I hate going to the grocery store. Actually, that’s not quite true. I enjoy grocery shopping early on a week-day morning, when the air is cool and the store aisles aren’t packed with crazy people. But I’m not always able to go during the week, and I refuse to go anytime after 4pm. It’s been known to happen, but only under extreme duress. Or the knowledge that we’ll have no milk for cereal the next morning.
Decoder Man, on the other hand, has no problem whatsoever running to the store. He’ll go at any time of the day, and even late at night. He’ll go into the busiest stores at 5:30pm. Yes, he’s crazy, but that’s not my point. He’s awesome, and I’m so thankful that he’s willing to do this seemingly insignificant, but sanity-saving for me, errand on a regular basis.
But here’s where the problem comes in. Decoder Man, like Bubbles and M-bug, has ADHD. (Or, as he calls it, ADOLAS–Attention Deficit … oh look, a squirrel!) He’s never been diagnosed, but believe me, it’s obvious. Now, if he’s at home and I write him a list, I can be reasonably sure of him bringing home everything on it. However, most of the time I’m giving him a list over the phone or through gmail chat, and that requires him to either write the list down, or, ahem, remember what I ask him to get. Which isn’t very likely. He forgets to write them down, or can’t find the chat list on his phone, etc. Or, his brain is so deep into writing unit tests for model view controllers (programmer stuff–I don’t have a clue) when I give him the list that he’ll get out to his car after work and think, um, was I supposed to go to the store? So if I ask for milk, bananas, cheddar cheese, hamburger, and hamburger buns, I might end up with hamburger, buns, chips, Twizzlers (yes, they’re my favorite, but still …) and the movie Spaceballs from the bargain DVD bin.
Out of Milk App on my Android.
But no more. While I was looking for an app to put on my Android phone for a to-do list, I ran across an app called Out of Milk (at the moment it’s not available for iPhone). It’s got a shopping list, to-do list, and pantry inventory. The thing that I really like about the app, however, is that it has a website that makes it easier to make your lists, and that you can share your lists with anyone you choose. Syncing your phone with your web account is a one-time $5 fee per phone, but in my opinion it’s totally worth it. So, I can ask Decoder Man to go to the store, update the list on my computer at home, and then he can sync the list once he’s at the store, and get exactly what’s on the list. Assuming he understands what I put on it.
Out of Milk Website. Easier for making long lists.
Another thing I like about it is that they’ve recently added categories, so that you can group items based on type, or store location. Of course, my Type-A-ness required that I color code my categories in rainbow descending order, although that’s more obvious on my “grocery” list than my “Costco” list. That’s another cool thing–you can choose the categories you want for each list. And you don’t have to share every list you have with another person, just the lists you want to share.
I highly recommend this app for anyone with ADHD, memory problems, or who wants to have a happy marriage. It’s made frustrations about forgotten items a thing of the past. Well, as long as he remembers to charge his phone. 🙂
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeah! Now all I need is the iPhone app… and it would be helpful if it would record voices too… 🙂
Spaceballs (she laughs).
This would mean I would have to upgrade from my alltel flip phone, right?
Ah. Well. But it would be handy to have such a gadget. Especially color-coded. 🙂
Alright sister. You’ve heard me laugh out loud. Remember those times at the school office? Well, here I sit, early in the morning (hey – for our house, it’s early!), enjoying my coffee and a great, I mean GREAT laugh! Can’t tell ya how many times the essentials haven’t made it home, but by gosh we have every Curious George movie known to man. And, like you I abhor grocery shopping unless I am by myself and we have a bottomless checking account. Still laughing… this blog is awesome.
Really cute! Although I don’t always do lists and use my phone as little as possible, I enjoyed seeing how inventive and helpful they can be if you’re not technology challenged. Love the humor.