My Favorite Apps

There are so many apps out there these days that it is sometimes difficult to find the really good ones among the really bad ones. I can't tell you how many apps I have downloaded and then promptly deleted after the first use because it really wasn't functional or well designed. For this reason, I love getting recommendations from friends when it comes to discovering great apps, so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite apps in case it may be useful for you!

+ Map My Fitness
I really like using this app to track my walks with Marly & Dai. It is nice to know how long we have been walking and how far we have gone. It is also great to have all of my walks recorded in one spot, and at the end of each week, the app e-mails me a summary of my activities. It is a nice motivator! With this app, you can also change your activity to running, hiking, biking, etc. and it will track it accordingly. Pretty cool!

+ Wunderlist
I am a list maker. I love making lists for everything, whether it is a to-do list, a shopping list, a packing list, or an idea list. Wunderlist is a great app for those like me! I really like that it allows me to keep several lists going at the same time and that I can really categorize things to keep myself organized. Also, when you check something off your list, it makes a really awesome sound that makes you feel like you are winning at life by getting stuff done. That always helps, right?

+ Cartwheel by Target
I know that I am definitely not the only one here in the blogging world that has a loving relationship with Target. That's why we should all have the Cartwheel app on our phones! This app is a convenient way to save a bit of money while shopping at Target. Basically, it has lists of items that you can digitally save coupons for onto your "cartwheel." Then, when you are at the register, the cashier will scan the barcode on your phone and you will save money! I don't always buy items listed on the app, but it is nice to be able to save some money when I do. A little bit here and there can really add up over time!

+ Hours Keeper
This app is fairly simple, but is really convenient for me. As a nanny, I have to keep track of my hours for each week so that I can let the family I work with know what the balance they owe me for that week is. I started using this app at the beginning of the school year and it has been great! It is very easy to use and gives me one less thing to remember on my own! If you have a job in which you keep track of your own hours, I definitely recommend this app :)

+ VSCO Cam
I may have mentioned this app before and it is pretty popular, but in the last year it has become my most favorite photo editing app! When I first started using it, I didn't like it very much for some reason, but I have really come around to it and love the way it edits my photos. It has really great quality filters, but still gives you the ability to control the exposure, contrast, temperature, etc. of your photo, which is really nice.

What are some of your favorite apps?

My Favorite Photo Apps

It's no secret that I love photography. Instagram has changed how I document my day to day life. Having my iPhone with me has made it so easy to capture smaller moments in life and share them with others. I will admit, I am a very visual person, so Instagram is by far my favorite social media platform. It is so fun to see little bits of people's lives on a daily basis.

People can take surprising beautiful photos with their phones and there are many apps out there to help give your photos an extra boost. Here are some of my favorite apps that I use for my iPhone images.

+ Afterlight
This is definitely my very favorite photo editing app for iPhone! I love that it gives you so much control over your images. You can adjust the contrast, exposure, saturation, and much more. They even have three collections of filters to choose from. Hands down my favorite photo app. (Android version coming this year!)

+ A Beautiful Mess Photo App
This app launched earlier last year and it is so fun! Every detail of this app is so very unique. You can make collages, and add filters, doodles, custom text, and phrases. I always love playing around with this app and it just gets better and better with every update. (Available for Android too!)

+ VSCO Cam
I will admit, I have the least amount of experience with this app, but I will say this: I had this app on my old phone and didn't care for it too much. When I upgraded my phone I forgot to re-download it and just remembered the app recently. I decided to give it another shot (now it is free!) and like it so much better now! They changed a lot, giving the user more control over their images and better filters. (Available for Android too!)

+ Squaready
This app isn't one that does much, but it is a vital utility player in my photo app lineup. Ever wonder how people post non-square photos onto Instagram? It's with this app (or maybe another one like it)! I've been using this for a long time now, but I love it because it lets me decide what I do or do not want included in my photo instead of being limited by Instagram's square shape. You need this in your iPhone photo tool box. (Don't think it is available for Android, but there are other apps like it!)

+ Printstagram
This one isn't technically an app, but what are you going to do with all those photos you posted on Instagram? Well, get them printed into cute square photos of course! I love this company for photo printing for a few reasons: 1) Easy to use since they directly access your Instagram photos to select prints from. 2) You can get a set of 48 mini square prints for only $15. 3) They are great quality and super cute. The only thing I don't like is their shipping system, but I'm willing to overlook it!

I hope this was helpful for those of you looking to boost your phone photography game! Any apps you love that I need to know about?

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