Managing Shopping Lists

I've always been good about making shopping lists. I even have a magnetic notepad on my refrigerator for adding things to my list as we run out or I notice that we are low. Unfortunately, I'm not always good at taking my list with me. Plus, when I would ask my husband to make a stop because I knew we needed milk or bread, he would ask what else and if I wasn't at home to reference my list, I would inevitably miss one or more items.

A while back, my husband found the perfect solution for us. It is an application called Our Groceries. You can download it to many mobile devices.

You set up all of your mobile devices on one account by using a common e-mail when you set up each mobile device. Once it is loaded, you simply add your items to the list. You can even have multiple lists - Grocery, Target, Lowes, Sam's Club. As you add an item, within a brief window, the item will appear on everyone's list. Making it easy for my husband to see what else to pick up when he stops for milk or allowing him to add something to the list while I am shopping.

They also have an option to load recipes, which I have not yet tried. With recipes, you can with one touch, add all ingredients to your shopping list or only add those that you need.

There is a "library" of items, so frequently, you can start typing an item and then select it from the list, saving you some key strokes. It also keeps those items that you add, so that you can quickly add those common items you buy to your list.

As you shop, click on an item and it is crossed off. It is moved to the bottom of the list and you can select to delete all crossed off items. One drawback is the list is alphabetically sorted. When I make a paper list, I sort it by department. It makes it a little harder to scan your list as you make the way through the store, but as you cross items off, it becomes evident if you missed something and can quickly grab it before you check out. This is an improvement for me. I generally forget a pen and then I'm constantly re-reading my paper list to make sure I got it all. The crossed off item and the deletion will also occur on everyone's list within a brief window of when you mark it on your mobile device.

The app is free to download and use, but you get some occasional ads to support the development - so far, they are very unobtrusive text link style ads at the top of your list. I can live with that for an app that has made my life easier and saved a few extra trips to the store. You can learn more here.

This post shared at Works For Me Wednesday.