Do you use an electronic shopping list at the store?

[lbc]

I have an iphone and have started using an app on the phone. Its called Grocery G. There were alot of apps that do different things about 10 that involve shopping.

This one lets me make a list for each store. When I enter the item I put in the category and the price. In the comments section I can note how much the coupon is what paper its from if it is a mega deal if it has a catalina or anything special I want to know about it. It also lets me take a picture of the item or coupon. I usually take a picture of the coupon so I dont have to dig thru my cpn book while I am in the store to make sure it doesnt say trial size or something.

When I have entered in all of my items from the sales list, stuff I need to pick up, and any coupons I want to use because they are expiring or are a good deal it sorts them by category such as produce, meat, soups, cereal, etc. At the bottom of the list tells me how much my total will be with tax. This is great for budgeting.

As I am going through the store everything on the list that has a coupon has a little yellow tag by it. So as I go through the store I check off what I put in the cart or if I change my mind I can remove it from the list. As I get to an item with a coupon I can click on it in the list and it shows me the details I entered earlier plus a pic of my coupon.

When I get to the end of the list and I have everything in my cart it tells me how much with tax I have in my cart. By looking through the list at the little yellow tags it tells me which coupons to pull out of my book. I usually stop in the back of the store and pull mycpns or if I am having a good day i pull the ones i need before i get there and just check them over after I fill my cart. That way I can take out the ones i couldnt use. So when I get to the register I know exactly what my total will be and exactly which coupons to give the cashier.

You always have to start shopping on the same side of the store. I usually start in produce and try to end in frozen food. That way the list will be in order. When I entered the categories I entered them like this A produce B bread C coffee that way when it sorted the list the aisles would be lined up exactly to that store.

You can also email the list from your phone to other people. And if you and your spouse have the program on your phone you can share it between them. It does other things too but this is just what I have been using it for.

I have also made my other shopping lists on here too not just groceries but I am currently running the christmas list. Its also a great way to keep up with the walgreens forum that has the ad in weeks in advance. I can set up the list when it hits hcw and keep it on my phone for when that week comes. It also helps when I need to order coupons for the sales I can just go through and look at the yellow tags.

Another thing this has helped me with tremendously is not buying stuff I dont need. I go in the store and the list being aisle by aisle keeps me focused on exactly what I need. There is no oh i forgot this lets run back to the other side of the store. Or browsing down the aisle looking at every product by having a specific list I check off as I go it has helped me alot. Or the kids are squabling with each other and I cant remember what I am there for LOL.

You have to take the time to enter the items and get the layout of the store but once you have done that the item automatically pulls up the next time you need it.

There are other programs that compare the price you last paid for an item to the new price. There are ones that track your purchases. There are ones that scan the bar code and tell you what other stores have it at other prices. They have alot of apps for this stuff. I really wanted one that gave me a running total and I could easily track my coupons when I get to the register. Sometimes that it is the hardest part when you get to the register and your kids are rowdy and the cashier is mean and you dont have time to figure out what went wrong and then go back for the money.
Like the mega event I know exactly how many i have in the cart and how much it is going to be.

I love this app and hope anyone with an iphone or itouch finds this useful. These apps at the most cost 4.99 some are 1.99 and they have some of them that are free. They dont give you the whole program for the ones that are free but enough to test it out.

Happy Shopping!

[AmyinDM]

Ungh I love gadgets and apps and all that. Thanks for that idea lbc. I did see an iphone app for a pricebook that looked super cool.

I have an LG Versa that functions much like an iphone. I haven't dug around for grocery apps. Right now I'm pretty low tech. I make a spreadsheet at home and then print it out. It would be nice to save some ink and paper though.

I already use my phone at the store for the calculator feature. An app makes complete sense to me!

[blessedmom]

Wow, this post opened up some new ideas for me. I was wondering how I can access to database or Internet while out shopping or at the store and using a smart phone might work. I have Palm Treo we haven't been using but we don't subscribe phone service to it. Is there a way I can just use it to store coupon database?? I just have prepaid cell phone thru T Mobile. Would it be cost effective if I subscribe phone service so I can use the phone?? Also some of the application you all talked about sounds intriguing! Are they all for iphone only or cell phones with service? Or is it something I can download to my Palm Treo that doesn't have the phone service??? TIA