Technology has completely streamlined and improved my life, which – as a wife, mom of 5 and entrepreneur, I love and appreciate. My smartphone holds my entire life on it – emails, schedules, contact information, family information, etc.  My baby monitor has WIFI capabilities, so I’m able to see my daughter nap and sleep when I’m miles away from home on a business trip.  Through a simple app on my phone the lights of my house turn on when I pull into my driveway at night.  I could go on and on (and on) as to the different kinds of technologies that I’ve brought into my life to make it better. I really am passionate about making my life as digitally connected as possible.

So… let’s face it, it ONLY makes sense to use that same logic when it comes to my own personal finances.

I recently had the chance to chat with Digital Lifestyle Expert, Katie Linendoll as to how digitizing your life can also have a bonus effect on your wallet. Katie is someone I truly respect when it comes to technology and living in this digital age because it’s her passion. I mean, truly… it’s her passion and I love that! She has such an excitement for it and I love that about her! If you’ve seen her on the TODAY Show, you know she KNOWS her stuff! She’s such a pro and always so ready to share tidbits, tips and advice. Capital One has teamed up with Katie to help provide some quick tips for saving more through digital tools, including their new 360 Money Market. If you’re not familiar with Capital One’s 360 Money Market, it’s an online account offering no fees, no minimums and a high-yield 1.0% APY for balances over $10,000. Also, very important to note, too – there’s a 0.6% APY for accounts with balances under $10,000! It’s pretty amazing, right!!??

I’m a Capital One fan and user, so I was really excited to see this partnership – it just makes so much sense!  One of the first questions I asked Katie was what she truly appreciated about Capital One when it came to helping people (like me) stay on top of their finances.  She explained to me that she loved how visual Capital One made it for their customers they lay everything out neatly and organized for you. The pie chart they offer their customer is her favorite because you can see where you’re spending and where you should be cutting back. It’s an easy mapped out grid everything is laid out for YOU so you can have peace of mind with your finances. As Katie said, “It allows you to stay in charge.”  I was interested to learn from Katie how often she checks in on her account with Capital One, beyond just the alerts and emails that she routinely gets from them. She let me know that she checks in often because it’s always good to see what’s going on.  A fun fact that I learned about Katie was that her mom was a credit counselor, so she had a wonderful example at home guiding her. We chatted for a bit talking about how important of a life skill it is to be in control of your money and that it should be taught in high school or college!

Which brings me to Katie’s Top Tips to Bank & Save More Money! She was kind enough to share a bunch, which is awesome because the more, the merrier – right?

Here are 7 of my favorite:

• Automate your bill payments
  • You work hard for your money. Don’t lose it to late fees! By scheduling automatic payments with features such Capital One’s Online Bill Pay, you’ll have better peace of mind that your bills are being paid on time, every time.

• Stay on top of all your accounts via text and email alerts
  • Capital One personalized account alerts allow you to keep up on all your banking activity. Alerts will keep you honest—and accountable.

• Choose an account that gets you more.
  • You’ve got to make sure you are using tools that not only work hard for you, but support your savings growth for the long haul. Capital One’s 360 Money Market does just that – we’re talking no fees, no minimums and a high-yield 1.00% Annual Percentage Yield for balances over $10,000.  You have this money, you might as well be collecting a ton of interest on it, too.

• Leverage cutting-edge technology
  • Voice-activated technologies hold a lot of promise to make our lives easier. For example, with the Capital One Skill for Amazon Alexa, you can use any Amazon Alexa-enabled device like the Amazon Echo to access your Capital One accounts and check your balance, make a payment and manage your account – all using just your voice.

• Declutter and digitize 
  • How many stacks of magazines do you have cluttering your house? Why not get an unlimited digital subscription to more than 175 top magazines (including back issues) for just $10 a month (vs. nearly $10 for each year-long subscription). It’s even accessible on up to five devices!

• Stay in charge 
  • Let’s face it, time equals money. Don’t get stuck in the red (battery life that is) on your smartphone. Take advantage of one of the many portable chargers with multiple USB ports for connecting a tablet or smartphone with 20+ hours of talk time. 

• Know the tech calendar cycles
  • TVs and smartphones all have best times to purchase if you are looking for a deal. Don’t be the person who upgrades the moment a new device comes out. The previous generation of a device typically goes on sale right before the next launch, which can save you a lot of money on technology that’s only a little bit older.  Got some old phones and tablets lying around? They could be worth a couple hundred bucks. Many internet trade-in sites and retail stores will offer gift cards and even free shipping for your old tech through something called “recommerce,” aka reverse commerce. If you can make money off old things lying around, do it!

I couldn’t help it, I had to ask Katie what her favorite money saving tip (at the moment) was for herself. She gave me a GREAT idea for holiday gifts… “I love digital subscriptions to my favorite newspapers and magazines!”

I just loved chatting and learning from Katie! She was amazing to chat with and truly a wealth of knowledge about Capital One 360 Money Market and other money saving tips! At the beginning of our conversation she mentioned to me that she’s “passionate about betting understanding finances” and it was absolutely clear that she is just that!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored posting with Capital One. All opinions are 100% my own.