Smart Shopping

I'm sitting alone in my living room this morning. "Cat litter," I say. "Ziploc bags, cat food, diet soda."

Am I crazy, sitting there talking to myself? Well, just this once, no.

I'm testing out a new hand-held gadget, the SmartShopper, and I'm loving it.


After I'm done speaking (no typing, yay!) my shopping list for the day into the mic, I just press a button and my shopping list prints out. The SmartShopper has already sorted the items I listed neatly into categories, so that I can find them easily in my grocery store. Now, I just walk over to my fridge and leave my SmartShopper sticking to it--the back is magnetic.

The SmartShopper folks have thought of everything. Extra rolls of paper come with the SmartShopper, which does not require any messy ink cartridges, as does a mounting kit if you want to take the trouble to mount it somewhere--as I say, I'm just sticking mine to the fridge for easy access. The SmartShopper runs on 4 regular AA batteries, and neither the batteries nor the paper require screwdrivers, or any tools at all, to replace, a feature that I love, since I can never find the right-sized screwdriver around our house, and always end up stripping screws. In contrast, the SmartShopper has fasteners that just click open for access. I can flag items on my list if I have coupons for, so I don't forget to take advantage of those savings. And I can even have concurrent lists going at the same time! Pushing any button turns the SmartShopper on, it powers off over time if left unused, and your lists are saved unless you delete them.

Have something unusual to add to your list, that isn't in the SmartShopper's pre-loaded library? Just go to the main menu and use the screen to type in the new word, then say it. (In my case, for instance, it was "Gingerbread House", because the Rhino wants to decorate one for Christmas, but neither one of us actually wants to build the thing.) The new term you've put in is saved in the SmartShopper's library, so you won't ever have to re-enter it again manually, just say it. Occasionally, the SmartShopper has trouble understanding your voice, but in my case that only happened when I had a TV on in the background. It worked fine once I turned it down.

At 79.99, the SmartShopper is not cheap, but it certainly is value for your money. I love all the convenience of printing up a list right on the spot. Plus, I know I will use this gadget constantly in a household full of guys with big appetites. Daytime talk show host Rachael Ray agrees--the SmartShopper was featured on her show in a segment about easy grocery shopping.

You can order the SmartShopper online, and you need to order by December 18th (that's Thursday!) to get it by Christmas. Orders placed between now and December 31st receive FREE ground shipping.

In addition, you can get $5 off the SmartShopper just for reading this review! Enter this code at checkout for your discount: BG38806.

Or, you could WIN IT! Just check out the SmartShopper website, and then leave a comment below this post with the last item you forgot to get at the grocery store--I know you must have forgotten something sometime, we all do it!

Good luck!