Grocery List

I know you've been making out a grocery list since 1786 and are wondering what great insights could I possibly add to this task?? Here's the story, I was watching one of those morning news shows and they were interviewing Kate Goslin of Jon & Kate plus 8 fame about her tips for how the new mom of octuplets can cope with her new babies and her other six children. I was hurt for a minute that nobody asked me for tips. Then, I remembered that I don't have any children, and suggesting that the mother of fourteen run away or lock herself in the pantry and drink copious amounts of alcohol would not be considered all that helpful. ;)

Anyhoo, Kate said something about making out a grocery list in the order of whatever store you happen to shop at is laid out. My mind creaked a bit as there used to be a time when I did this. Nowadays, I use a slightly different method. If you only shop at one store, it can be a big help to have your list organized like Kate suggested. That is until the whackjob store manager decides to move everything around and comes to the conclusion that flour, dog food, and motor oil all belong on the same aisle. As an old employer of mine used to say about our most trying customers, this guy really needed a beating. ;)

Most of you are aware that the grocery store wants you in there as long as possible as the longer you are in the store, the more money you are likely to spend. We are on a mission to get the most bang for our buck so we need a plan. Oh and a theme song!!! Whoot!!


Don't you miss theme songs with bongos? Oh, just me huh? That's okay, I have a special affinity for 70's television from when I was just a little fuzzball.

Okay, now you can either do this on your computer or use a pen and a piece of paper. I do it old school and write on a sheet of computer sized paper folded in half lengthwise. If this is a scratch sheet leftover from a botched printing job or some other purpose, all the better. I usually only write on one side of the paper so that I can save it for next week and use it again.



Okay, let's put some categories on our list. The ones I use are:
Produce
Boxed, bagged, bottled, and canned
Cold foods
Non-food items
Dr. Bacon/meat lab



I should have made my categories darker or used a different color of ink but, you get the concept. If you want to go further, you can break it down so that you group things together that are usually found near each other. Once again, watch out for that whackjob store manager! Here's a sample list I made up:



Use whatever works for you, okay? (Hush, Shrikes, hush!!)
Heh, I'm having one of those days where I can't spell 'broccoli' without the spellchecker helping me! *blushes* You will notice that the stores in my town have the milk in a different area than the yogurt and sour cream, YMMV. Please excuse my handwriting as its getting worse as time goes by.

Okay, now some of you are asking why should I do it this way instead of the way I've always done it? Okay, have you ever gone to the store with a long list and at the top of your list you had milk, somewhere in the middle was cheese, and near the end was orange juice? Did you get them all on that one trip to the area where the cold foods hang out, or did you have to go back and forth a few times? I would always have to make a few trips around the store because one of my 'cold items' would be lost in the list with the non-cold items and I would overlook it. Organizing my list helps me spend less time and money at the store. That way I have plenty of time to go home and soak Popsicle sticks for my tablescapes. ;)