Do you use a list when you grocery shop?

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  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
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    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
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    On a good day, yes.

    It saves me money, and helps me make better choices.
  • Jen32285
    Jen32285 Posts: 281 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    I always do. I plan my meals ahead of time and make the list very specific.
  • kat5556
    kat5556 Posts: 164 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Occasionally, if I need more than a few things. Otherwise I'm pretty good at remembering what I need.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
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    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:
  • skinnybitchbarbie27
    skinnybitchbarbie27 Posts: 306 Member
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    ALWAYS! I even nerd it out with a clipboard, pen, and calculator. It 1) helps me stay in my budget and 2) helps me keep unwanted food out of my cart. I list mine by departments (meat, dairy, ect) and so I don't have to run around the store like a crazy person.
  • laughingdani
    laughingdani Posts: 2,275 Member
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    I never ever ever make a list. I think it's a nice thought. But I never do it. Inevitably I forget something. Oh well.
  • wikitbikit
    wikitbikit Posts: 518 Member
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    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.
    Exactly. I don't know how many times I've gone to get milk and come home with $75 of everything but milk. I don't drink milk so I don't think of it, but others in my household are obsessed with having it with cereal EVERY morning and to drink with dinner EVERY night.

    Actually, the past few times I've gone shopping I've bought milk even when it wasn't on the list because those people are complete guzzlers and they'll be sending me out for it again sooner or later.

    Milk. It makes a girl crazy.
  • sarahsue001
    sarahsue001 Posts: 14 Member
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    I use pepperplate, you can put all of your recipes in (I put only healthier recipes so I am not tempted), then it lets you plan out online what you are going to cook in the planner section, and you can add the recipes ingredients on to a shopping list that you can print out or access with a smart phone. It separates it by category at the store. This works really well for me and my husband. He can see what we are planning to eat for dinner to gauge his calories, or pull up the recipe to help out/start cooking if I am running late. He can also add stuff on the grocery list manually so I don't have to ask him EVERY time before I go shopping if he needs anything.
  • UrbanLotus
    UrbanLotus Posts: 1,163 Member
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    I recently started using the Grocery IQ app on my phone - I add ingredients from recipes I am planning on trying, and enter items whenever I run out so i don't forget. Much better than my previous method of wandering around aimlessly :)
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
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    I always make a shopping list...and leave it on my kitchen counter when I go to the store. Every single time.
    -___-

    I do this, too. Luckily, the act of writing it down is usually enough to help me remember. Looking down at my desk, I have a stack of five sticky notes. All forgotten shopping lists, all items have been purchased :)
  • avababy05
    avababy05 Posts: 930 Member
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    I make a list,forget to bring the list,try to remember what was on the list,get home and remember the one thing I wanted/needed the most,I didn't get.

    I also cut coupons I never use.
  • simplycorey
    simplycorey Posts: 721 Member
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    A list is a must for me! I use the Ziplist app for my phone and I can import recipes from skinnytaste.com directly to my list. Plus, I always have my phone with me, so I don't forget my list.
  • Helen_Luvnlife
    Helen_Luvnlife Posts: 230 Member
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    I always use a list. I plan my meals carefully and write down what I need to make them. Although I do just put fruits and veggies for snacks so I can look and see what is on sale and looks good.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    We only have a list for extraordinary things, like I need to write down onion powder, because I just used the last of it.

    Mostly, we stop in the produce section and get whatever looks good, especially if it is on sale. Then we stop at the deli and get a pound of sliced turkey, maybe some other stuff if there is a "buy this, get that" coupon for things we like (he made me get store brand crystal light last week because if you bought deli ham and cheese, you got paper towels and drink mix, and we needed the paper towels, but he couldn't stand the thought of leaving behind something free). While he is in line at the deli, I pop around the corner and get feta cheese and check if there are any deals on hummus. Then we each take one side of the meat freezer and compare deals. From there, he goes along the outside to get cheese, eggs, milk, yogurt and cereal, while I run up and down the aisles getting anything else we might want. We meet back in the middle so that he has another chance to tell me anything special he wants, then we head to frozen foods, where the bags of chopped spinach are across the aisle from the lean cuisine. Unlike the aforementioned Crystal Light, he frowns upon the "buy 10 lean cuisine, get free ice cream" deal and reminds me I now have a Yonanas and should probably avoid my ice cream trigger.

    Every week. We probably look like maniacs we go through so fast. We will drive past the same brand store on other errands to avoid the frustration of not having everything in its place.

    That reminds me, I used up all the falafel mix, which our store doesn't carry.

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