Grocery Gadget

Weekends usually mean buying groceries with the wife. But, preparation for the weekend groceries doesn't happen only during weekends. Sometimes, we find out that we need stuff during weekdays and, worse, sometimes right after coming home from the shop. We used to make a list on Post-Its in the house. But, sometimes, we forget to bring the list and we have to recreate the list in our heads while shopping. (Side note, the wife has one really good memory - she can recreate more than 95% of what's in the list, whereas I couldn't even remember where we parked the car!)


So what is the one thing that we never forget when we leave the house? Our iPod Touches. So, I bought an app that will help us with the groceries.


I tried some free ones, even bought one which I thought was the best, but, with use, I realize that there is one that the wife and I can consider the best: Grocery Gadget.



As with other grocery apps, you can easily make your grocery list. There is a base list provided but you can also add your own items if ever what you want to put in the list is not on the provided database. You also can remove the items that you think you won't need anymore, like there is a brand of after-shave cologne that I haven't even heard off... You can add categories, put a photo that's relevant to the item you want to buy, and you can put the price for the item that you put in the list. You can also put the relevant tax information which you set up depending on where you live.


The interface is very friendly and checking out bought items is also a breeze.


But, the best thing that I can say with this app is how easy it is to build your grocery list and sync it with several devices. The wife and I each have an iPod Touch so when it's time for us to buy groceries, each of us has a list of what we need for the house. You can build your grocery list on your computer and the list will trickle down to our iPod Touches. You can update a list on an iPod Touch and the list on the other, and on the website, will also be updated. Also, you can "push" an update to the other iPod Touch provided you have a wifi signal where you shop. I don't know how instantaneous this is when it comes to iPhones so comments regarding the "push" behavior in iPhones would be most welcome. Also, there are some other app capabilities that I haven't tried yet, like using the barcode, putting pictures of products and putting the tag price. This last one would be highly essential if you want to keep track of the price of your groceries. With the tax already added in, it beats using a calculator while shopping.


To take advantage of the syncing and push capabilities all you have to do is sign up for a free account in the Grocery Gadget website. Then all you have to do is to put your log-in information in your iPhones or iPod Touches.


With the Grocery Gadget app, so far, we haven't forgotten what we need to buy. All we have to do is to remember to type it up in the app.


The Grocery Gadget app is highly recommended.


You can buy the app here. You can try it on by using the lite version here. (iTunes links provided.)