Question 1

What is GroceryBudget?

Accepted Answer

GroceryBudget is a mobile grocery budgeting app that helps you track spending by cart, item, and store. It works completely offline and automatically suggests prices based on your shopping history.

Question 2

Can I use the app without creating an account?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! You can start using all features immediately as a guest user. Guest users have full access to creating carts, adding items, tracking budgets, viewing insights, and everything else in the app. When you create an account later, all your data (carts, items, price memory, purchase history) automatically transfers to your new account - nothing is lost in the upgrade process.

Question 3

Does GroceryBudget work offline?

Accepted Answer

Yes! GroceryBudget works completely offline. You can create carts, add items, edit quantities, mark items as purchased, and complete shopping trips without any internet connection. All changes are saved locally and synced automatically when you reconnect. The app handles all syncing in the background seamlessly.

Question 4

What is Premium and what does it unlock?

Accepted Answer

Premium unlocks Smart Add with unlimited voice dictation and camera scanning, unlimited insights history (free users see 7 days), unlimited custom templates (create, edit, delete, and duplicate), the full most-purchased items list (free users see the top 3), price history with store comparison, and Family Sharing for up to 5 members. It's available as Monthly ($3.99/mo), Yearly ($19.99/yr), or Lifetime ($39.99 one-time) plans — prices vary by region and are shown in the app. Premium works for guest accounts too.

Question 5

How do I create a new shopping cart?

Accepted Answer

Tap the "+" button on the main screen. You only need to provide a cart name - everything else is optional. You can select a store (a "Local" store comes prebuilt, and you can add your own) and set a budget. If you skip the name, the app generates one for you. Tip: go to Account > Manage Stores to add your stores and tap the star to set a default — it will be pre-selected every time you create a new cart.

Question 6

How does budget tracking work?

Accepted Answer

You can set a budget when creating a cart or add one later. The app shows real-time budget tracking with progress bars, warnings when approaching your limit, and alerts when you exceed your budget. Budget tracking is optional and can be skipped if not needed.

Question 7

How does the price memory system work?

Accepted Answer

The price memory system saves the last price you paid for each item at each specific store. When you add the same item again at the same store, it automatically suggests your previous price to save you from retyping. For example, if you bought "Rice" at "Supermarket A" for $5, the next time you add rice at that same supermarket, it will suggest $5. Price memory only works for carts that have a specific store selected and is store-specific - each store remembers its own pricing.

Question 8

What insights and analytics can I view?

Accepted Answer

The Insights tab shows a spending trend chart, your total spent with savings tracking, and a list of completed carts you can sort and browse. Tap "See recap" for a deeper breakdown by category, items, and store. Each completed cart has its own detail view with a category donut chart. You can switch between 7-day and monthly views and navigate between periods using the arrow controls. Premium unlocks unlimited history and the full most-purchased items list.

Question 9

How can I reuse a shopping list?

Accepted Answer

Three ways. Duplicate Cart: long-press any active cart and select "Duplicate" to create a fresh copy with quantities reset. Use Again: tap the menu on any completed cart in Insights and select "Use Again" to create a new active cart from your history. Templates: save any cart as a reusable template for recurring trips. Free users can use the default templates — Premium unlocks creating, editing, deleting, and duplicating unlimited custom templates.

Question 10

What are most-purchased items and price history?

Accepted Answer

Most-purchased items shows which items you buy most frequently, helping you plan future trips. Price history tracks how prices change over time and lets you compare prices across different stores. Free users see the top 3 most-purchased items — Premium unlocks the full list and complete price history with store comparison.

Question 11

Can I export my shopping data?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can export your cart data as a CSV file for free. This lets you view your shopping history in a spreadsheet, share it, or keep a backup outside the app.

Question 12

How are categories assigned to items?

Accepted Answer

The app comes with a built-in library of common grocery items, each with a category already assigned. When you add an item, it matches against this library — "milk" maps to Dairy, "chicken" maps to Meat, and so on. Items the app doesn't recognize are filed under "Other." You can always change the category, and manage them in the Account tab — rename, add new ones, or reorganize however you like.

Question 13

Can I move completed carts back to active?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In the Insights tab, tap the menu on any completed cart and select "Move to Active Carts" to restore it for future shopping trips. This is useful if you want to reuse a completed shopping list.

Question 14

How is my data kept secure?

Accepted Answer

All data is stored with strict security rules ensuring only you can access your own data. Even guest users get unique session identifiers that keep their data private. All database operations are scoped by user ID for security.

Question 15

Why am I not seeing price suggestions for some items?

Accepted Answer

Price suggestions only appear for items you've previously added at the same store. If this is your first time adding an item, or your first time shopping at this store, there won't be any price suggestions. Once you save a price, it will be suggested for future additions. Also, price memory only works for carts that have a specific store selected.

Question 16

What happens if I accidentally delete an item or cart?

Accepted Answer

The app supports undo for certain actions like completing a cart, so you can quickly reverse mistakes. For permanent deletions, be careful as they cannot be recovered.

Question 17

What is Smart Add?

Accepted Answer

Smart Add lets you add items by voice or camera. Say something like "2 lbs chicken breast $4.99" and it parses the name, quantity, unit, and price automatically. Or point your camera at a product label and Smart Add reads it for you. Everything is processed on-device — no internet needed. Free users get 3 Smart Add uses per cart; Premium unlocks unlimited use.

Question 18

How does the spending recap work?

Accepted Answer

After completing a cart, tap "See recap" in the Insights tab for a detailed breakdown of your trip. The recap shows spending by category, individual items, and store — so you can see exactly where your money went. It's a deeper view than the main insights charts and helps you spot patterns trip by trip.

Question 19

Can I share my subscription with family?

Accepted Answer

Yes! GroceryBudget Premium supports Family Sharing through the App Store, so up to 5 family members can use Premium features with a single subscription. Just set up Family Sharing in your Apple ID settings and everyone in the group gets access.

Question 20

Is GroceryBudget available on Android?

Accepted Answer

Not yet — GroceryBudget is currently iOS only. An Android version is coming soon once the iOS app is stable. Join the waitlist to get notified when Android early access launches.

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