Advice on app(s) for Grocery shopping, listing, coupons

[StoneRyno]

I've downloaded Aldi, Meijer, Walmart, and Kroger apps. Which are all good for checking their sale papers. There are also other grocery stores in my area who don't have android apps. Save-a-lot and several independent grocers. Between all of these they are the more likely places I'd be shopping for groceries.

I also downloaded grocery IQ which turns out to not be much of a convenience. I tested it today with the handful of groceries we bought and right away several items scanned came up as completely different products than they actually were. Also making a list by searching for products is nice but because it doesn't search for coupons for the items in the list it makes it tedious to look through all coupons to find if there are any for the list. Kind of defeats the purpose of the app including access to the coupons from the makers website coupons.com.

What would be ideal is something that would compare sale prices at as many of the grocery stores in my area as possible for items added to my grocery list. I also need something that keeps a history of items and prices paid (or at least keeps track of the best deal gotten to date) for future reference. My goal and reason for this is to minimize the grocery budget as much as possible while still eating healthy.

So I'm looking for recommendations on what apps to use to best aid in my grocery shopping endeavors.

 

[icebike]

You really won't find price comparisons for anything but the big chains (who is going to enter all that data?) and even these will miss the local sales.

Unless you buy in large quantity, saving 6 cents on a can of refried beans is not worth the gas to get from one store to the next. Spending a dollar in gas to save a few pennies is false economy.

We use Mighty Grocery. Used to use Grocery IQ, but they became unreliable, server outages and slow response. With Mighty Grocery everyone in the family can add items to the shopping list from their own phone in real time and SAVE TRIPS to the store. It syncs the list to all phones. That saves more money than chasing sale prices all over town. You can make lists for each store or put it all on a central list.

Also, are YOU planning to enter all that price data into your history? Seriously? Come on now, you must have better things to do with your time. Mindless record keeping for very little gain.

Selecting a store that is close to you and that has everything you need at reasonable prices, good promotions (coupons), and in-store specials (and a great fruit/vegie department) will save you more money than running all over town.

 

[fyrfytr24]

Does each user have to have Mighty Grocrey installed?

We use Cozi in our family, but i dont like the interface for the shopping list much

 

[icebike]

Does each user have to have Mighty Grocrey installed?

No, only the ones that want to use it.

You can try the free version to see if you like the interface better.

Sent from my HOX

 

[StoneRyno]

You really won't find price comparisons for anything but the big chains (who is going to enter all that data?) and even these will miss the local sales. Unless you buy in large quantity, saving 6 cents on a can of refried beans is not worth the gas to get from one store to the next. Spending a dollar in gas to save a few pennies is false economy.

I didn't think there would be but figured experience budget squeezers would have ideas on how to best comparison shop vs time spent. I plan out what I need to buy and am looking for the best way to price compare the list. I combine trips so if for example I'm going to the gym and a grocery store on the way or close by it has 3-4 items with the best price I'm going to stop in that store for those items. Making fuel cost negligible. I never make a trip that doesn't combine more two or more errands unless a single stop is unavoidable.

We use Mighty Grocery.<snip>

Also, are YOU planning to enter all that price data into your history? Seriously? Come on now, you must have better things to do with your time. Mindless record keeping for very little gain.

I'll check that app out. I didn't plan on keeping detailed records only best price. So if the next time I want to buy an item I would compare it to the price paid last time if not same or less then I would most likely pass on buying the item unless it is an essential item. This also is an area where experienced budget squeezers would have tips on how best to comparison shop for best deals.

Selecting a store that is close to you and that has everything you need at reasonable prices, good promotions (coupons), and in-store specials (and a great fruit/vegie department) will save you more money than running all over town.

There are at least a dozen grocery stores within 5 miles of my house half of which are chains the other half independent grocers. Plus a plethora of mini mart type places and drug stores who also carry small selections of grocery type items half of those chain stores as well. Plenty of potential price savings when combining trips with the best deal on items, Just a bit much of places to have to look at for deals. So obviously I would have to narrow it down to places I can easily reference price info like the stores apps and sites that maintain up to date prices and sales info.

 

[chappo2000]

Also, are YOU planning to enter all that price data into your history? Seriously? Come on now, you must have better things to do with your time. Mindless record keeping for very little gain.

Ha ha. I actually do this. I use Grocery Tracker. The app itself doesn't provide any data.... but it does a good job at managing the data you enter. Basically, there are a limited number of products I buy week to week. You can enter the stores you want to compare, then when you go to these stores you can add/update the prices for each store . This soon gives you the cheapest store to buy a specific item.

Once you set it up it's not too difficult to maintain.

 

[StoneRyno]

Thanks for the reply I'll check that one out too and see which one works better for me.