If you’re one of the many people who has a smartphone, you probably use it for a variety of tasks – email, searching for information, scheduling appointments – but new applications and programs enable users to do a lot more with their phones.

Using your smart phone or tablet, you can easily count calories, track spending and even project important costs associated with homeownership. Following are some of the apps that may help you stay organized and on-task.

Make healthy choices

When you’re in a rush and relying on convenience foods, it can be difficult to even keep track of what you’re consuming. The MyFitnessPal app solves this problem, by allowing you to track on your phone what you’re eating in a given day. At the end of the day, the app can show you how many calories you’ve consumed. With consistent use of this application, you’ll learn which foods to choose and which to avoid. You can also record your exercise routine, and the program will adjust your daily calorie consumption accordingly – that’s its own form of instant gratification.

Manage your money

The comprehensive application Mint.com can organize and track your entire financial life. You link your bank accounts and credit cards to the secure application, which then tracks and categorizes your spending. At the end of each week, the application sends you a graph detailing your spending categories. You can also generate a comparison between the current month’s spending and previous months’ expenses.

With interest rates as low as they are, you may be thinking about refinancing your home. But it sometimes is difficult to know where to begin this process. Luckily, many resources are available to help you determine whether to refinance, so take advantage of tools that can do the math for you.

Manage your household

Technology can also help you protect your possessions when you’re away from home. Alarm applications like Alarm.com’s iPhone system allow you to set up motion detectors and cameras that connect to your in-home alarm system and your smartphone. Using this app, you can set your alarm from the taxi, remotely watch your kids come home from school and verify that the windows are closed. You can even adjust your thermostat and change lighting patterns while you’re away – a feature that’s especially useful for people who travel often and want their homes to appear occupied.

Put it all together

Your smartphone enables you to access technology that can help you successfully manage the whirlwind of everyday life. Applications streamline procedures and help you accomplish your goals, like eating well, tracking spending and protecting your home. What’s more, having resources you can use at your fingertips further simplifies your life by eliminating paper waste and making record-keeping easier.