There are free apps that can help low-income Americans with things they need. There are many iPhone and Android apps that help people in need by providing them with resources and opportunities. Most of these apps are created by government organizations and non-profit agencies. There are many free apps available to download.
The key to creating a successful app for low-income families is to understand what these families need. The best of them tend to be either developed or supported by organizations such as the USDA and social services agencies.
There are eight apps for iOS and Android smart phones that can be useful for people struggling to make ends meet. These apps cover a range of services, from improving EBT spending to making medical care more affordable.
Fresh EBT
This app is helpful because it allows you to easily check your EBT balance and also provides links to other helpful resources, such as coupons and recipes. There are also shopping features on this free app, including tips on how to price items at the grocery store by the unit.
The app allows users to access their online EBT account from their phone. There are a few ways to check your current EBT balance. One way is to call a hotline. Another way is to have your balance printed on a receipt after making a purchase. After setting up the Fresh EBT application, users can see their current food stamp and cash benefit budgets, which will update automatically after every purchase.
It does a lot more than that, though. The “Save” tab on the app lists different grocery chains that you can link your rewards card to. The app will show you coupons for each store and let you click on them to add them to your rewards card so you can use them right away at checkout. The app also shows deals from non-profit partner organizations and links to programs that could be useful. There are many places where people can get help with food, such as food pantries, coupon websites or apps, and so on.
The app also has a “job search” feature that lets you find listings near your city, a list of food pantries near your current location, and a database of over 100,000 recipes that focus on healthy and affordable ingredients. The developers also periodically add new features in response to client need. For example, if there is a federal government shutdown, the app will add the ability to hide a set percentage of each balance from view to prevent accidental overspending.
The app Fresh EBT is free to use for Android and iOS users. The company that owns the app, Propel, makes money from the businesses and coupons that are featured on the app. The only difficult part of this process is that you need to provide your Social Security number to the app so that it can be linked to your state’s EBT portal. When deciding whether or not to use Propel, it is important to be aware that data breaches are a possibility. Although there is no concrete reason to distrust Propel, giving out your information does come with some risk.
WICShopper
WICShopper is an app created by a partner of the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The app ties in with the local agency that administers the federal government benefit program. The app is designed to help you see if an item is eligible for WIC benefits, as well as check your current benefits balance. It also includes hundreds of low-cost, healthy recipes.
This means that while you can download the WICShopper app for free, not all WIC agencies are able to provide services through the app. After you download the smartphone applications, you’ll be given a choice of which agencies you want to use. If your local agency is not listed on the app, you can email the app creator, JPMA, at [email protected], to find out if and when it will be supported. To enroll in WIC for discounts, contact your local WIC office.
FoodKeeper
The USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) offers this app for free. It helps you keep track of food expiration dates and provides tips and advice on how to best use your food before it expires. The food that is at a food bank or pantry is usually expired which can help lower income families. Although the food may not be fresh, it is still safe to eat, especially for those on a tight budget.
A recent survey showed that about 90% of Americans do not understand how food expiration dates work and what they mean. The FoodKeeper app is a free app that can help people learn more about food expiration dates.
Range
The Range app is designed to help keep minors safe, especially those who are at risk. The website provides a list of hot meals, safe places (such as libraries) and medical services including free community clinics. The app is designed to help find summer meal programs for kids who are out of school. This means that there are places where you can go to feel safe and get medical help if you need it, and these places are available all year. There are a variety of healthcare facilities and services that can be found on the Range smartphone applications, from clinics to places for free, emergency health or dental care.
The app is available for Android and iOS and is sponsored by the USDA. It’s free to download and use.
SaverLife (Earn.org)
If you save money every month with Earn.org’s SaverLife, you will get a pretty good incentive. If you save at least $20 in the first six months of using the app, you’ll get $10 in return!
The app also offers some content on financial coaching, which will keep you busy for the six-month savings period. This allows families who have a low income to understand how to manage their money. Apps that teach financial literacy to kids can help them understand money and how to manage it. This can be a valuable life skill that can help them make informed decisions about spending and saving.
SaverLife will deposit $60 into the linked savings account, but will not be able to withdraw money, making it a safe app to use. The app will check your account balance every 30 days to see if it has increased by at least $20. The bonus will be paid at the end of the six-month savings period and you will need to take a quick survey to get it.
DailyPay – Get Your Wages Paid Daily
There are apps that allow you to get paid every day, if you are an hourly employee and work for a major employer. These apps can help a low income family to get their income more quickly than waiting for their weekly or b-weekly paycheck. There are several apps that allow you to be paid daily for your work. What are daily pay services? Daily pay services are businesses that provide employees with the ability to receive their wages on a daily basis, rather than waiting for a traditional weekly or biweekly paycheck. This can be beneficial for workers who may need access to their earnings more frequently, such as to cover unexpected expenses or to avoid incurring debt from high-interest payday loans. There are a variety of daily pay service providers, each with different fees and terms. employees should carefully research any provider before signing up for services.
Full Cart (Fed 40)
Full Cart is a monthly food kit delivery service designed specifically for low-income families. It provides food that is affordable and healthy. The food is free for lower income families – they just need to pay for shipping costs.
Food kits are not known for being cheap. Full Cart operates in a different way than most companies. Rather than having customers come to them, Full Cart goes to the customer. Each week, you’ll receive a box of healthy, dry ingredients like lentils, rice, oats, macaroni, and dehydrated vegetables. These ingredients can be used to make a variety of nutritious, ready-to-cook meals. This is a great deal because you are getting a lot of food for the price of shipping. The meals are designed to be vegetarian, but you can add meat if you want.
When it was offered for free, there was a process you had to go through which included providing financial information and there were only a limited number of spots available. Full Cart is now available to everyone, but you will be asked to pay a shipping fee depending on your location. The shipping fee for each box is approximately $7 to $13.
Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)
There are several apps, banks, and lenders that offer the ability to pay for something over time in installments, including Paypal, Affirm, Afterpay, Klarna and even banks such as Chase. These services help low income families as well as borrowers with bad or no credit by allowing them to shop for and buy items they need today and pay for them later over the course of months or years. If you don’t make a payment on time with a Buy Now Pay Later plan, the retailer may charge you a fee.
The apps help low income families to manage their money and budget better. This means that you could potentially purchase food (or other necessities) now and spread the cost of payment over a period of weeks or months. For example, Paypal offers repayment terms of 4 months. There are a number of websites that offer “buy now, pay later” options for people with low credit scores. This can be a good option for people who need to make a purchase but may not be able to afford it all at once. Some of these websites may require monthly payments, while others may allow you to pay the full amount over time.
SWHELPER (Social Work Helper)
The Social Work Helper app consolidates many of the features from the other apps listed here. This is a tool that can help you find resources and assistance when you need it. This website can help you find local food banks, shelters, mental health resources, crisis help lines, and support groups.
The SWHELPER app provides a number of services to help users, including finding low-cost prescriptions and registering to vote. The app is available on both Android and iPhone operating systems.
FoodKeeper
The FoodKeeper app is a tool that helps you keep track of food safety information from the USDA’s Foodsafety.gov website. This guide provides information on the safe storage temperatures and conditions for different types of foods.
The app provides a list of food categories similar to what you would find at a grocery store self-checkout. You can navigate the menu to find out the safe storage conditions, time to use, and minimum cooking temperatures for each food category. This cookbook includes some tips on how to cook food thoroughly and evenly. The app includes a lot of information about food safety, as well as updates on product recalls and videos about how to handle and cook food safely.
Amwell
Virtual medical consultations can be very helpful for certain specific situations. This type of appointment is especially helpful for patients who have difficulty moving around, such as senior citizens or the disabled. These appointments are usually much cheaper than in-person appointments.
If you are able to get telemedicine, Amwell is a good app to look at. The app is used mostly for easy and cheap prescription refills, but it can be used for other things too. You can speak with therapists and psychiatrists, have minor urgent care issues addressed, speak with a nutritionist, and more. Urgent care services are available 24 hours a day, which is a big advantage. There are other apps that offer low-cost healthcare.
These services are relatively cheap, costing around $69 to $99 per session. Aetna and Blue Cross Blue Shield cover them, as well as a few other insurance plans.
There are a number of iOS and Android smartphone applications that help low income families, the working poor, and those in need. Each app is available to users at no cost and is designed to meet a specific need of the community.