Tech Tuesday: Windows Apps for Finance Management #WindowsChampions

Are finances on top of your mind this month? With taxes due April 15^th, there’s no better time to catch the budget bug!

Whether you’re interested in maximizing your refund or streamlining your finances for the year ahead, apps from Windows and Windows Phone have your back.

1.       Check Your Status

Everyone has the same question as they’re filing their taxes – what’s my refund going to be?! Apps on Windows and Windows Phone remove the guesswork. Try TaxCaster on Windows Phone, utilizing the same calculator found in TurboTax, to quickly enter some basic information and watch your refund amount add up. Once you’ve filed, MyTaxRefund on Windows will allow you to quickly check the status of your return and give you an immediate estimate of when you can expect your refund.

2.       Make the Most of Your Refund

Sure, you’ve probably already made plans for how you want to spend some of your refund once you get it. What about the rest? Invest and maximize your refund with Bing Finance on Windows Phone and Windows, which helps you stay on top of fast-changing market conditions so you can make the most informed financial decisions. Keep an eye on all of your investments with SigFig, and sync all of your accounts in one place to track all of your stocks, funds, 401ks and IRAs in real time, available on Windows and Windows Phone.

3.       Budget Tips

Get in the mood to save more money for next tax season. On both Windows and Windows Phone, Mint helps you understand where you’re spending your money with helpful charts and graphs that make saving easy. Use Billminder on your Windows Phone or laptop to keep an eye on all of your monthly bills so you never miss a payment (and know how much you have left to spend!). Save for the next step of your life with MoBu Financial Management on Windows Phone and Windows. MoBu allows you to view your current financial assets as well as the opportunity to simulate your future savings with how much you can save in 5, 10, or 20 years!

Disclosure: I am a Windows Champions blogger and I received loan of a laptop and tablet, and may receive other equipment from Microsoft to assist me in evaluating Microsoft products and services for my blogging activity.

Get It Together: Snap Photos of This Information...

Get It Together is a series of small tasks you can do to help get your home and life back in order. Each task is meant to only take 15 minutes or less to complete. Get ready, get set, get it together!

Snap Photos of This Information...

• There are some things in my life that I just have a hard time remembering. For those things that I don't remember but may need to know while I'm not at home or at work, I snap photos with my phone so I have the info at my fingertips at all times.
• I use the Google Keep app on my phone to organize the information.
• Ink Cartridges: I have two printers - one in my classroom and one at home. They are both different brands and therefore take different cartridges.
• Clothing Sizes: Now I don't have photos of this one, but I do have a note in my app for each of my family members with their clothing sizes. It's not much of a surprise when you call every time you are going to buy something for them to ask for their size.
• Recipes: I take a picture of a recipe I'm going to make before I go grocery shopping. That way I don't have to take the time to write down all of the ingredients and I make sure that I get the right amount of everything I need.
• Travel Info: Confirmation numbers, flight info, etc. - all easily accessible without having to search through my emails.
• Current Prescriptions: When I visit the doctor and they ask about current prescriptions, of course I know what I take, but I cannot for the life of me pronounce them or remember the dosage.
• Access Codes: Okay, so you might be thinking that this isn't smart. But I have a few in my phone and they're not labeled. I just know which is which, but I don't use them frequently enough to have them memorized.
• Things I Want to Price Check Online: I don't like spending full price on things that could potentially be cheaper somewhere online like Amazon. I take pictures of these things and then look into them when I get home to see if I can get a better deal.

Get It Together: Organize Electronics Cords

Get It Together is a series of small tasks you can do to help get your home and life back in order. Each task is meant to only take 15 minutes or less to complete. Get ready, get set, get it together!

Organize Electronics Cords

• These days everything takes a cord of some sort - whether to charge, download, or power. Having these cords organized and easily accessible will save you time and frustration later.
• There are lots of ways organize and label your cords. I've compiled some ways from Pinterest. PLEASE visit the websites by clicking through the links. Please do not pin any of these from this post because they are not my photos/work.