a massive list of services that TaskRabbit offers. If you need help moving, need a handyman, need yard work done, cleaning, or even a personal assistant – TaskRabbit is your holy grail. You can even have someone wait in line for you. The list is endless.
With their app, you are connected to a “Tasker” immediately. The Tasker will help you with errands, odd-end jobs, etc. And don’t worry, each Tasker goes through a registration process, has to take info sessions, verifies their personal information, and is given a background/criminal check.
Postmates
“Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.” That’s Postmates motto, and it rings true. The service offers food, alcohol, and grocery delivery whenever you need it. You find what you need, purchase it, and you will receive it in under an hour. You’re also able to track the progress of your delivery, so you aren’t waiting around wondering where it might be.
Not only can you get items delivered to you, but you can also use Postmates to order takeout that you pick up. There are no extra fees for this service and no waiting at a restaurant for your food. You simply order, wait until Postmates tells you it’s ready, and then you go pick it up.
Postmates has a free version of their app, which requires a delivery fee each time you order, but if you use the app frequently, you may want to look at their second option. For a small monthly fee, you can get unlimited free delivery. Both options are great and will work for different people – you just have to find out which works best for you!
Honey
Ever search Google for coupons when you’re ready to check out on your favorite online stores? Well, there’s an app that does that for you now.
Honey is an app that doubles as your own personal shopping assistant. You can download it to your phone or directly to your computer (and install it on a browser). When you are shopping, the app automatically runs and finds you promo codes (if there are any).
With Honey, you will likely save a decent amount of money. I have the app downloaded to Google Chrome and Safari on my laptop, and I’ve personally saved a good bit.
With the app, you can also earn “Honey Gold”. This is an exclusive perk that the app offers on certain items, and it can be used for gift cards to certain stores. It’s essentially free money, and it doesn’t cost you anything to use.
Mint
Have no idea why you’re not saving money? Mint can help. Mint is an app that allows you to track and plan your budget. It tracks all of your money and finances for you.
Once your money is tracked, you can create a budget, and Mint will send you some suggestions to help. They bring together all of your finances and bills so you can easily track your money and spending all in one place. Yes, it knows that you spend $400 going out to eat each month, and yes, it will help you manage this better.
Another bonus, Mint offers unlimited credit checking. You can check your credit scores as many times as you’d like, and it will also give you tips on how to improve it.
Doctor on Demand
Who wants to get up and go to the doctor’s office when they can barely make it off the couch? Well, that’s no longer an issue. Doctor on Demand makes being sick much, much easier for you. They are a virtual doctor service that will treat a variety of illnesses – physical and mental.
Doctor on Demand can not only treat you for the flu, but also offers doctors for urgent care, behavioral therapy, preventative health, and chronic care. All of the doctors are US based and board-certified physicians and licensed psychiatrists and psychologists that are available on your schedule.
The app is affordable and even takes insurance (don’t worry it’s still available without insurance too). To sign up, it’s free, but you will have to pay for your “visit.” However, they take the stress out of it and show you what you’ll have to pay upfront before you have to pay for it.
Waze
Waze has saved me many times, and I cannot believe I ever drove a car without it. If you hate traffic (I think everyone falls into this category) or you simply just need to avoid it at all costs, go ahead and download the app. If you have it already, you know that this app truly does make life easier.
Waze offers you directions with real-time traffic updates and my favorite part, a reason WHY there is traffic. There’s nothing worse than sitting in traffic, frustrated, wondering why you are at a complete standstill.
You will get the best route to your destination with updated reports of what is going on from other users. Not only are you given directions and traffic updates, but the app even tells you where police are reported.
A new feature in Waze even offers carpool services to save you time and money. You can choose to either ride or drive with other users who are already going the same way you are. The app will quickly connect you with a driver or rider, and you pay or receive a small fee to get to where you are going. That small fee is to “share the price of gas and tolls” and is much cheaper than other forms of transportation.
Mealime
Have you ever tried to meal plan and just failed miserably? Same.
Mealime changes that, and it makes meal planning and prepping so much easier. The app is personalized to your lifestyle. You can tell the app how many people you are cooking for, dislikes, allergies, and your plan type (vegetarian, classic, flexitarian, low carb, paleo, or pescatarian).
They claim to make “meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking as simple as takeout.” Basically, you give the app all of your information, and they make a personalized meal plan for you. The end result? Delicious recipes, specifically catered to you and your likes/dislikes. Can it get any better?
Once you are given your recipes, they create a once a week grocery list for you so you will have everything you need. You can go through your kitchen and check off things you already have and then get shopping (Or hey, use Instacart).
Our favorite thing? All of the meals can be made in 30 minutes or less and include healthy ingredients, so you actually know what you are eating.
The app offers a free version and a premium version. With a premium subscription, more recipes are available; it also includes nutrition information and is more customizable. The premium version is just $6 a month, but the free version gets the job done, too.
Which Apps Make Life Easier for You?
Do you have apps that you use that make life easier? Let us know in the comment section below!
Alyson Pittman is a contributing writer for WBD and a JR marketing associate for Excite Creative Studios, an Atlanta-based creative agency.
Alyson graduated from Kennesaw State University with a Bachelors of Business Administration and a concentration in Marketing. She was in multiple organizations at KSU where she held leadership positions. As a part of the Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority, Alyson held the Social Coordinator position and planned/promoted large events.