5 iPhone Apps for Supermarket Savings
It's okay if you're not a coupon clipper. You can still save money at the grocery store in this tough economy, and these savings are as close as your iPhone. Here are the five best apps to help you trim your food bill this week.
1) ZipList (free): You're less likely to make impulse buys when you shop from a list. That's where ZipList can help. It's a free app that helps you create, categorize and share shopping lists with other family members. Plus, you can scan product barcodes to add specific items, helping ensure you have everything you need and don't need to waste gas on a separate trip to the grocery store.
2) Apples2Oranges ($.99): So many times I've been at the grocery store and been faced with one large item on sale versus another less expensive brand in a smaller package. I try to eyeball the prices to figure out which has the lowest per-unit price, but Apples2Oranges takes out the guesswork. Just key in the sizes and prices to get side-by-side unit prices.
3) Food Substitutes ($.99): If you don't have, can't find or don't want to spend money on a particular recipe ingredient, then Food Substitutes is for you. Some spices, for example, are down-right expensive, so it's a huge money-saver to realize you can substitute cinnamon for cardamom. What is cardamom anyway? Glad I didn't spend money on an entire bottle!
4) Locavore ($2.99): It's generally cheapest to cook with fruits and vegetables that are in-season. The Locavore app is for you if you want to find produce in your area that's in-season or soon will be. It's best (and least expensive) to go fresh when in-season or go frozen when out of season.
5) CookIt ($.99): One of my biggest problems is timing my meals so that everything is ready at the same time. While CookIt won't help you save while you're in the grocery store, it will help keep you from tossing food you've purchased at the supermarket that you've overcooked or otherwise ruined because your timing was off on your meal.
So, what are your favorite iPhone apps that help you out when grocery shopping or cooking? Leave me a comment or stop by my blog, Coupon Cravings, for more ways to save money.
