You know by now that I’m a bit of a techie.  Simply put, pieces of paper get lost, while my phone rarely does.  If I can keep track of things on my phone, I am more likely to remember them.  Today I’m going to highlight a couple of shopping apps.

Grocery iQ

Grocery iQ is a place for you to store your grocery list.  You can make as many separate lists as you want (if you are heading to more than one store), and it will also keep items that you have had on your list in its history, so you can quickly add something you have bought before to your list.  It has a barcode scanner, so when you run out of an item, you can scan the barcode, and it is added to your list (I have found that this doesn’t work with generic, or store-brand items, which is a minus, but the ease of adding items from your shopping history makes up for it).  You can also add items to your list by pressing on the microphone icon and speaking – great for when you suddenly remember that you need to get milk, while you are in the car and driving.  If you have items that you buy on a regular basis, you can favorite them, and they are easily accessible on the favorites list.  When you press on the radial button next to the item on your favorites list, it is added to your shopping list.  You can indicate quantity, weight, and other specifics of an item by pressing on the right arrow next to the name of the item on your list.  I find this useful when I am buying something specifically for a recipe.  You also have access to coupons, some that can be put directly onto your rewards card from the store.  This is my go-to shopping list, and I use it every week.

Pushpins

Pushpins was recommended to me, so I tried it for a week, and wasn’t as impressed as I expected.  It is very similar to Grocery iQ, having many of the same features.  On the plus side, the radial check-off buttons are slightly larger, and you also have the capability of sharing lists, which may be beneficial in a two-adult household.  However, I felt the interface was not as intuitive, and I didn’t find the amazing coupon deals I had been told to expect.  The next week I was back to Grocery iQ.

ShopWell

ShopWell is a bit of a different beast.  I toyed with the idea of trying a gluten free diet for a couple of weeks this summer, just to see if it made any difference, but I never followed through with it, primarily because I didn’t have the time to search for the gluten free items.  For families that are gluten free or have certain food allergies or diet restrictions, I think ShopWell may be worth a look.  You can build a profile based on what your restrictions are, and it will rate the possible choices based on your limitations.  Gluten Free and want pasta?  According ShopWell, the best choice is Nutritious Kitchen’s Whole Soybean Angel Hair Pasta, and has an exhaustive list of choice, rating them all based on your diet restrictions.  It, too, has a scanner, and listing capabilities, making it a comprehensive tool for families with diet restrictions.

Have you found any shopping apps that you can’t live without?  Please share in the comments.