As a personal finance blogger, it's my responsibility to keep up-to-date on the latest in the financial industry. Whose advice is worth heeding? (And whose advice sucks?) What are the current tax rates? Where's the best place to save for the future?

In the Olden Days, it wasn't tough for me to stay informed. I paid attention. I read books and magazines and blogs. PR agencies sent me buckets of email. Plus, GRS readers constantly sent me tips and recommendations.

But I've essentially taken the past couple of years off from the world of personal finance. I'm out of touch. I no longer know which credit cards are best, where I ought to have my savings, or how to best track my investments.

If you’re like me, it can be almost impossible to keep track of your receipts.  You put them in a desk drawer or in your wallet only to not be able to find them when you need them.  You may never have heard of Shoeboxed, but it is a website that keeps track of your receipts for you.

In this Shoeboxed review we will show you how it can make life easier.  The Shoeboxed app for iPhones allows you to save your receipts right from your phone. It makes it easy to store a business dinner receipt without having to remember it later.  When you visit Office Depot, you can save your receipt for office supplies right in the store.

How it Works

First register online and then download the free app on your phone. Once you download the Shoeboxed app onto your iPhone, you simply take a picture of any receipts you want to save.  You can add a note for future reference and submit it to the website so they can extract the information.  You will receive an email confirmation to let you know the receipt has been received. Continue reading...

One of the best ways to find a good deal is to check garage/yard sales. Not only can yard saling save you money, but it can also be fun. Even if you don't buy anything, it's often fun to simply look around. If you are looking for something specific, a garage sale might have just the thing -- for much less than you would pay for something new.

If you want to map out a route to different garage sales, you can find what you are looking for with the help of your smartphone. There are iPhone apps meant to help you locate garage sales, and then find them. Here are 5 iPhone apps worth considering in your quest for the perfect deal:

1. Garage Sale Tracker

One of the most popular iPhone apps for locating garages sales is Garage Sale Tracker. Not only can you look for garage sales, but you can also locate flea markets and consignment shops. It's a great place to find second-hand items. In some cases, you can contact the seller right from the application. A bookmarking feature allows you to choose specific garage sales and map your route. Cost: Free

There are many personal finance softwares available to individuals to keep track of their income, expenses, bill payments, and general finances. These softwares attempt to offer unique and different tools to their customers – usually making them more and more complicated and expensive. Pocksmith is unique!

Developing unique and affordable personal finance software is not easy these days. Given that there are numerous personal finance softwares out there (YNAB, Quicken, Mint…) it is not easy for a newcomer to survive in this market. Pocketsmith, however, has the potential.

Forecasting Made Simple is their slogan. Pocketsmith focuses on helping you forecast your financial future. By analyzing your income and expenses it helps you predict your future which in turn you can use to set better goals and save money. I have mentioned how important setting financial goals are in previous articles and Pocketsmith is great tool in helping you reach those financial goals. It also provides a great graphical feature to compare your “actual” savings and spending to your “forecasted” savings and spending; this can be a great tool to get you back on track. This focus on future rather than the past makes Pocketsmith unique and probably one of the best personal finance application.