Getting Started with GroceryBudget

Ever finish a grocery run and wonder where all the money went? You had a rough number in your head, but the receipt tells a different story.

GroceryBudget fixes that. It tracks what you spend by cart, item, and store — so you always know where your grocery money goes.

This guide walks you through everything from creating your first cart to reviewing your spending trends. It takes about five minutes to get going.

Start Using the App Immediately

No signup required. When you open GroceryBudget for the first time, you're a guest user with access to every feature — carts, budgets, insights, all of it.

When you're ready to create an account, all your data (carts, items, price history) transfers automatically. Nothing gets lost.

Why this matters: You can try the full app on your next grocery run before deciding to commit.

Create Your First Cart

Tap the + button on the main screen to create a cart.

You only need one thing: a name. Everything else is optional.

• Store — Select a store if you want price memory to kick in (more on that below). A "Local" store comes prebuilt, and you can add your own stores anytime.
• Budget — Set a spending limit to get real-time tracking while you shop

If you skip the name, the app generates one for you. You can always edit the cart details later.

Tip: Head to Account > Manage Stores to add the stores you shop at most. Tap the star on a store to set it as your default — it will be pre-selected every time you create a new cart. One less thing to tap.

Add Items to Your Cart

The app comes with a built-in library of common grocery items. Start typing in the search field and it suggests matches — each with a category already assigned. "Milk" maps to Dairy, "chicken" maps to Meat, and so on. Items the app doesn't recognize get filed under "Other," and you can always change the category.

A few things that save time:

• Price memory — If you've bought this item at this store before, the app suggests your last price. No retyping.
• No duplicates — Adding an item that's already in your cart increases the quantity instead of creating a second entry.
• Quantity controls — Use the + and - buttons to adjust amounts.

You can manage your categories in the Account tab — rename them, add new ones, or reorganize however you like.

A note on your first trip: Adding items and entering prices for the first time takes a bit of effort. That's normal. But here's the thing — you only do it once. After your first trip, price memory kicks in and suggests prices automatically. Save your cart as a template or duplicate it, and your next trip takes seconds to set up. The app gets faster every time you use it.

Shop With Real-Time Budget Tracking

This is where GroceryBudget earns its name. As you check off items during your trip, the app tracks your spending in real time against your budget.

• Progress bar shows how much of your budget you've used
• Warnings appear when you're approaching your limit
• Alerts fire when you go over budget

Check off each item as it goes in the cart. Only checked items count toward your total — so if you skip something, it won't affect your budget.

Everything works offline. No Wi-Fi in the store? No problem. Your data syncs automatically when you reconnect.

Complete Your Trip

When you're done shopping, tap Complete Trip.

If you have unchecked items, the app asks you to confirm — only checked items count toward your final spending total. Unchecked items are kept in the cart history so you can see what was skipped.

After completing, you'll see a summary of what you spent. The cart moves to your Insights tab where it becomes part of your spending history.

Changed your mind? You can move a completed cart back to active from the Insights tab. You can also save any cart as a template to reuse next time.

Track Your Spending in Insights

The Insights tab is where your shopping data becomes useful over time.

On the main screen:

• Spending trend chart showing your grocery costs over time
• Total spent with savings tracking (how much you stayed under budget)
• A sortable list of all your completed carts

Tap "See recap" for deeper breakdowns:

• Categories — See how much goes to produce vs. meat vs. pantry staples
• Items — Find your most-purchased items and biggest spending categories
• Stores — Compare spending across different stores

Each completed cart has its own detail view with a category donut chart showing where the money went on that specific trip.

Switch between 7-day and monthly views using the toggle at the top, and navigate between time periods with the arrow controls.

Reuse Your Carts

After a few trips, you'll never want to build a cart from scratch again. GroceryBudget gives you three ways to reuse past work:

Duplicate Cart — On the My Carts screen, long-press any active cart and select "Duplicate." The app creates a new cart with the same items, store, and budget — quantities reset to 1 and everything unchecked, ready for a fresh trip.

Use Again — Same idea, but for completed carts. In the Insights tab, tap the menu on any past cart and select "Use Again." It creates a new active cart from your shopping history.

Templates — Save any cart as a reusable template. Templates are ideal for weekly staples or recurring shopping lists. Load one when creating a new cart and your items are already filled in. Free users can use the default templates included in the app. Premium unlocks creating, editing, deleting, and duplicating unlimited custom templates.

Between price memory, templates, and cart duplication, your next trip is already faster than your first — and it only gets quicker from there.

Export Your Data

Want your shopping data in a spreadsheet? Tap the menu on any completed cart in Insights and select Export CSV. This is free for all users.

Use it to track spending trends in Excel, share your grocery budget with a partner, or keep a backup outside the app.

Get More With Premium

GroceryBudget's core features are free with no time limit. Premium adds deeper analytics for serious budgeters:

• Unlimited insights history — Free users see the last 7 days. Premium unlocks your full spending history.
• Unlimited custom templates — Create, edit, delete, and duplicate templates built around your shopping habits.
• Full most-purchased items list — Free users see the top 3. Premium shows everything.
• Price history and store comparison — Track how prices change over time and compare across stores to find the best deals.

Premium is available as a monthly or yearly plan. Prices vary by region and are shown in the app. It works for guest accounts too — no need to register first.

What to Do Next

You now know everything you need to run your first trip with GroceryBudget. Here's a quick recap:

• Open the app — no signup needed
• Create a cart with a name, store, and budget
• Add your items and let price memory do the work
• Shop and check off items while tracking your budget
• Complete your trip and review your spending
• Check Insights to see where your money goes over time
• Save a template so next week's trip takes 30 seconds to set up

The more you use it, the smarter it gets — price memory builds up, spending patterns emerge in your insights, and templates make repeat trips effortless.

Ready to start? [Download GroceryBudget](https://apps.apple.com/app/grocerybudget-shopping-list/id6749287517) and create your first cart.