What's on your shopping list?

Porthos · July 13, 2017

@Shelby The lists help but I still miss things.

JoNorvelleWalker · July 13, 2017

Unless my son is standing here coercing me I never make a shopping list. For one thing I can't read my writing and I do not have a printer. OK, I see that is two things. Sorry, I am not good with lists.

Alexa would keep a shopping list for me but I don't want to impose on her. If I had a cell phone I might try that.

chromedome · July 13, 2017

1 hour ago, kayb said:

Cell phone app, "Out of Milk." Free. You can sign in, create an account, and then anyone in the household (or that you want to have the login info) can add to it from any device.

I tried that out a couple of years ago, and found that it turned my 10 minutes/week pen & paper list into a 2 hours/week nightmare. The only thing more painful than making and keeping the lists was trying to actually use the damned thing when I was shopping. Happy it works for you and you like it, but...ugh.

I write things down in a notebook as I think of them all week (GF adds to it as well, the notebook sits out) and then check the weekly flyers before shopping. In my neck of the woods the new flyer comes out on Thursday and there's often a batch of 2-day or 3-day doorcrasher specials, so I try to check my list against the sale flyers before I head out. If there's a hot sale on something I don't actually "need right now," but do use regularly, I'll add it to the list.

Porthos · July 13, 2017

My DW, my daughter, and me if I'm not at home when I think of something, send emails to me, putting the item(s) to add to the list in the subject line. I use this system for a few other lists also, most notably Northern Ren Faire. I tried pad and pen up there but it didt' work well for me.

@chromedome I went through the flyers on-line this morning.

@JoNorvelleWalker I can't imagine life without a cell phone. For us, in a few months our landline service is being cancelled and our cell phones will be our only phones. Our daughters, therehusbands and good friends have all done it and don't regret it. I understand that it doesn't work for everyone's situation.

BeeZee · July 13, 2017

I have a dry erase markerboard on the fridge. DH writes items he wants purchased. It would work better if he erased it after said items were purchased.

I generally do write a list (trained by my Mother), and it is in the order that items are stocked in the usual grocery store (ie, produce first...frozen and dairy last) so I can just head to the aisles I need to. If I need to keep it quick/focused, it works. And people find it hilarious that when I go shopping with DH, we split up upon entering the store. I take the big cart, he takes a basket, and I send him to fetch items he can identify (never to the produce aisle, that's a guarantee of bad selections). We reconnect a few aisles later so he can unload his basket into the cart.

IowaDee · July 13, 2017

Oh my, I think we were seperated at birth. My husband and I shop in the exact same way except for one thing. He goes off to the liquor department first and takes care of that. Priorities doncha know?

Porthos · July 13, 2017

My DW and I have always shopped together and mostly stay together. If she is needing time for something specific I will go to nearby aisles to grab other stuff on the list. For health reasons one of the worst things I can do to my back is just stand on concrete for more than a couple of minutes.

ChocoMom · July 13, 2017

Well, before the house fire, I was WAAAYYYY more organized than I am now. Meals were all planned out, two weeks at a time, and I'd make my list accordingly. Not sure if it still exists, but there was a Taste of Home cookbook that had the actual grocery/ ingredient list next to the recipe. LOVED that! And it was used with great success. But, it burned along with everything else. So, I've tried to reconstruct the favorite meals of my family, and store up ingredients ahead of time.

For dry goods, the local country store has amazing deals on spices, bullions, pantry items. Even on 25 or 50# bags of rice, beans and oatmeal. Its really pennies on the dollar. A dear friend taught me how to dry-can, so there's enough oatmeal and rice here for years to come.

For beef, we raise it, so there's usually some on hand. I'm ordering chickens and turkeys this week (I hope), so there will be chicken-turkey galore this fall.

Veggies, I try to grow enough potatoes to last from October to April. Managed that for a few years now. Carrots, I always run out of. But, I buy them on sale and pressure can them when possible.

For long life items, I've ordered from Boxed.com and gotten fabulous deals on soups, PB, Spaghetti Ooos, and fruit roll ups.

Everything else, like bread, lunch meat, etc....I make a short list and just buy as needed.

lindag · July 13, 2017

I keep a sticky pad in the kitchen and add items to it as needed.

When I go to the store I put the sticky on the handle of the cart and readily scan as I shop.

ChocoMom · July 13, 2017

While I do love bulk shopping, the nearest Sam's or Costco is roughly 3-4 hours away. =(

Jacksoup · July 14, 2017

It's only my son and me, but I do keep a running list of what I need from Costco in the Notes app in my iPhone. When there is a certain recipe I want to make, I write out a full list. Otherwise I wing it, which probably leads to me having ingredients that I think I need for a recipe I liked but can't find anymore. Eat your books is helping with that when I remember. Sometimes it's just cheese and crackers for dinner with a fridge and cabinets full of stuff I could/should cook.

blue_dolphin · July 14, 2017

Like @Jacksoup, I also use the Notes app. I keep one note for general stuff from Trader Joes/Sprouts/Farmers market, one for Target/Walmart (paper goods, dish soap, etc.) and one for the liquor store.

I like that I can add to or edit them from my computer, phone or iPad. My current lists:

- General:

Poblano peppers
jalapeño peppers
cilantro
cream cheese
sardines
Soy sauce
sour cream
Jicama or kohlrabi

cod
lamb rib chops
figs
red chile
dill
ginger

- Paper, etc:

paper towels
dish soap

bleach
Oxi Clean
Distilled water
toothpaste
LED bulb (100 watt eqiv)

- Liquor store:

Dolin blanc

Salers

Slingshot cab

Tonic water

helenjp · July 15, 2017

I use the Wunderlist app. I like that it syncs between phone and computer(s), and I like that I can just tap a completed item on my list and it's gone. It's also easy to share lists with other people. I used Out of Milk years ago, didn't like it then, but it may be very different now.

I'm curious to know what kind of dice Nancy was planning to buy on her list a page or two back!

Used to keep a separate list for online items like dried beans, but now it's all in one list, in case I spot a wanted item in an actual store somewhere.

MelissaH · July 15, 2017

I am so spoiled. Because I'm heading to Syracuse about once a week anyway, I do most of my shopping at one or another Wegmans as long as I'm down that way. (I dislike the one big supermarket left in my town.) And Wegmans has an absolutely terrific app, which interfaces also with their website.

I put my shopping list into the app. When you type in an item and say search, it comes back with a list of items that they stock. For some items, as you type, it gives you suggestions, and even separates them by store department. So you can choose the size/brand/package of exactly the item you want, and the number to go on your list. You can even add notes to individual items, as well as notes to the list as a whole. (Sometimes, if there's an item we need for a special recipe, we might note something to the effect of "For making X. Do not buy if Y is not available." There are a few things that we like specific brands of, but other items where any brand is fine and it's easier to compare prices while you look at the store shelf. I generally always put a box of cornflakes on the list, but include a note that cornflakes is shorthand for "whatever breakfast cereal sounds good this week". And for some things like produce and deli, it's easier to make a note of exactly how much of whatever you want.) It remembers which items you've bought in the past, so when you search you can specify to see all items that match your search term, or just your items that you've previously purchased. And you can keep multiple lists: we have one list we use for the everyday shopping, which gets added to and subtracted from as needed; another list for our once-a-year meal for the women's hockey team, and a couple of other special purpose lists, including one of things to look for at Trader Joe's, where many of the items are similar to things we can find at Wegmans, and the things that aren't exactly alike can get noted and anything else gets added with a list note. As long as my husband and I use the same login information, we see the same lists and can both update.

But here's where the Wegmans app really shines: it makes the shopping super-easy. You select a store to use as "your store" and the app organizes your list for you. It's set up to geolocate your phone as well, so if you're very close to a store that isn't your store (like in the parking lot close), it asks if you'd like to change your store to be the one you're near. Every item has a location for that store, whether it's a general section like Produce or an aisle such as 12B, and the list is set up in a logical order for walking through. And if there's something not available at that specific store, it puts those items at the end of the list with a Not Available location. It tells you what your items should cost at that store, and gives you a total cost for your entire list. I can walk into the largest stores with a long list, and be in and out in 20 minutes flat and know that I haven't missed anything. As you walk through the store and get your items, you check them off on the list which grays the items out, so it's easy to see what's still left to get. When your list is complete, it gives you the options to uncheck everything, delete everything and clear the list, or just leave it with items checked off. (You can also always uncheck everything, or delete everything or just the checked items, as you wish.) And the app also includes your keytag barcode for the specials, so you don't have to remember to grab that when you shop.

It's so convenient that it's pretty much spoiled me for any other way of shopping, especially when my time is limited. I'm a little uneasy about giving the store that much information about me, but then I remember that most of that information they'd get anyway via my keytag.

The one thing that isn't quite perfect is that the checking off of items is only on the local device. So on the rare occasions that my husband and I shop together, one or the other of us "drives" the shopping list, checking off items as we get them, and then making sure to clear those items off the list. Of course, when we do the big hockey meal shopping trip, we each have a list to drive from.

lindag · July 15, 2017

Wow, I see why Wegman's customers are so loyal, That is really impressive.

Martin Fisher · July 15, 2017

Hmmmm!!! I do most of my grocery shopping at Wegmans but I haven't tried their app.

I currently just use Google Keep for my list—I'll give their app a try!

ChocoMom · July 15, 2017

Well, just got back from the grocery store. Hubby invited friends over for dinner tomorrow....and that means me actually planning a meal, and shopping. And, the shopping list, I discovered, got a whole lot shorter! My 19 yo son left this morning, and is moving downstate to live my bro for awhile (near Detroit). Not having him living here means no more RedBull, bagels, gatorade, soft pretzels, pizza rolls, and hot pockets. It also means we cut our ketchup consumption by 75%, bread and lunchmeat consumption by 50%, juice consumption by 75%, and milk consumption 100%. Beef consumption goes way down too, because this kid would dig through cases of beef, locate the prime cuts, and cook 2 steaks in the middle of the night, FOR A SNACK. My brother didn't believe me when I told him how much that kid eats. I'll give him 3 days to realize I was telling the truth.

My grocery cart was no where being full, so YAY!!!! Don't get me wrong, I'll miss the kid. But he is a 6'2" eating machine, and barely weighs160#. We think he was born with a hollow leg, as we just cannot figure out where all the food goes. His metabolism must be so high, its illegal.

**Smithy** · July 15, 2017

18 hours ago, helenjp said:

<app recommendation elided>

I'm curious to know what kind of dice Nancy was planning to buy on her list a page or two back!

Just the garden-variety (in the USA, at least) 6-sided dice, to support ship-board games. As it turned out, we never had time or inclination for table-top games. The general conversation, music and meals were entertainment enough. (My sister-in-law loved my cooking well enough to clean up after me, and seemed impressed with the food compared to what she's been fed on other trips. I was quite chuffed by her praise. )

gulfporter · July 16, 2017

We have two homes that we travel back/forth every few months; one in FL one in MX.

For me the most important food list is the one that shows what we HAVE in the freezer. After a few months away, it's important to know what proteins need to be fished out of the freezer. Buying a veg for the side is the easy part....I wander over to local produce stands in whatever city I happen to be in.

Edited July 16, 2017 by gulfporter (log)

liuzhou · July 18, 2017

I did, most unusually, write a list this morning (in English) and set off shopping, with the list happily still sitting forgotten on my desk.

Still, I remembered everything except the raisins and they aren't urgent anyway. The flour was bizarre. The 2.5kg bag of all-purpose I usually buy was ¥23, but they had reduced their 1kg bags from ¥13 to ¥4.90. Neither I nor the nearest staff member have any idea why. So, I bought 4kg for ¥19.60 - less than I usually pay for 2.5 kg. I may go back tomorrow for more.

Hua Lu Shui (花露水 huā lù shuǐ - literally 'flower dew') is a Chinese 'toilet water', which is also a very effective mosquito deterrent. Not only that, but should you get bitten it rapidly kills the itchiness. I'm careful never to be without a couple of bottles. There is one on my desk as I type.

Edited July 18, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

Arey · July 18, 2017

I use the standard wooden holder that uses what I call adding machine tape. When going out I tear the list off and put it on the front of the small pocket notebook I always carry. At home I take it off the notebook and put it under the cd disk holder on top of the cd player. This is to ensure that when I notice I'm out of something I will write it on the easily accessed piece of paper, and when I go out I will take the list with me, and when shopping, I will actually look at the list while in the supermarket, and the list will be readable so I won't end up standing in the aisle wondering what 2 wrntzes is.

When my mother lived with me, she would tell me we're out of things, when I got home from work which sometimes meant I had to go back out . In order to avoid this I bought one of those magnetized note pads which I stuck on the fridge door and asked mother to write whatever we were out of on the pad so when I left the house i could get whatever we needed on the way back. The next time she told me were out of something I looked at the pad on the fridge and it was blank.
"Why didn't you write it down on the pad?" I asked.
"I was afraid I might forget to tell you to look at the pad" she replied.

Despite my assurances that she didn't have to remind me to look at the pad, she never did use it and eventually I gave up and took it down.

Edited July 18, 2017 by Arey (log)

Anna N · July 18, 2017

6 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Hua Lu Shui (花露水 huā lù shuǐ - literally 'flower dew') is a Chinese 'toilet water', which is also a very effective mosquito deterrent.

I would like to be sure that when you say "toilet water" you mean something equivalent to after-shave? The other option doesn't bear thinking about.

JoNorvelleWalker · July 18, 2017

Yesterday I put together an Amazon Fresh order. In the middle of the night I remembered I needed King Arthur flour*. Amazon makes it easy to add items to your list.

*Organic all purpose for my baguettes. Would be silly to say King Arthur Flour flour.

liuzhou · July 18, 2017

6 hours ago, Anna N said:

I would like to be sure that when you say "toilet water" you mean something equivalent to after-shave? The other option doesn't bear thinking about.

I haven't heard that joke since I was 12!

Toilet Water

lindag · July 18, 2017

13 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I did, most unusually, write a list this morning (in English) and set off shopping, with the list happily still sitting forgotten on my desk.

Still, I remembered everything except the raisins and they aren't urgent anyway. The flour was bizarre. The 2.5kg bag of all-purpose I usually buy was ¥23, but they had reduced their 1kg bags from ¥13 to ¥4.90. Neither I nor the nearest staff member have any idea why. So, I bought 4kg for ¥19.60 - less than I usually pay for 2.5 kg. I may go back tomorrow for more.

Hua Lu Shui (花露水 huā lù shuǐ - literally 'flower dew') is a Chinese 'toilet water', which is also a very effective mosquito deterrent. Not only that, but should you get bitten it rapidly kills the itchiness. I'm careful never to be without a couple of bottles. There is one on my desk as I type.

If it's really so effective in repelling the little buggers and then killing the itchiness someone could make a fortune exporting it to the US (and many other countries). Mosquitos can be bad where I live in early Summer.

someplaces they are deadly as we know.

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