Hurtling into your overdraft even though there are still two whole weeks until payday? Trying to work out how you can stretch your last £50 out so you can actually do some fun stuff for the next two weeks as well as not starving? Don't freak out just yet. Here are some of the best apps to have handy on your phone, that allow you to live the dream, even when your bank balance is the stuff of nightmares…
**Wahanda - great for cheap beauty treatments **
You’ve probably heard of this one before, but you should make their app a permanent fixture on your home screen. Wahanda gives you discounted deals on every type of beauty treatment you could ever want. I live and work in central London, so I find it hard to get a haircut for under £40, but with Wahanda I managed to get a cut and blow dry for £30. I’ve also enjoyed a spray tan for £12 and a re-style for £15. And, they incentivize feedback by offering you a £5 voucher off your next booking (over £25), which means there’s plenty of reviews for you to read first on any place you like the look of. It also works with GPS so it’s easy to explore lots of salons near you. Hurrah!
**Depop - great for cheap fashion and home stuff **
This is the love child of eBay and Instagram. It’s basically like going to a jumble sale, but all of it is awesome, and people sell everything from shoes, to records to home ware. If you fancy making a bit of dosh yourself, you can sell your stuff by simply taking a picture on your phone and uploading it to your account.
Be warned - It’s quite addictive and you might find yourself having a snoop around when you’re bored AF at work… not that I do this, ever. The design of it is so easy to use, unlike ol’ eBay which I personally find a bit of drag to shop on these days. You can link it to your FB and Insta account too, which means if you’re selling, more people are likely to buy your beautiful junk, or if you buy something you can show off your new beautiful junk.
**Happiour - great for cheap (and sometimes free) food and drink **
This one is sadly only London-based, but it’s helped me on numerous occasions to survive the working week with offers throughout the day, such as free cake with your coffee, two for one cocktails and 50% off meals. This app also gets brownie points for not only partnering with chain cafes and bars, but also supporting independent places.
So next time you and your friend fancy a coffee somewhere that isn’t Fosta or Markbucks, download this app and see what’s crack-a-lackin’ in discount town. Oh, and once in a blue moon they do something called a FLASH HOUR, which means you can nab yourself something tasty absolutely free. I have so far enjoyed a free dinner at GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) and free Yo! Sushi. Winning.
BeAtOne's App - Great for cheap drinks
BetAtOne is a nationwide chain of bars, but before you cross the road and head to that very expensive independent pop up specialising in Noilly Prat cocktails or whatever it is you've found, hold on. You're broke, you can't afford that shit. But what you can afford are 2-4-1 cocktails - which is where this app comes in. Download it, press start, you have a one hour timer to drink as many 2-4-1 cocktails as you like (challenge accepted).
Their menus are huge, so choose quickly, and choose wisely. They do all the classics as well as some new treats to tickle your fancy, such as the cocktail made of Oreos. Yes. I know.
**Living social - good for cheap but luxe food **
Believe it or not, but Living Social is not all Zorbing and wedding photography deals. You can spend the same amount of money you would in Byron Burger (not dissing BB, I love that place) but instead enjoy lobster and champagne for £20 per head! My most recent purchase was Belgian waffles for two- it was £5. And it was delicious. LS covers a lot of ground- they do offers on things such as beauty treatments, business cards, tailoring, etc, so basically, whatever floats your boat.
So there you have it- some helpful apps that are a bloody godsend when your budget doesn’t quite agree with your city-chic standards.
With these, you now have no excuse to not go full on Sex and the City mode and enjoy weekly blow-drys, brunches and Bellini’s. Even if you're living on the sort of money Carrie Bradshaw would actually have been earning from writing one weekly column for a tabloid paper.
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Follow Jen on Twitter @jenofcroths
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.