Grocery List on iTouch

Cindy & I have just begun experimenting with a system that puts our family grocery list on multiple iOS devices and on the big computer(s), so that (recent connection assumed) all parties have the shopping list with them at all times--no active network connection is required, once it has been synced with the web site server. (This occurs automatically while the app is open and connected by wi-fi or whatever.)

So far, it seems extremely slick.

OurGroceries <http://www.ourgroceries.com/overview> has an app for iOS and a webapp that runs in a browser window on any computer. Make a free account, populate it with grocery items (there is an _import_ feature that I have not investigated), organize by section, type, aisle, or whatever, and any changes are reflected on all other computers and devices just a second or two later (while connected to the network).

It supports multiple shopping lists, and has a _recipe_ feature that can update a list according to what's needed for preparing a particular recipe. Using this feature might be okay for routine stuff, but for making special recipes or meals it seems likely to be helpful once setup has been completed.

It does not support prices, comparison shopping, or notes. It's only a checklist.

Key to having something like this prove useful over time is that it be extremely easy to use once the minor drudgery of initial setup has completed. (Do that on the computer.) Adding items is quite easily accomplished on either the computer or the hand-held, maintenance is pretty transparent, and use in-store is dead easy: Launch it, switch to the particular list of interest, and walk through a section of the store tapping items off the active list as they are encountered.

Here is our list of grocery sections/types ("categories") (so far). We have also made (shorter) lists for the things we like to buy regularly from Costco and Trader Joe's.

 Baking&Spices
 Beverages
 Bread&
 Can_FruitVeg
 Can_Meat
 Can_Soup
 Cleansers
 Coffee&Tea
 Condiments
 Dairy
 Deli
 Ethnic
 Frozen
 Health&Beauty
 Meat
 Non-food
 Paper
 PastaBeansRice
 Produce
 Snacks&

I have made no attempt to try to make those categories correspond to the way any particular grocery store is organized; this is as generic as I could think to make it.

Items that are not currently needed are put into one big list, sorted either by time put there (the default, oddly) or by alphabet. Key to having the alphabet work, as I see it, is to adopt a naming convention that groups similar things in that listing as well. Therefore:

Under the category "Can_FruitVeg":

 Beans_Black
 Beans_Pinto
 Beans_White

Under "Coffee":

 Coffee_Beans
 Coffee_BeansDecaf
 Coffee_Instant
 Coffee_InstantDecaf

Etc.

We expect to like it, and we expect to find it so easily used (at every stage) that we will continue using it.

At present, all aspects (the iOS app and the webapp) are free of charge.

Mark_
17 September 2011