My Favorite Money App

As many of you know, from reading my previous posts, I'm all about saving a couple bucks wherever I can. I'm also all about learning how to save some of the money I work so damn hard to make! I saw an ad for an investing app on Facebook a few months back and decided to give it a whirl. I have never been so instantly pleased with an app before! In three months, I have managed to invest almost $300 into my own future. $300 that I can definitely tell you I didn't think I had! If you download the app now with my link, you'll get your first $5 FREE! 

WHAT IS IT??

Y'all. The app is called Acorns. It doesn't cost anything but it's worth so much! If you're eager to get started, use my link to get your first $5 when you sign up and let it download while you read more about how awesome it is.

Get your first $5 invested free!

Here's the compete basics if you don't want a thorough explanation. You make investments on your own whenever you'd like or on a regular, automatic basis. But you also invest by rounding to the nearest dollar on every purchase you make. And holy cow, it adds up. If you go to Starbucks to buy your favorite Frappuccino and you run your card for $4.87, Acorns takes that $0.13 and invests it for you! It's seriously that simple. AND the best part is you can withdraw that money if you need/want to at any time.

Here's how I got started

I hooked up my Acorns account to my debit card that I use for almost all my purchases. Then I signed up for "Round-Ups" and I set up a monthly automatic investment of $10/month.

Here's a screenshot of my Round Ups from April this year. I invested $173 from round-ups alone and I had only downloaded the app in February. At the time of these purchases, I definitely didn't feel like I was spending that much more by rounding up. But when I saw how quickly it added up, I was amazed.

And Acorns will lay it all out for you for your financial future. They have an investment "potential" calculator. Here's what mine looks like:

Like I said, I had set up an automatic $10/month investment. That added to my average round-up values and I was blown away by the number. $80,000 over 40 years. That's $2,000/year in investments. And, when you click that "Change My Future" button, it tells you how much more you can potentially have if you add a couple more bucks to your monthly investment. Ready to get started and get your first $5? Use my link to start investing!

Withdraw whenever you like!

My husband and I are not rich. We make a decent combined income but our expenses each month seem to keep growing and our savings account doesn't seem to flourish like it should. This is one of the reasons I love this app so much - it's got a feature that's helpful for those of us living on a tight budget. When you make these investments, you are free to withdraw them whenever you would like. Now, you are never going to reach that $80,000 if you keep making withdrawals but it is so refreshing to know that you have access to this money (it is yours, after all) whenever you need it.

I hit a real financial low a few months back after having complications with the birth of my son and getting a whopping hospital bill. I was able to take some of what I had invested in the Acorns app and withdraw it to pay for necessities I wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford. The flexibility is what keeps me loving this app so much.

Everything I had invested was withdrawn to keep our heads above water that month BUT it was money that I had honestly almost forgotten about. That money has since been reinvested into our Acorns account and we are back to thriving with our round-ups and monthly deposits but it was a real life-saver in a financial pinch.

But wait, there's more!

The last feature of the app, like it needs any more appeal, is the "Found Money" option. This is like the cash back bonus of Acorns that keeps me coming back for more. If you use your linked card on the various partner companies, you'll get money invested right back into your account. Here's a few of the best ones for me:

$0.50 invested EVERY time you take an Uber

4% invested on every hotel room you book with Expedia

$200 invested when you refinance your student loans with SoFi

$30 invested when you try Blue Apron food delivery.

4% invested for every purchase from Athleta

Plus investments back into your account when you shop with hundreds of other companies like Apple, Avon, AT&T, DirecTV, Fandango, Forever21, Lyft, and more.

I honestly can't recommend this app enough. I have had so much success and been so pleased with the results. Try it out. Even just for a week, try it out. If you hate it and decide not to keep it, you'll still get $5 for your trouble if you sign up with my link. But I urge you to at least give it a shot, and if you do, PLEASE let me know what you think about it in the comments below!!