Save money on grocery shopping using an iPhone app

[mina001]

I went to supermarket this week and saw baked beans on super deal @ $1.84/can, save $0.12 (original price $1.96/can) and I can buy up to 3 cans. I was about to take 3 of them and saw the bulk one @ $4.75 for 3 cans without any discount. I don't usually buy products without discount but then hang on. I'm using iPhone and just downloaded this app "buysmart", so I quickly calculated it to compare. The app showed me that the one without discount is 13.95% cheaper than the one on sale. It's different from the calculator in the sense that I didn't have to remember the numbers in my head then compare, I got the comparison, price per unit in just a second and know how much I save too. This weekend, I saved about $5 on my grocery shopping.

[jpg7n16]

Have you tried the RedLaser app?

It's free. Let's you scan in items to find the best local price. Sometimes you can even take it to the clerk, show him/her the phone and say 'Wal-Mart's selling this same CD for 11.98 while your's is priced at 14.99 - do you guys price match?'

Or I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and saw my normal protein powder (Muscle Milk - Chocolate chip cookie dough, so goood!! ) and it was on the shelf for $29, so I scanned the barcode and found that it sells on their website for $22. Showed the guy at the counter and he rung it up based on the online price


iPhones are awesome

[disneysteve]

No need to waste $.99 on this app. All you need is the calculator on your phone, iPhone or pretty much any other cell phone, to see which package is the better deal. In fact, most stores post unit prices right on the shelf so you can see instantly which is cheaper.

[bjl584]

Originally Posted by jpg7n16

Have you tried the RedLaser app?

It's free. Let's you scan in items to find the best local price. Sometimes you can even take it to the clerk, show him/her the phone and say 'Wal-Mart's selling this same CD for 11.98 while your's is priced at 14.99 - do you guys price match?'

Or I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and saw my normal protein powder (Muscle Milk - Chocolate chip cookie dough, so goood!! ) and it was on the shelf for $29, so I scanned the barcode and found that it sells on their website for $22. Showed the guy at the counter and he rung it up based on the online price


iPhones are awesome

I didn't know that you took protein supplements. I'm an avid weight trainer, and I have been buying all of my supplements online for years now. Way cheaper than the stores and no sales tax. Try DPS nutrition. That's usually where I buy from.

[jpg7n16]

Originally Posted by bjl584

I didn't know that you took protein supplements. I'm an avid weight trainer, and I have been buying all of my supplements online for years now. Way cheaper than the stores and no sales tax. Try DPS nutrition. That's usually where I buy from.

Yeah I read a study on the effects of calcium and dairy on fat loss, and have been on a diary kick now for about a month or so. I mainly use muscle milk (in milk ) as a protein supplement before and after workouts and before bed to prevent muscle loss while trying to lose weight. I'd like to lose around 15-20 lbs. And so far I'm down about 7 lbs in 3 weeks.

I'm just now getting serious about it though

Vitamin Shoppe currently has deals comparable to DPS on Muscle Milk - not sure if it will last, but it's got em right now. And the physical Vitamin store is like 2 blocks from my apt. So no shipping.

Muscle Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough by Cytosport - CY-1121 - at The Vitamin Shoppe -- 22.90
Cytosport Muscle Milk Cake Batter - 2.48 Lb by Cytosport at DPS Nutrition - The Nation's leader in Discount Nutrition -- 22.99 + 4.90 shipping

I don't use any other supplements, but if I need em, I'll def check out DPS. thanks!


Oh and the dairy article was here (for anyone interested): Role of calcium and dairy products in energy partitioning and weight management — Am J Clin Nutr

well that was the actual study, this article is more readable (same study, just easier to read): Don't dump dairy: Yogurt may promote fat loss | Active.com

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But the app works for more than just groceries/protein powder. Best Buy will usually match prices on anything in store (I've done CDs and DVDs so far), and WalMart will match competitors (not Amazon). I haven't really tried comparing prices using the app at WalMart yet, cause I only do groceries there. And I don't think it's worth my time to price match on a can of green beans.

It's kinda cool, cause it's like I get Wal-Mart's prices at Best Buy - which is soo much closer to my apt! Saves on gas


I usually just do the math in my head real quick and don't use an app (ex. if the size of one box of cereal is twice the size in ounces, but less than twice the cost, it's obv cheaper per ounce) - occasionally use my calculator app.... or just look at the labels. Most grocery stores have a per oz cost listed beside the price. Like on tuna cans - the little can's were like 6.2 cents/oz while the big cans were 6.5 cents/oz. So I just bought 2 little cans instead of 1 big one. Same amount of tuna, lower cost. Usually the larger you buy, the lower the cost. Don't know why tuna was different that way...

For someone who doesn't want to do the math though, I see the value of the app. Just put in the size and price and hit a button. I would think there was a free version though...

[Naz56]

Originally Posted by jpg7n16

Have you tried the RedLaser app?

It's free. Let's you scan in items to find the best local price. Sometimes you can even take it to the clerk, show him/her the phone and say 'Wal-Mart's selling this same CD for 11.98 while your's is priced at 14.99 - do you guys price match?'

Or I went to the Vitamin Shoppe and saw my normal protein powder (Muscle Milk - Chocolate chip cookie dough, so goood!! ) and it was on the shelf for $29, so I scanned the barcode and found that it sells on their website for $22. Showed the guy at the counter and he rung it up based on the online price


iPhones are awesome

Great advice. I've had this app for a while now and I use it all the time.

[NolaP]

Just another reason why iPhones are so awesome indeed! Can't wait to try these apps now!

[toys]

I have an Android phone, and have been using Grocery Gadget because it is the only app that we have found that will (supposedly) sync shopping lists on both iPhones and Android phones... since we have both in our household. It's a pretty cheap app (one time charge = $2.99), but there is also a free version: grocery gadget lite. It's not perfect, so please do not curse me when you try it and sync-ing proves to be a headache. They are constantly working on fixing bugs... so far, on iPhone, it's near perfect; on Android, not so much. There is plenty of room in the 'remarks' section for listing things like which store has the best price on an item. Also, there is a section for noting which items you have a coupon.

Groupon, of course, has a free app... and they have just started a new promotion called Groupon Now. There is a free app for both Android and iPhone. Like Groupon, it is not available to all cities yet. It's main goal is to encourage you to use your phone to buy, manage, and use short-term deals (without leaving a paper-trail).