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As lockdown restrictions ease and we begin to slowly return to our day-to-day lives, many of us will be dealing with a little coronaphobia, as adjusting to the 鈥榥ew normal鈥� will inevitably feel a little strange at first. Be it the way we order food, how and where we are able to travel to, or how we spend and save our money – the impact of the pandemic touches many aspects of our lives.

One thing that is for sure, is that the demands of the 鈥榥ew normal鈥� will be tough to get used to. And, with the sharing economy set to continue to grow in the next 10 years by more than 50%1, big hitters such as Airbnb and Uber will no doubt continue to be rivalled. Whether it be aiding a more flexible lifestyle, or being much more environmentally and resource-conscious, here鈥檚 some of the best apps you might not yet know about, that you might find surprisingly useful…

Cuvva

Cuvva offers flexibility for drivers, making it easy to insure themselves on someone else鈥檚 car, only for the time that is needed. The app offers people wanting to avoid public transport, an alternative way to get to and from work safely. You鈥檙e able to insure yourself on your family, or friend鈥檚 car from 1 hour up to 28 days, with 24/7 customer support, all through the app.

Alternatively, if you previously used to commute by car every day but are now planning to work from home more, this app is useful for households that plan to share the family car more. If you鈥檙e planning any summer road trips, Cuvva makes sharing a long drive very easy too.

Emma Farnaby, a Cuvva customer from Middlesbrough commented: 鈥淢y partner鈥檚 friend told me about this app. I downloaded Cuvva and was like, oh my goodness, what I paid for two weeks cover, I could pay that for the month with the app. I鈥檝e saved money using the Cuvva app rather than using comparison websites. The app was dead easy to use, it鈥檚 flexible and handy.鈥�

Thrift+

Many of us used lockdown to have a much-dreaded wardrobe clear out, and with charity shops reopening,

Using the Thrift+ app is a safe, easy way of donating your clothes; a bag is sent to you via courier, and once you have filled it up with your clothes, a courier will come and collect it. You donate to your chosen charity – or you can exchange your clothes for tokens and buy second-hand clothes on the site.

Lucy Smith, a marketer from Leeds who discovered the app during lockdown commented: 鈥淚 wanted to make the most of my downtime in lockdown, and clear out my wardrobe. I鈥檓 always conscious of overwhelming charity shops as they must receive so many items every day, especially once they open again post lockdown. I liked the idea behind Thrift+, a stronger guarantee of your clothes being reused, but still being able to make a donation to a charity that means something to you personally. It was also super easy and quick, as I didn鈥檛 have to leave my home to do it.鈥�

Too Good To Go

A recent survey by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows 30% of UK consumers have started saving leftovers during lockdown 3, a great indication that we are becoming more mindful of food waste. That said, with many restaurants opening for takeaways during lockdown, and the rest re-opening for business from 4th July, the risk of food waste levels increasing is high. Too Good To Go helps the cause, by connecting restaurants and cafes with the public, who can purchase surplus meals that would otherwise be thrown in the bin, at great prices.

Snaptrip

4, so it鈥檚 the perfect time to get booking, especially with the uncertainties around travelling abroad. Snaptrip allows you to book the best last-minute cottage deals in the UK from big-name partners. A great choice for anyone looking to get closer to the coast or be more spontaneous with their travel.

Matt Fox, co-founder and CEO of Snaptrip said: “With the recent announcement that UK holidays can shortly go ahead, in the past few days we have seen a lot of pent up demand and our revenue has increased over 400% year on year! With the largest inventory of over 100,000 professionally managed properties, best price guarantee and last minute discounts, it’s great to see many customers using both our app and website, to book a much needed UK break.”

Fat Llama

Taken up a new skill during lockdown? Fat Llama is a marketplace for renting out, buying or selling almost anything from people in your neighbourhood – so if you鈥檝e taken up photography or a music instrument during lockdown, you can try out a new upgraded guitar or camera without committing to buying one brand new. It鈥檚 also great for anyone looking to clear out items they no longer use and make some cash from it!