Once upon a time, household management was full of hassles and challenges. Unless you were a meticulous record-keeper, it was likely that small, seemingly unimportant tasks could slip through the cracks and be forgotten. But smartphones make managing a household easier, thanks to a wide range of apps that can help even the busiest families manage their to-do lists. Personal and family scheduling, traveling, grocery shopping, and more – all of these tasks can be made easier with smartphone apps.

Digital Locker

Digital Locker is a free app available for Apple and Android products that helps you keep an inventory of your personal property. You’re able to photograph, catalog and assign value to each item in your home. Not only is this a great tool should you ever need to file a claim on your homeowners or renters insurance, but having a mobile record of all your belongings comes in handy when you’re out picking up a new cord for your computer or a part for an appliance – you no longer have to eyeball that part to determine whether it’s compatible.

TripIt 

By organizing your reservations, maps and other trip plans in one easy to place, TripIt helps with planning otherwise-complicated trips. All of your information is stored in one place and your itinerary can be accessed anytime online via mobile devices, calendar feeds and social sites. It’s easy to access your travel plans from anywhere, and to share them with friends and family.

Grocery iQ

Tired of forgetting things that you were supposed to buy when shopping? Simply download Grocery iQ and those days will be a thing of the past. This app builds a product list based a database of millions of items. You can categorize your list by store and/or shopping aisle, email your list to others, print and email coupons, and add notes about prices and quantities.

BillMinderimgres

Were you supposed to pay the cable bill last week or this week? Every once in awhile, we forget what’s due when. With the BillMinder, you can easily keep track of your bills and never get hit with a late fee because of a lapse in memory.

Zinio

Zinio allows you to store all your favorite digital magazines in one place. This app also archives magazines so that you can easily find past issues. The Zinio app helps to keep your reading more organized and eliminates all the clutter that magazines can bring to your home (which will in turn simplify your housekeeping endeavors).

These are only a few of the many apps out there for homemakers. Apps that are designed to make your life easier are popping up on the market every day. Maybe in time, there will even be an app that will do your housework for you. Take a few minutes to look around for apps that you can use, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the difference it makes in your life.