I love my iPhone, and I’m always searching for great apps to make my work and my life more efficient. The most recent list I came across was the Top 10 iPhone Apps for Busy Mompreneurs for Work, Life and Play on MOMeo Magazine. I don’t know that I’d call them the top apps to have, but I do actually use two of the apps mentioned – Shazam for tagging songs that I want to buy later, and OpenTable for making restaurant reservations.

Here are the apps that I use most frequently for work, life and play:

1. Toodledo – This to-do list is for those who love to compartmentalize their lives into different categories. This is perfect for the busy birth professional and mom! Set up different folders for work, home, and family tasks. Identify goals you would like to meet and link specific tasks to help you achieve those goals. Group tasks by priority or due date. The combinations are endless. What I also like about Toodledo is that you can link and sync it to a free online Toodledo account. There are even plugins or add-ons to get access to your Toodledoo account through your email, Google, Firefox and more. Basically, there’s no excuse to not have access to your to-do list if you have your computer or phone nearby. I don’t typically like to pay for apps, but this one is worth it for the syncing capability. $3.99
2. Trip Cubby – I will admit that I’ve been terrible about keeping track of my mileage. Every year I depend on my calendar to backtrack where I’ve gone and calculate the miles I drove. It’s worked, but I’ve missed out on expensing a lot of miles for all the little trips, like going to the post office or the office supply store, and other random errands. This year, I’ve developed the habit of tracking my mileage real time using Trip Cubby. I record where I’m going, the purpose of the trip, and I enter the starting and ending mileage. At the end of the month, I email myself a log for all the driving I’ve done, and it arrives in my mailbox as a neat and organized spreadsheet. Yay! Another app to pay for, but well worth it. $4.99
3. Paymo.biz – In the last few months, I started doing some contract work and am paid by the hour. I was so glad to find Paymo.biz, which is an online timekeeping program and invoicing system. You can create a free online account that allows you to create clients, projects and tasks so you can track not only your time, but what you did during that time. If you have contracted to work a certain number of hours for a client, you can also track the total time you’ve worked for a client. The free version of the program allows you to send up to three invoices each month. The iPhone app allows you to clock in and out, and you can also edit times you’ve already worked. This data will automatically sync with your online account. Free
4. USAA – Not useful for everyone, but if you bank at USAA and have an iPhone, you just have to use this app. What I love the most about it is the ability to deposit checks by taking a photo of the front and back of them. Is that cool or what? No more trips to the bank to deposit checks! Free
5. Grocery IQ – With Grocery IQ, I am able to scan the UPC code of many national brands of products and add the price and aisle I find it in. I can create a list of favorite items, create lists for each store I need to shop at, and once I put the item in the cart, I can check it off. It keeps a running tally of what I can expect to spend, which helps with budgeting, and at the end of the trip, I can check out. I can’t say that this program is saving me lots of time yet. I’ve only been using it for a couple of months, so I’m still organizing and adding to my lists. Even with the scanning capability, there are lots of products (like the store brand products) that are not in the database. However, it has been valuable to have a list of prices for future reference and the running tally of what I’ll be spending while I’m shopping. It’s also helped me identify prices that are wrong in the store’s system! Free
6. SnapTell – Such a simple program. With the phone, take a picture of any book or media product, and the program will tell you where you can buy it – online and locally. I use it any time I find a great birth or business book and it tells me the cheapest place to buy it. Brilliant. Free
7. RedLaser – Another shopping assistant. Scan just about any barcode and find out where to buy it on or offline. If SnapTell can’t find it, RedLaser usually can. I use this for everything from office supplies to vitamins to cleaning products. Free
8. AroundMe – This app is a must have if you’re traveling for work or play, and it’s also handy in your own town. Open it up to search for nearby restaurants, gas stations, restaurants and more. Sometimes if I have time to kill between a client meeting and picking my kids up from school, I’ll use AroundMe to look for a coffee shop to hang out at for an hour or two. Select a location and it opens up Google Maps so you can get directions or a phone number. Free
9. LivingSocial and Groupon – If you’re lucky enough to have either or both of these services in your area, you need these apps on your phone. LivingSocial and Groupon sends out daily emails with coupon savings from a local business, usually for at least 50% off of their services. Buy their deal, and your coupons are saved to your account and are accessible through their iPhone apps. No need to print out a coupon, just show your coupon by opening up the app. Save money and paper, and get some great deals! Free
10. Fandango – My family likes going to the movies, and Fandango is a great app to see what’s playing at a theater near you. You can order tickets through the app too, yay! Free

Do you have any iPhone apps that help you to save time and money? I want to know what they are!

And, if you have another type of smartphone and have some favorite apps, I’d like to welcome you to write a guest post, so contact me about it!

These posts may also inspire you:

1. Mileage Tracker for iPhone Users: Trip Cubby
2. Five Steps Summer Sanity: Your Systems (Part 4)
3. New Thoughts on Time Management Based on the Numbers 3, 6, and 9
4. Contraction Master iPhone Application for Clients or Yourself
5. Time Management Strategies for Work-Life Balance, Part I