Organize Your Life - Create a Grocery List
Creating A Grocery List Most of us find shopping for groceries a daunting experience.
We get into the supermarket without a clue of the things we need to buy!! And finally...
we end up stocking our fridge and shelves with things we will not use.
As for me, I find my shopping to be less time and cost consuming if I prepare a grocery list prior visiting the supermarket.
I normally do my grocery shopping once in a month.
There might be some of you who prefer to do your shopping once a week or once a fortnight.
Regardless of the frequency...
a grocery list is a must if you want to have a smooth shopping experience!! How do we actually create a personalized grocery list??? Well...
there are several ways of creating a grocery list...
either you use an online software or generate a template manually and update it as and when you need to go shopping...
Let's discuss about generating a grocery list template manually first...
STEP 1: OBSERVATION Visit your regular supermarket first.
Bring along a piece of paper and a pencil.
Walk around the supermarket and sketch out the layout of the aisles, including the items which are displayed in each of the aisles.
STEP 2: DECIDE Once you're at home..
look through the piece of paper which contained the information that you have gathered in Step 1.
Now...
you have to decide on the sequence of which you will be walking through the aisles in the supermarket.
Are you going to start from the aisles which display raw and frozen items? Are you going to begin your shopping in the aisles which displays dry items? Or do you just prefer to start from the end of the supermarket, moving forward to the entrance? Just make sure that the sequence you decide is the most efficient in accordance with your habits of shopping.
You will also need to look at the items stored in each of the aisles, and eliminate those that you know you'll never buy.
If you're not sure about an item...
just leave that item.
STEP 3: PREPARE GROCERY LIST Based on the information you have gathered in the above steps, produce your own master template.
You can choose to do this by Word or Excel whichever suits you better.
Using Microsoft Word Open a new document.
Insert as many columns as you need.
Type in the items which each aisle displays.
Include boxes beside each of these items (you'll fill them up with the quantities you want to purchase).
Leave some rows empty after listing items in each aisle to add any miscellaneous items.
Save the document in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template".
Using Microsoft Excel Open a new spreadsheet.
Create as many columns as you need.
Type in the items which each aisle displays.
Create boxes beside each item to fill the quantities you'll like to purchase.
Save the spreadsheet in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template".
Leave some rows empty just in case at the end of the document.
Try to create a template which fits into one single paper.
You don't want to carry several sheets of paper when you go shopping!! STEP 4: SHOPPING!! Print out the grocery list template.
Affix it to your refrigerator (use magnets!!) or store it in the kitchen or some place where it's easily accessible to you and everyone at home.
Train your family members to mark items which needs replenishment as soon as they go low.
In this case, you do not need to spend specific time in finding out which items that need to be purchased, before you visit the supermarket.
You should also review your menu planner a few days before you shop.
Ensure that your grocery list contains all the ingredients that you'll need to prepare your menus!! Items that are still in stock or those which you do not need to prepare your menu should be striked off.
And finally, don't forget to mark or color items which are under promotion or for which you have coupons for!! It's a great way of saving some money on groceries!! If you're a person who's tech savvy or someone who uses the computer on daily basis, you can opt to use one of the various online software to generate and create your grocery list.
The good thing about using an online software is you don't need to create a manual template...
the layout and design has been created for you.
These are the steps you'll need to go through to create an effective manual grocery list template.
We get into the supermarket without a clue of the things we need to buy!! And finally...
we end up stocking our fridge and shelves with things we will not use.
As for me, I find my shopping to be less time and cost consuming if I prepare a grocery list prior visiting the supermarket.
I normally do my grocery shopping once in a month.
There might be some of you who prefer to do your shopping once a week or once a fortnight.
Regardless of the frequency...
a grocery list is a must if you want to have a smooth shopping experience!! How do we actually create a personalized grocery list??? Well...
there are several ways of creating a grocery list...
either you use an online software or generate a template manually and update it as and when you need to go shopping...
Let's discuss about generating a grocery list template manually first...
STEP 1: OBSERVATION Visit your regular supermarket first.
Bring along a piece of paper and a pencil.
Walk around the supermarket and sketch out the layout of the aisles, including the items which are displayed in each of the aisles.
STEP 2: DECIDE Once you're at home..
look through the piece of paper which contained the information that you have gathered in Step 1.
Now...
you have to decide on the sequence of which you will be walking through the aisles in the supermarket.
Are you going to start from the aisles which display raw and frozen items? Are you going to begin your shopping in the aisles which displays dry items? Or do you just prefer to start from the end of the supermarket, moving forward to the entrance? Just make sure that the sequence you decide is the most efficient in accordance with your habits of shopping.
You will also need to look at the items stored in each of the aisles, and eliminate those that you know you'll never buy.
If you're not sure about an item...
just leave that item.
STEP 3: PREPARE GROCERY LIST Based on the information you have gathered in the above steps, produce your own master template.
You can choose to do this by Word or Excel whichever suits you better.
Using Microsoft Word Open a new document.
Insert as many columns as you need.
Type in the items which each aisle displays.
Include boxes beside each of these items (you'll fill them up with the quantities you want to purchase).
Leave some rows empty after listing items in each aisle to add any miscellaneous items.
Save the document in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template".
Using Microsoft Excel Open a new spreadsheet.
Create as many columns as you need.
Type in the items which each aisle displays.
Create boxes beside each item to fill the quantities you'll like to purchase.
Save the spreadsheet in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template".
Leave some rows empty just in case at the end of the document.
Try to create a template which fits into one single paper.
You don't want to carry several sheets of paper when you go shopping!! STEP 4: SHOPPING!! Print out the grocery list template.
Affix it to your refrigerator (use magnets!!) or store it in the kitchen or some place where it's easily accessible to you and everyone at home.
Train your family members to mark items which needs replenishment as soon as they go low.
In this case, you do not need to spend specific time in finding out which items that need to be purchased, before you visit the supermarket.
You should also review your menu planner a few days before you shop.
Ensure that your grocery list contains all the ingredients that you'll need to prepare your menus!! Items that are still in stock or those which you do not need to prepare your menu should be striked off.
And finally, don't forget to mark or color items which are under promotion or for which you have coupons for!! It's a great way of saving some money on groceries!! If you're a person who's tech savvy or someone who uses the computer on daily basis, you can opt to use one of the various online software to generate and create your grocery list.
The good thing about using an online software is you don't need to create a manual template...
the layout and design has been created for you.
These are the steps you'll need to go through to create an effective manual grocery list template.
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