Inflation and energy, boom in wallet-saving apps: here are the ones to save and earn

The boom of Vinted is there for all to see: a product in good condition, from a well-known and appreciated brand on average, sells in a few hours if not minutes. Allowing us to make some money from clothes and accessories (but not only, there is everything from board games to electronics) that we would have given away or, worse, thrown away. You do not get rich, and indeed often the prices are ridiculous, but it is the mechanism that counts. TooGoodToGo is instead an old acquaintance of saving on food, in some ways a forerunner of the phenomenon: for three years in Italy, it allows you to buy at very low prices (3.99 or 4.99 euros) of end-of-day “boxes” from rotisseries , snack bars, bakeries, supermarkets and restaurants. What is there, and the choice does not often include the most gluttonous or top products, but in quantity it is sometimes enough for two families.

The spending power of Italians drops: 470 euros less in the second semester

Less money in your pocket, or rather less purchasing power: the increase in prices and expensive energy in the last half of the year will cut by 12.1 billion, on average of 470 euros, the ability of Italian families to shop. Therefore, and inevitably, savings are affected and at the same time we try to spend less. On the other hand, the first money earned is precisely the one saved. It is also done by looking at opportunities offered by the app economy. On the one hand with platforms to save, on the other to make some money (often the two categories, as in the case of Lithuanian Vinted, coincide). Let’s see some of them.

The apps to save

On the savings side, the emblematic case is TooGoodToGo led in Italy by Eugenio Sapora: a few months ago it even introduced the conscious label to understand which products placed in special “pantry boxes” – and there are many – are often good for consumption even beyond the recommended expiration date. In September alone, about 500 thousand meals were saved from pulping, compared to an average of 350 thousand. The growth of 6 thousand users per day, which is recorded in the last six weeks, doubles the figure of July which saw only 3 thousand. Then there are EcoFood Prime to receive offers from stores closest to expiration, in excess or with aesthetic defects, or Last Minute under the house which follows the same logic and which is modifying its model, cutting it on the waste of large retailers. Other acronyms are BestBefore or Phenixalways with the same principles: products and stores are crossed to allow the user to ensure (in the first case only online) a shopping at reduced prices.

Some apps have recently been launched that aim to cut down one of the highest costs of the family budget: that of cars. It is the case of Auting – at the moment 40 thousand users even if according to the judgments it still maintains many problems both of usability and of vehicle identification – or Volvero, founded by Marco Filippi two years ago now. Who somehow try to get the Uber Pop model declared illegal a few years ago by several courts out the window but without the driver: it is the only vehicle to be shared between private individuals. Something that can obviously be done freely but on which some reflection is appropriate: if it reached important dimensions insurance companies would certainly make themselves heard. Volvero, for example, is a driving sharing app that connects vehicle owners and drivers: it allows car owners to set the sharing conditions, such as time, distance, price, and accept or decline the drivers’ request. Drivers can filter vehicles and sharing modes that best suit their needs. With the help of AI and advanced technologies, Volvero says it guarantees maximum security and transparency of information and – coincidentally – integrated insurance.

The apps to make money

Vinted, as indeed the Depop by Simon Beckermann (based in London and Milanese heart), the Spanish Wallapop arrived in Italy just a year ago o Immediatelycan as mentioned fall both in the category of apps to save and – perhaps to a greater extent – in that of tools to monetize what we have at homefrom unwelcome gifts to the garment in excellent condition but worn very little to the bouncer for the baby, also used maybe just a couple of months.

There is no data on this, that is, we do not know whether more users buy or sell: on the other hand, it is a community in which people jump from time to time from one side of the fence to the other. Sometimes buyers, often sellers, always looking for a bargain or at least for a significant saving, net of those shops and businesses that have moved in bulk or that load part of their products – even new ones – on these apps, forcing their use and partially distorting the underlying philosophy. In addition to the usual eBaywhich remains a formidable reference especially for electronics and auto parts, then there are other applications where you can enhance the most particular objects: for example Catawiki, auction site (which often reach very important levels, from jewels to ancient coins to sports memorabilia) where you can have your forgotten object valued in a chest and that perhaps, in a certain circle of collectors, has an interesting evaluation. Who knows if that faded autograph, once certified, won’t yield us an unexpected treasure.