Tuesday, December 16, 2008

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!

22 comments:

Alesha @ Full Time Mama said...

I just got home from the store and forgot batteries!!! Ahh!

judybrittle said...

This is not surprises for me but I was going to make homemade chicken noodle soup and of course I came home without the noodles. I don't know what part of chicken NOODLE I didn't understand. Thank you!

Dumaurier said...

I forgot paper towels once again!

nape said...

I went to the grocery store to pick up my prescription at their pharmacy. I remembered everything except the prescription.

The SmartShopper people must have been thinking of me when they invented it.

pestkaj said...

I forgot jelly- twice

Andrea Hatfield said...

I always forget the cat food. Poor cats, lol.

MonkeyBaby said...

I sometimes use the "Tasks" function of my cell phone to make grocery lists. This does not work particularly well. I got home from the store the other day and only THEN got my "butter" task reminder (having of course forgotten to buy butter)...

craftymamaof4 said...

I always forget shampoo!

Shamrocker99 said...

Jelly...strawberry jelly!

Lessa said...

Oh,yeah! Forgot to get orange juice for the yam casserole--an absolute necessary for Christmas dinner!

Unknown said...

This is definately a life saver, I'm always going to the store and getting sidetracked and some how forgetting something, even when I have a list!

Unknown said...

I have just recently forgotten lightbulbs! I still haven't went back to get them!

Reva Skie said...

I forgot salsa. I had to rummage in the drawer for some taco bell sauce packets for my tamales. Bleh.

Carolyn G said...

I went to the store and forgot my herbs to make stuffing. UGH!!!!

Donna said...

I forgot milk. I need one of them.
donna444444@yahoo.com

windycindy said...

My husband was making a new recipe for a "Nut Pie" and forgot the Macadamia Nuts!" I would really love to win this "Smart Shopper" for him. He loves gadgets and this is a useful one. Many thanks, Cindi
jchoppes[at]hotmail[dot]com

Julie Donahue said...

Milk---all the time.

Marcy Bock said...

We always forget milk!

Robyn Wright of Robyn's Online World said...

I forget lemons a lot, not sure why I don't just buy a couple of each trip. I just always forget them!

Annmarie Weeks said...

My husband had asked me to pick up soy sauce since he was making a stir fry. Got everything else on the list but not that darn soy sauce!

Jennifer said...

I forgot milk after my last trip to the grocery store! And I do that a lot and my little girl is never happy about it!

jls_wss2003 at yahoo dot com

Anonymous said...

Oh cool - I love that you can add errands to your Smart Shopper list, too. I`m bad for forgetting anything that`s not on my list. Last trip I forgot the buttermilk my mom-in-law asked me to pick up for her...because I didn`t write it down. I swear, my brain is Swiss Cheese! :P

melaniesands(at)yahoo(dot)ca

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