Trying to find something that fits these requirements:
Easy to export data to a standard format, like CSV, for future migrations
Apps for macOS/iOS
iCloud sync, I have what I call “account fatigue”
Easy enough to use that my partner won’t dislike using it
Preferably no subscriptions, but that’s hard to avoid these days
Alternatively, a self-hosted solution instead of an app would be great. And grocery features would be a plus.
I’ve noticed I’ve started doing the very thing I judged my parents for: not remembering if I’ve bought a tool or if we still have supplies of something. This has resulted in a few duplicate items or over/under stock of supplies, and I love efficiency, so this just won’t do!
I was originally going to set up a shared Numbers sheet, but I know my partner’s eyes will glaze over at the sight of it, and for this to work I need her on board.
The only one I’ve been able to find seems to be Under My Roof, is anyone using it? What is your experience?
I’ve got two apps for home inventory both with the same name. One of them by blue plum and the other whose company name I can’t remember. Still on my l”someday” to do list in things. Lol
I was tempted to just skip the inventory software and just take a video of everything. Watching this thread for alternatives.
I have to say I am struggling in this department, not so much knowing what I own but where I keep them, especially for small things that I do not use often. An example would be power supply for some appliances that I only use a few times a year. I have lots of bits and pieces that are hard to keep them separately and put them into storage box and label them
I use Home Inventory app, then I take photos inside the storage box so that I do not have to individually create an entry for thousands of bits and pieces of these sundry items
Well, I suspect any specialised app will also glaze eyes as will use of a database (especially if you roll your own). I’d stick for the time being with a spreadsheet. KISS. you mentioned Numbers. Pretty it up to perhaps get over the glaze factor. Explain and agree purpose and importance would be a good step. Or you maintain the spreadsheet and your partner in charge of photography of rooms, key items, etc. Store all in a shared iCloud folder. Ensure there are routine back-ups taken of that folder.
What about an Airtable, with a form over the top, or if you’re really feeling adventurous, build a simple app interface with glideapps! Should stop any concern with your partner glazing over a sea of numbers. Plus I think for what you’d use it for it would be free.
But to be serious, while I started to put everything into the Apps, I am not very happy with it.
Special the Grocery is not working very well, because while you can sit down a few minutes after shopping, to get everything in, it becomes a mess, while you use the articles again.
There are a couple of questions you have to answer:
Is a package (e.g. a Bottle of Milk) you startet using, but haven’t used up yet, to be considered as used, or unused, or are you counting the amount you have taken from the package?
How can you assure, that everything used is really logged?
If you have a family, or some other household members for an other reason, who is responsible?
Are you logging directly, or are you using Pen&Paper, or the fridge or what else, to log temporarily?
How often do you perform an inventory, to assure that the lists are still valid?
And so on.
It is a little frustrating, to be honest…
I would like to individually enter most things, so I can use words to search for them later (although image recognition has come a long way!), but I suspect some of the process may devolve into images out of sheer tedium
Will check out Home Inventory, looks like it made by the same people as Under My Roof.
You’re right. I guess what I’m really looking for is a form to aid with entering things into the sheet/db and keep some things consistent. I’ll play around with Numbers and see what I can come up with. Wondering if one sheet per room would help cut down on the overwhelming factor.
Trying to avoid online services (other than iCloud sync). In the past I would have absolutely done something similar with Google Sheets/Forms, but these days if it’s not local/offline friendly, I tend to avoid it. Or if it looks like it’s been heavily VC-funded.
However, I do want to make my own self-hosted app for this eventually, hence part of the reason for the standard format export requirement. But the important thing is just to get started, if I wait until I write my solution it won’t ever get done
Thanks, I will check out Cozzo. Are you using both of Binary Formations’s inventory apps? Which one should I use? Under My Roof or Home Inventory?
We do most of our grocery shopping online (love curbside vehicle loading), it has helped us save money by not being distracted as much and frustration (other shoppers, waiting in line, etc.). And it’s just two of us. So I think entering groceries after ordering wouldn’t be so bad, but I guess I’ll find out.
Great points, and I’m sure we’re going to have to find a “good enough” point where logging further would result in diminishing returns. And maybe setting up a monthly Reminder where we throw out expired goods/reinventory food would be a good idea. For the rest of the house, we already do a regular “spring” (more like January) cleaning to cut down on the new Christmas clutter, so checking overall inventory at that time would fit in I think.
I actually stopped using HomeInventory and Under my Roof a while ago, because I “lost” it on some point, decided to do it again from scratch, and haven’t found the energy yet, to do so.
When I startet, there were, IIRC, only HomeInventory. I don’t know exactly at which point they added Under my Roof, but as far as I understand, those two Apps are adding to each other, so you probably need both to catch all.
We are doing our grocery shopping the same way you do.
And we also love it. Fast pickup, we can work on the order the whole week, no distracting, no waiting in the line and so on.
Cozzo is offering a possibility to scan your receipt, to enter the items. It is not working unfortunately with our grocery stores receipts, but I read a lot of positive comments about it, so if you decide to give it a try with those app, you might have also a look onto that feature.
Without that feature, it take about 10-15 Minutes for us to insert the grocery for 3-4 weeks, so if you get used to it, it is pretty fast also without the “automatic”.
An additional information on Cozzo:
as you can see in the picture, you can do a lot with the entries. If you like to Export (into a spreadsheet for example) them, you have to be extremely careful, because the “Export” and the “Delete” Button are located on the same dialog right next to each other, and the Danger with that is, that a “Fat finger” is hitting “Delete” instead of share!
While everybody would expect, since the beginning of Personal Computers (“Del C:”), that you were asked, if you really want to terminate all items selected finally, you were NOT!
If you hit the wrong button there, you can start from the scratch again.
I’ve used Home Inventory for years and it does what I need, but does not use iCloud sharing. But for $9.99 to buy you might want to look at it. Under my Roof is the recent release of a rewrite with lots features including iOS support, sharing etc. But its a subscription. However only $19.99/yr. and if you quit they say you can still see and export your data. Check the Binary Formations web site for a good overview. I’ll probably go with Under My Roof when I have time, Home Inventory has been a good program for years, but not as flexible as this would be.The tech support has been great.
I’m curious what you ended up doing? I’ve been putting my inventory in my notes app of the day, and using an inventory note template to keep the notes looking the same.
I attached PDF’s of receipts and manuals to the note for quick reference.
It isn’t as elegant as a database backend that you can query, but it works.
We started using Under My Roof, which is great, but ultimately we gave up for reasons unrelated to the choice of app
We’re moving soon so maybe it will be a good time to give it another go when we unpack. I think we’ll go with a shared Numbers spreadsheet this time around.
as will use of a database (especially if you roll your own). I’d stick for the time being with a spreadsheet. KISS. you mentioned Numbers. Pretty it up to perhaps get over the glaze factor. Explain and agree purpose and importance would be a good step. Or you maintain the spreadsheet and your partner in charge of photography of rooms, key items, etc. Store all in a shared iCloud folder. Ensure there are routine back-ups taken of that folder.
