Grocery lists come in many forms, from a smattering of post-it notes smashed into a pocket to a well-organized list clearly written on a single sheet of paper. Mine typically fall somewhere in between, starting off in an organized enough matter before spiraling out of control.
Then I started actually thinking about the layout of my grocery list. I always shop the store the same way; why not organize my list that way as well? Turns out, it works like a charm.
For Trader Joe’s I have a number of categories, based on the store’s layout:
Meat & Produce
Dairy
Dry Goods
Snacks
Frozen
Bread & Cheese
Target might look something like this:
Beauty/Health
Women’s clothing
Kid’s clothing
Toys
Food
Household
To make this work for you, sit down and think about how your store is laid out and how you shop the store (produce first, then meat? Or maybe you hit the wine aisle first thing). Make a master list of categories to refer back to, unless you’ve got a fabulous memory, which I don’t.
As type-A as this sounds, it keeps me from crisscrossing back and forth across the store as I forget this, that or the other thing. Who hasn’t been to the front of Costco only to glance down at the list to see the last thing to pick up is at, you guessed it, the back of the store?
So my gift to you this holiday season is the gift of sanity, at least while you’re shopping.
Kerry says
Candy canes in the meat department made me chuckle… 😉
I only wish I was this organized. I used to be able to breeze through on memory alone, but now I can’t even remember where I parked the car. I’ve upgraded to post-its folded up in my wallet. I like to think of it as organized chaos. I still always forget something, though.
The Gonzo Gourmet says
Kerry I too have a TON of Post-its scattered throughout my house, from my bathroom to my office to my bag. It’s crazy, but then I do eventually merge them altogether (sometimes…).
Jersey Girl Cooks says
Good advice! I try to do this when I remember but lately the memory has been slipping …lol!
The Gonzo Gourmet says
Jersey Girl – my memory has also been slipping lately…especially as I head toward 40! While I was at the hospital with my dad I read a back issue of AARP or similar that suggested writing down your list, then shopping without it to see how good your memory is. I’ll let you know how that works out for me. If I can remember to tell you.
Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca) says
I make lists like it is going out of style 🙂 I have lists for everything! I rarely check them after they are made though!
The Gonzo Gourmet says
Ah, Jolene – you have a great memory then! Does writing stuff down make you remember it?