Google Sheets is the perfect tool to avoid the stress and errors associated with grocery shopping. It comes with powerful tools and functions to help you build a solid grocery list and ease your weekend shopping.
That being said,
Are you the one who always forgets important things while shopping?
Using apps such as a To-do List and Notes is helpful but will fall short sometimes. For example, considering that your grocery list includes hundreds of items, a Notes app isn’t the most effective way to manage it.
Google Sheets is an online spreadsheet program that can be accessed from mobile and desktop devices.
It is the best software to manage grocery, food, and other essential items in your kitchen.
In this article, let us discuss the Top 5 Grocery List Templates using Google Sheets. We will also learn to create a brand new grocery list spreadsheet from scratch, so make sure to read the article till the end.
Why are Grocery List Templates created using Google Sheets a must-try?
There are numerous benefits of using Google Sheets to manage household things like grocery shopping, meal planning, budget planning, etc.
Suppose you face difficulties while remembering every grocery item that needs to be ordered on the weekend. In that case, you can leverage spreadsheet programs such as Google Sheets to organize all those items like a pro. It comes with powerful built-in functionalities such as checkboxes, dropdowns, and conditional formatting to highlight if something is running out of stock.
Here are a few of the benefits of using Google Sheets to create a Grocery List Template:
- Budget-friendly – Google Sheets is a totally free program. All you need is a Google account to access it. You can use it without any limitations. Adding more features to your Grocery List doesn’t cost you anything at all if you are willing to learn using the tools and functions of the program.
- Accessibility – Users can access Google Sheets from anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. It is compatible with all types of devices, including mobile and desktop.
- Extensive Customization – A grocery list template built in Google Sheets can be customized to user preference without any limitations. You can use built-in tools to change the font size, color, type, and much more. From changing colors to highlighting the items that satisfy specific criteria, everything is possible in Google Sheets.
- Real-time Collaboration – You can share a Google Sheet with unlimited users and assign specific roles to each one of them. Based on the level of control assigned to each user, they can view, edit, and comment. Owners can also monitor the changes made to their Google Sheets using a built-in feature called “Version history” within the program.
- Ease of Use – Google Sheets is a well-developed program. It boasts an easy-to-use and intuitive user interface. You don’t need any prior experience to add, edit, and organize template information within Google Sheets. It will hardly take an hour for you to understand and teach this program to your loved ones.
Apart from the above benefits, you can easily print your grocery list for offline use.
Top 5 FREE Grocery List Google Sheets Template of 2023
1. Grocery Shopping List & Budget Spreadsheet Template – SoftwareAccountant
Click Here to Use this Template!
This is the top pick on this list, which allows you to list grocery items and gives you an idea about the amount spent and remaining out of your total budget.
It is pretty straightforward. You need to start by entering the grocery items one by one in the main table.
Make sure to select the proper category and enter the quantity along with the unit price.
On the left side of the spreadsheet, you will find a little summary of your shopping journey. It automatically calculates the total cost per item and the overall amount you have spent through the time.
The template is optimized for both mobile and desktop users.
As soon as you purchase an item and tick the box before it, the template highlights the entire row with a light green color to help you shop quickly and more effectively.
2. Grocery List Template by Template.net
Click Here to Use this Template!
This grocery list template has an attractive design. It is divided into various tables, as shown in the above image.
It contains a lot of example information for your reference. Make sure to delete and replace the example data with your own.
Once you have added an item to the cart, you can simply use the dropdown to tick that particular item.
The template is free to download, and you can customize it as per your preference. You can adjust the colors, font type, header, and much more.
3. Grocery Checklist by TheGooDocs
Click Here to Use this Template!
It is another easy-to-use and attractive grocery template using Google Sheets on this list.
The template is divided into various tables for listing grocery items such as fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products, canned products, oils, sauces, and more.
You can use this list while shopping at the store, and once the item is added to the cart, use the checkbox to mark it as done.
To add new grocery items, you need to click on the dropdown icon, followed by the pencil icon that appears at the end. Refer to the following image.
In case you won’t find the Pencil icon, scroll down to the bottom of the list.
Make sure to edit the template as per your preference by playing around with the formatting tools in Google Sheets.
4. Basic Grocery List Template by Spreadsheetpoint
Click Here to Use this Template!
If you are looking for a simple-to-use grocery list template to aid your shopping at stores, then it is the right fit for you.
The template is divided into two spreadsheets,
- List – It is the main spreadsheet where you can select grocery items, add quantity, and tick the box if the item is added to the cart. You can also add comments for notes for each grocery item. Note that it uses a dropdown in the “Item” column.
- Data – You can add grocery items that you wish to order to this list. It should be prepared before visiting the store. The data in this spreadsheet is used for the dropdown for the “Item” column of the first (List) spreadsheet. It is a simple table; add the items, and they will automatically reflect in the dropdown.
This template by Spreadsheetpoint is focused on the grocery shoppers who forget important grocery items at the store.
5. Grocery List Template by GFitness Online
Click Here to Use this Template!
This is our final pick on this list. The template uses dropdowns and checkboxes to aid your grocery shopping.
You need to start by selecting the grocery item and respective category from a predefined list. Then, describe the quantity, and once you add the product to the cart, use the checkbox to mark it as done.
The list for the dropdown is managed by the second spreadsheet named “Data”.
Make sure to add grocery items in the respective category as per your requirements. You can also add new categories. All of the changes or new entries in the Data spreadsheet will automatically appear in the dropdowns of the Grocery List spreadsheet.
How to create a Grocery List Template in Google Sheets
Now, in this section, we will learn the steps to create a Grocery Template in Google Sheets from scratch.
It will contain a simple list and a few predefined categories, as shown below.
We will also use a checkbox to mark the items that will be added to the cart while shopping at the stores.
Let’s begin,
STEP #1 – Create the Template Header
A header is not the most crucial element of a grocery list template, but it will surely add to the aesthetics of the template.
If you are about to share your masterpiece with your family, then I would suggest adding the header to your grocery list template.
Here are the steps,
- Open a new Google Sheet by clicking here
- Select the first row
- Increase the height of the first row as shown below,
- Select the cells from A1 to E1
- Go to the toolbar section and click on the Merge Cells icon
- Type “Grocery List”
- Change the cell background color to light gray (Hex Code – #efefef)
- Increase the font size to 30
- Make the font bold
- Change the font type to “Comic Sans Ms”
- Align the font to the middle
Our table header will look like as shown in the following image after following the above steps,
STEP #2 – Add the Table Headers
As our grocery list template contains a simple table, we need to start by creating a header row.
- Select the cell “A2”
- Type “Item Name”
- Next, select the cell “B2” and type “Category”
- Repeat the above steps and complete the header as shown below
- Select all the cells from A2 to E2
- Change the font type to “Comic Sans Ms”
- Change the cell background color to green (Hex Code – #34a853)
- Align the font to the middle
- Change the font color to white
Our table header is ready,
Step #3 – Create a Grocery Category Dropdown
Now, in this step, we will create a dropdown for quickly selecting the appropriate category for grocery items during our shopping.
Let’s start,
- Click on the cell “B3”
- Hover to the main menu and click on the “Data” tab
- Select the “Data validation” from the popup
- A new dialog box will appear on the right side of the screen, as shown below
- Click on the “Add rule” button
- Now, for the first dropdown list item, we will type “Product” in the first box, as shown in the following image
- Similarly, for the second dropdown list item, let us type “Bakery”
- Next, to add the third item, you need to click on the “Add another item” button
- Type “Dairy”
- Use the “Add another item” button and complete all the items for the dropdown as shown below
- Scroll down and click on the “Advanced options” button
- You will see the following options
- Change them as shown below by ticking the circle before “Show a warning” and “Arrow”
- Click on the “Done” button
A dropdown icon appears in the cell “B2”.
STEP #4 – Add a Checkbox to mark the Purchase
To make sure that we don’t get lost in the list while shopping, let us use a checkbox to mark the items that will be added to the cart.
- Select the cell “D3”
- Go to the main menu and click on the “Insert” tab
- Choose “Checkbox” from the popup
You will notice a checkbox in the cell D3.
Now, let us use Google Sheets capabilities to highlight the entire row after we tick the checkbox in a table.
Here are the steps,
- Select all the cells of the table from A3 to E3
- Go to the main menu and click on “Format”
- Choose the option “Conditional formatting” from the popup
- A new dialog box will appear on the right side of the screen, as shown below
- Now, click on the dropdown below the option “Format cells if…”
- Scroll down and select “Custom formula”
- Next, you will see an empty box, as below
- Click on it and type “=$D3=TRUE”
- Click on the bucket icon in the “Formatting style” section
- Select the cell background color as light green. Refer to the following image
- Press the “Done” button in the green at the bottom
So, once you tick the box, the entire row of the table will be marked with a light green color.
STEP #5 – Insert the checkbox and dropdown for the entire table
For the sake of this article, we will consider rows up to 20 for our grocery list table.
Here are the steps,
- Select all the cells of the first row from A3 to E3
- Now, you will notice a small Fill Handle icon at the lower-rightmost corner of the cell E3
- Click on it and drag it to row 20
STEP #6 – Apply formatting to the table
To make our grocery list more attractive, let us change the formatting of the table.
- Select all the cells of the table
- Change the cell background color to light gray (Hex Code – #efefef)
- Now, go to the toolbar section and click on the Border icon
- Change the default border color to white
- Click on the “All borders” as shown in the following image
Next, we will turn off the gridlines by following the steps below,
- Hover to the main menu and click on “View” tab
- Select the first option, “Show” from the popup
- Click on “Gridlines”
Finally, adjust the column width as per your preference.
After adjusting the formatting further from my end, here’s how the grocery list looks,
Click on the following link to download the template created by me using the steps described above.
Final Words
I hope you have found the best grocery list template for your needs from our top 5 picks for 2024.
Also, creating a grocery list from scratch in Google Sheets is pretty straightforward.
If you are stuck somewhere or having any particular issues while creating your own grocery list template using the steps mentioned above in this article, feel free to comment below.
Our team will reply to all of your questions as soon as possible.