The App that Has Saved Me the Most Amount of Money

Surprisingly it’s not a financial app

Photo by Tara Clark on Unsplash

You’d think a budgeting app would be the champion of your finances, but for me, it’s been something completely different: Yuka.

This unassuming little barcode scanner for food and cosmetics has quietly revolutionized my shopping habits and, unexpectedly, saved me a significant amount of money.

Before Yuka, my shopping was often a bit of a free-for-all. Attractive packaging and enticing displays would frequently lead me to toss things into my basket without much thought beyond the immediate craving or perceived value.

This often meant ending up with processed foods, sugary snacks, and even some very high-priced skin-care products filled with harmful ingredients I didn’t really understand.

“He who buys what he does not need, steals from himself.” — Swedish Proverb

Then I discovered Yuka. You simply scan a product’s barcode, and the app provides a straightforward rating based on its ingredients.

For food, it evaluates nutritional quality, additives, and organic status, assigning a rating and suggesting healthier alternatives. For cosmetics, it analyzes ingredient lists, identifying potential health risks and recommending safer options.