Do you use a list when you grocery shop?

happyheart15
happyheart15 Posts: 383 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I think I need to start doing that, and only buy what's on the list, because I spend too much money.
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Replies

  • zillah73
    zillah73 Posts: 505 Member
    Yup! I actually use a grocery list app on the phone so no paper.
  • swingsintherain
    swingsintherain Posts: 121 Member
    I do (though I tend to just write "vegetables" and "fruit", lol).

    If I don't, I forget I'm out of milk (or eggs, or bread, or...)
  • petejjcharlton
    petejjcharlton Posts: 20 Member
    I use the notes on my iPhone, so I just delete and add a few things each week.
  • incitata
    incitata Posts: 12
    Yup, I use an app on my phone!
  • Oakley82
    Oakley82 Posts: 53
    I used to. Now, unless I'm making something in particular, I wing it. I usually get the same things every time, so it's not too hard to remember. I do spend waaaay to much for living alone! Maybe I should start! :smile:
  • tinak33
    tinak33 Posts: 9,883 Member
    I make a list before going to the store.
    Then I go to the store after work when I'm hungry.
    Then I add things to the list as I'm in the store so I TECHNICALLY can say "I stuck to the list."
    :blushing:
  • WindyJenny
    WindyJenny Posts: 69 Member
    Absolutely. As a family, we sit down on Saturday evening or Sunday morning to plan our meals for the coming week. (I even print our menu out and post it on the fridge with a great big "DEAL WITH IT"!) We write it ALL down, and stick to the list. It keeps junk food out of the pantry, and the kids know what they can snack on. If something disappears before the end of the week, too bad. It also helps us keep to our financial budget!
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I find that a list not only helps me stay on financial budget but calorie budget too. I look through recipes all week (a few minutes here and there), pick a few that appeal to me and are healthy, decide what I'm eating for breakfast, lunch and snacks all week, then check my cabinets, fridge and freezer to see what I need to get to make those things as well as what paper products, toiletries, etc. I need. I make the list and then take my husband with me to keep me honest. It's become a fun date night for us - LOL! I have a rule about not going back throughout the week too. If I didnt' get it on my weekly grocery trip, I do without.
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    no need since i always buy the same stuff
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
    i should add that i dont go down every aisle which probably helps me not buy crap. I see "oh the cookie aisle, dont need anything in that aisle" and i pass it by
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    I plan the week's meals and snacks first, then the ingredients for the meal, then cross reference what I already have and pare down the list accordingly. Then it all goes into Evernote on the computer or iPad, sorted by store section for efficiency. Evernote then syncs to my phone for use at the grocery store.

    Why yes, I am a geek, thanks for noticing!
  • tvanhooser
    tvanhooser Posts: 326 Member
    Not only do I have a list, I have it organized by store section so I can just go straight down the list without wandering all over backtracking all the time. Plus I pre-plan all our dinners, one special lunch (sometimes) and one special weekend breakfast - then check the cupboards and refrigerator/freezer and ingredient lists and put anything I am going to need and don't have on hand, on the list. Add a few staples that need replenishing and that's my list. That way I don't get a bunch of stuff I'll never use and it goes out the same week it comes in.
  • Jacqmomof3
    Jacqmomof3 Posts: 24 Member
    I find using a list is best for meal planning. But my contract work finished and now I have been winging it more. Certainly doing it this way, I need to pop in to the store more and probably spend more money, bad cycle. But the good news, I haven't had to throw out any food that has gone bad lately.
  • lolwutshannon
    lolwutshannon Posts: 50
    I always make a shopping list...and leave it on my kitchen counter when I go to the store. Every single time.
    -___-
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    I plan the week's meals and snacks first, then the ingredients for the meal, then cross reference what I already have and pare down the list accordingly. Then it all goes into Evernote on the computer or iPad, sorted by store section for efficiency. Evernote then syncs to my phone for use at the grocery store.

    Why yes, I am a geek, thanks for noticing!

    SO IMPRESSED.

    I do all of this, except for the iPad part; I categorize my list by store (I shop at two usually) and store section by hand and write it in my beloved notebook :P I also look at the weekly flyers for my usual stores to see where the best deals seem to be, and note the prices on the list so I can comparison shop once I get out there. :bigsmile:

    Doing this has eliminated a lot of waste, trimmed the spending, and totally eliminated the "whaddaya want for dinner"..."I dunno, takeout?" dilemma :drinker:
  • stormsusmc
    stormsusmc Posts: 228 Member
    Yes sunday is shopping/planning day...always check local ads
  • Maris_Swan
    Maris_Swan Posts: 197 Member
    Absolutely, plus I'm a couponer,....so yeah, it's all about lists and organization :)
  • _Tara_R
    _Tara_R Posts: 688 Member
    Yes, I always have a list. I don't think I could do it without one.
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
    I have to or I forget what I went there to buy.
  • toni_eccleston
    toni_eccleston Posts: 7
    We do our shopping online. I plan the whole week's menu for the family, make a list and stick to it. I find that if I go out to do the shopping, I end up buying too many things that we don't need and they end up going to waste. Not to mention all the temptation in the sweet and biscuit aisles ha :D
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
    Absolutely. I made note of what each aisle of the grocery store contains. I keep a note pad on my fridge to jot down items that I'm getting low on or have run out of. On my shopping day, I type up the list in Excel. It has two columns, the aisle/section of the store and the items. I sort it by aisles/sections, so that I go down only those aisles that have things that I need. I do a lot less impulse buying that way and it saves tons of time (no backtracking through the aisles). The last section on my list is always the frozen-food aisles, so those items don't start thawing while I'm shopping for other things
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    On a good day, yes.

    It saves me money, and helps me make better choices.
  • Jen32285
    Jen32285 Posts: 281 Member
    I do because otherwise I have no idea what to make for meals. So I usually plan it out a few days before I go shopping. Even with the list, I forget things or buy more things. I usually have my kids with.
  • toothwalker_
    toothwalker_ Posts: 32 Member
    I have to make a list before I go, both to plan out my week of groceries and meals accordingly, and so that I save money and avoid impulse buys. I try to go for groceries after a meal so that I'm not shopping hungry, either.

    I also write the list in the order that I go through the grocery store. That may seem weird, but honestly it saves me trudging back to the dairy section twice because I put the milk at the bottom of the list. I also do what others have said and just put "fruits" and "vegetables" since things often change in availability and price throughout the season.
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    If I don't make a list I will face palm myself when I get home and realize I forgot the very thing I went for.
  • MissSnickerdoodle
    MissSnickerdoodle Posts: 10 Member
    I always do. I plan my meals ahead of time and make the list very specific.
  • kat5556
    kat5556 Posts: 164 Member
    That's a BIG YES! I have a spreadsheet on my computer with all the isles organized with the items I use and I print it off once a week and then check off what I need. Works for me but then again, I'm a geek that LOVE'S LISTS!! :tongue:
  • KBGirts
    KBGirts Posts: 882 Member
    I always make a shopping list...and leave it on my kitchen counter when I go to the store. Every single time.
    -___-

    That's so awesome! I do this too....
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Occasionally, if I need more than a few things. Otherwise I'm pretty good at remembering what I need.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
    Wow. I always "try" to make a list. I use the term "try" loosely. Sometimes I forget the list, when I do remember it, I usually buy everything on the list, plus a cart full of other crap I don't need. My husband is not overweight and he eats ALOT of junk food so I find myself wandering down every aisle at the store, sometimes twice, and it's hard to stick to making those healthful choices. I am going to take some of your tips and see if I can keep myself better 1. under calorie budget (I do pretty well most of the time) and 2. under financial budget - the grocery is a killer on the household budget because of all the "extras" we end up with. Good luck, all, on your journeys!! :bigsmile:

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