WFMW - Grocery List

I have to admit grocery shopping is low on my list of fun things to do. Although it is some one-on-one time I get to spend with my oldest daughter while my husband and younger two kids are off at Awana. I could suffer through anything just for some one-on-one time with my kids!

For lack of a better term, I suck at grocery lists. I either forget to add the important stuff to it, or it's so jammed pack that I can't read it and forget to pick up the very thing I really need that week (like deodorant). Or, and this is my personal favourite, I leave it sitting on the kitchen counter and don't realize I have forgotten it until I have just passed the last turn-off on the highway to go back into town.

Yeah, my organizational abilities are astounding at times!

BUT, I finally discovered a system that works for me! And I'm so excited about it!

First thing I did was write down my list for the week, after finally heeding my friend's advice and making a supper menu for the month. Meal planning makes grocery shopping a whole lot easier, let me tell you. (Oh, look! A bonus tip! Lucky you!)

After I determined what I actually needed, I filled the rest of my list with the things I normally buy but didn't need. Yes, you read that right. I wrote down things I didn't need on an already full list.

Here's why. At the grocery store, I took the time to scan the aisles for all those things I generally buy, and jotted down the aisle number or section beside each item. When I got home, I made a less-than-fancy table, divided it up by aisle and section (eg: Aisle 1, 2, 3..., Dairy Case, Pharmacy, Deli...) and then placed all my staples in the corresponding category. Something like this:

Aisle 1                  Aisle 2

Juice boxes           Coffee

Juice cartons         Tea

Drink mixes            Honey   etc..

You get the idea. It probably took me an extra 15 minutes to do my shopping that one day, but the next time I went, I was sailing through the aisles, knowing which ones I could skip, and spent probably more time in line than I did throwing things in my cart.

And the best part? For the first time in probably EVER I brought home every single thing I needed.

I know. My organizational abilities are astounding.

(I'm aware I repeated myself. I did that for effect.)

It really does work for me! Now if I could just work out a system to remember to bring my re-usable grocery bags...

To check out more great tips, visit Rocks In My Dryer. And make sure you catch next week's WFMW, when we'll all be sharing the very best toys you can buy for your little people. Because we all know they need more.