I usually do our food shop online, however I plan the meals and write down everything we need for the week. If I’m going to the shop then I’ll write the list down in the order I’ll move through the shop so that i can just work my way down through the list.
Wing it
I did worse than wing it actually… half of the groceries I got over the past few weeks were from Too Good To Go, so near-expired food that the grocery store winged-it for me💀
Depending on the store TGTT bags can be amazing or… not so much. One store near me will always include fresh fruit, veg, meats, rolls, cans… another will just hand over a bag with like ten kilos of sliced ham in it.
TGTT with a freezer is a game-changer, though.
I make a menu that includes two breakfasts (6 and 9 am) a lunch (11) and six dinners. I account for what i have and list the rest of the needs. Then i go shopping and add two treats(for snacking or dessert) and two beverages (oj, pop, prebrewed coffee, rtc) and a freezer pizza.
If i have to go back that week for anything, i fucked up.
In this economic situation, I really need to use grocery list to make my money last till the next month.
I’ve been eating the same things every day for over a decade. I can manage without list.
My family always made a very careful list which was followed when grocery shopping.
Now that I do my own shopping I also make a list, on my phone though. I note down only the very essentials and leave most things open to what I can find whenever I get to shop. For example, I really need eggs and deodorant so I write that, but if I need veg I don’t list the type of veg, I just note “veg on special” and make my choice on the spot.
Take stock what’s running out, make a list, wing it.
Plan meals for a week. Make list of what’s needed. Shop once a week. Rarely eat out. Never delivery.
I have a spouse and child. Winging it simply would not fly.
Anything less than strict adherence to a list would be another fight… and there are already too many of those.
I’m shocked nobody has mentioned Aisleron (https://aisleron.com/), I use it for my semi-monthly shopping. It lets you organize items, and then you swipe it if you’re out of it/need to buy more. You can have different stores set up, and each item will go to the corresponding location in that store.
It basically functions like a database for grocery items with an intuitive interface.
Oh, did I mention it’s FOSS?
There’s a store like half a block from my apartment, so I just treat it like an external pantry.
I add things to an online pickup order as I think of them, I don’t actually go in the store anymore
I make a list of the things I need, organized by the places I need to stop and buy them and a list of the things I need to do
I write a list, then I forget to take it with me.
