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If you need help organizing your Christmas shopping, check out a smartphone app. You can make a list and check it twice, once on your iPhone and once on your Android phone!
Better Christmas List
To help you keep track of your holiday shopping, check out Better Christmas List in the iTunes App Store. The app helps you keep track of your Christmas shopping list as well as your budget.
Better Christmas List helps you organize the people you need to buy gifts for and your progress in buying, wrapping and delivering your gifts. You can set an overall budget as well as a budget for each person on your list.
To use Better Christmas List, first add groups of people, such as Work, Family, Friends. Then add people within each group. Go into the group you have added and press the + sign. The app will ask you whether you want to add a gift or a person. It’s easier to add the person first, then add the gift later. You can type in the person’s name or add the person from your Contact List. You can upload a picture of the person into the list as well as contact information. There is a section for notes, but no specific area to list sizes, which would be helpful if you were interested in buying clothing.
After you add the people, you can then add the gifts. Go into the group, select the person and then press the + sign. You can add the name of the gift, a picture, price, store and notes. You can also track your progress by pressing the icons, including
- empty shopping cart
- full shopping cart
- wrapped gift
- delivered package
A handy update to the app would be the ability to scan a bar code or QR code to record information about a product.
The app has optional password protection in case you want to keep your gifts a secret from prying eyes. The app also has a countdown feature so you know exactly how many days are left until Christmas.
Better Christmas List is beautifully designed with lots of Christmas icons scattered throughout the app. You have choices of Classic and Modern themes for the title bar, icons and background. You can customize the app further with themes you can buy for $0.99 each, the Frosty Theme and the Wrapping Theme.
Better Christmas List is on sale for $0.99, marked down from $2.99, in the iTunes App Store through November 30. Better Christmas List
Christmas List Pro
Android users should check out the free app Christmas List Pro in the Android Market. This app has many of the same handy features as Better Christmas List, including the ability to add people and gifts, as well as keeping track of your budget.
A very useful feature in Christmas List Pro is that when you add people, there are spaces to add sizes for clothes, including shirt, pants, shoes, and chest. There is also a space to note what type of computer the person owns. You can also make general notes for each person.
You can enable password protection on the app and you can email your list to yourself or someone else.
Some features that would be helpful to have on Christmas List Pro include the ability to put people into groups, customize the look of the app, add information directly from a Contacts List, add pictures, and scan bar codes and QR codes.
This video from the developer walks you through how to use the app:
You can find the app free in the Android Market here: Christmas List Pro.
Do you use shopping lists to keep track of your Christmas shopping? Have you ever used a smartphone app to help with your holiday shopping? Let us know in the Comments section below!
Hey Carloyn, thanks for the post, but can u update the post with android apps too 😀 since android market share too more than compared to ios
Thanks
suresh
Hi Suresh, Good News! Christmas List Pro is an Android app. And it’s free!
Stay tuned to The Wonder of Tech for more reviews of Android apps coming soon.
Enjoy the app! 🙂
We don’t need this in the UK, I think many people are cancelling Christmas! I bought my sister a boxed set of DVD’s, just my niece to consider now!
I took more photographs at the weekend, the sun was shining but it was very windy and cold! I had problems with flying geese! I got a few good shots though.
I think I’ll have a new website in the New Year, I think I’ve finally decided on a name after thinking about it for 12 months!
Hi Mike, Sad news about the UK cancelling Christmas. That sounds positively Dickensian!
But great news about your blog moving to a new website. You must let us know how we can find you! Can’t wait to find out the new name. 🙂
That is just too clever; since I’m not the shopper maybe I better tell the wife about this little Santa’s helper, huh?
You definitely are the Wonder of Tech, thanks for sharing.
Hi Bill, Yes, anyone who is a shopper will love these apps. They really help to organize the process of Christmas shopping. Make sure you tell her about the password protection so you’re not tempted to take a peek! 😉
Well isn’t that convenient! Wow, what a great way to keep up with what you are getting. They do come up with the coolest things these days.
I’ve got my nieces list so will be shopping online for her. Probably won’t get my nephews until much later but that’s okay, we aren’t celebrating until the end of January. I’ve got plenty of time.
Thanks Carolyn!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, You’re right, these apps are very convenient. They’re a great way to make lists and keeping track of everything. With as busy as people get during the holidays, apps like these are very useful!
You do have plenty of time, Adrienne. You can even take advantage of after Christmas sales!
This is an awesome App, Carolyn!
I can see how this would be very helpful to the iPhone and Android users. The have so many nifty applications for them. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hi Deeone, These apps are very handy, especially if you have a lot of people to buy for. I really like the features in each of these apps. The ideal app would combine the features of both apps and include a scanning ability as well.
There are apps for everything 🙂
I’m still writing my Christmas lists on paper. I’m not sure, but it seems to me that the feeling of Christmas makes me feel a little old fashioned 🙂
Hi Jens, I can understand why you like old-fashioned paper lists. I like using the app because I never lose it and the password protection means my kids can’t take a peek! 🙂
The password protection is interesting. My kids are all over the place looking for my paper list 🙂
Carolyn – this is quite a nice app and good to know it is free on Android. Apple app developers are so very restricted.
I am sure this will be very useful information for most of your readers wishing to keep a tab on their gift lists. Nice review.
Thanks, Praveen, I’m glad you liked it! In all fairness, these are two different apps and the Apple version has quite a few more features. The Apple app is still on sale for those who are interested in purchasing it. 🙂
Are there any apps that let you print your shopping lists or email them to yourself and others? I want to give it to my husband when he goes to the US.
Hi Stephanie, It’s so funny you ask this. I have been testing various grocery apps and have finally found one I love! I am planning an article on The Wonder of Tech very soon. I will email you the name of the best one I have found. The rest of the Wonder of Tech readers will have to stay tuned to find out my winner! 🙂
Well, I’ve yet to add Christmas pressies to my list of lists I need to make! I do like apps like this, as I’ve always got my phone on me, so it would be useful. However, I’m in a fortunate position in that my better-half does just about all the pressie shopping (mainly online). All I have to do is buy her pressies – so I’m off to Amazon (the website that is, not the river..)
Regards,
Graham
Hi Graham, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, apps can be so convenient because they’re always handy, as opposed to a paper list which you may not have with you as you begin your trek to the Amazon.
A Christmas list app could help you keep track of the presents you lavish upon your Significant Other, although if you’re purchasing all of them from Amazon, you can keep track of them on the site. I’m so glad that you clarified your reference to Amazon to avoid confusion! 😉