Shopping lists - do you use them?

Ours constitutes a list of everything we need to get when we do our shopping trip into town. It always takes a minimum of half a day. If more than 2 or 3 closely distanced stores need visiting, then it's a lunch or job . One disadvantage of living rurally , but it was the same when we lived in the Lake District, UK, not to mention Scotland, but it wasn't as bad when we lived rurally in Surrey. That was only a half hour drive to the shops so we'd easily get home for lunch on a Saturday or we'd eat out on a Friday at the local pizza express and do the shopping on a Friday night . That got moved to a Thursday night because the supermarket was a lot less busy . It did mean that hubby had to pick me up from work with the bike rack on car or drop me into work the following morning though!

We go either Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday. If we go 1st thing on Sunday morning it isn't so busy, the downside to Friday afternoon is that when we leave the store we hit rush hour traffic :o_o:
 
My wife told me yesterday afternoon that the potatoes on sale in our Tesco-Lotus were very nice. I asked her why she didn't buy any.

"Because they were not on the list!"
 
My wife told me yesterday afternoon that the potatoes on sale in our Tesco-Lotus were very nice. I asked her why she didn't buy any.

"Because they were not on the list!"

We always shop from a list, but there is nothing to stop us from doing an "on spot" menu change if we see something interesting.
 
We always shop from a list, but there is nothing to stop us from doing an "on spot" menu change if we see something interesting.

Your operative pronoun there is "we". My wife was alone.
 
What Craig didn't write was that "we" several times have run into a problem when he shops alone. :D To me, onions, garlic and potatoes are a given that "we" get at least a few of every week even if they aren't on the list. Him, not so much. So, there have been a few times that "we've" (meaning him on his way home from work, since I work from home) have had to make a second run.
 
Same here. Things like fruit, bread , milk (almond ) , tofu, hummus and a couple of other items just go without saying to me at least (they are bought every week) but if I actually want them when he's alone, I have to either write then down or write "the usual weekly items".
Even today he rang me from work to ask if there was anything we needed... We only did the weekly shop yesterday together with a list!
But I've reached the conclusion that he is either bored at work during the day and uses it as a reason to get out of the office at lunchtime when he's lacking enthusiasm for a walk, or just trying to be helpful. Today he came home via the out of town supermarket (it, rather like the airport it is next to are really not out off town, given how far away from town most of the suburbs are ). Yesterday they genuinely had no leeks available and we needed them for a recipe this week .sadly it wasn't just leeks he came home with. He also came home with a few other things including some probiotics I wanted, only sadly he didn't read the label. They contain another probiotic which I didn't want (I was after just to one for dairy free cheese making, I simply photographed the item in the recipe and left him to it ) and despite being with me for over 25 years and me having always been vegetarian at the very least are of a bovine source! He knows they have to be dairy free ones, as well as vegetarian (so not from the stomachs of dead cows, and then not grown in a dairy milk culture). That's $34 wasted for the 2nd time in 3 years. But I failed to specify that it had to be vegan friendly (as always) ... Enough said!
 
My son as a teen was shocking, I'd give him $10 and send him to the shops ( local dairy) to get cream and baked beans, he'd come back with bottle of coke and a lettuce, and eating a bag of lollies. We still laugh about it now.
His wife does the shopping now.

Russ
 
Yes, I use a list
I write my list by category.
All dairy together. All produce together. All meat together. All dry goods together. You get my drift.
I do add items if they are on sale.
For staples I have recently started using the Walmart or Super One online order and pick up.
I rarely shop one store.
Walmart or Super One for staples. Costco for. milk, eggs, paper goods, liquor, some cleaning products. When they have it I will buy Australian lamb racks. They frequently have Irish butter
When I shop I put an ice chest in my car. I do not want to have to ruin home after each stop to put food in the fridge.
Did I mention that I bought a GMC Acadia in May? I LOVE my car. Her name is Blanche. I really do not like to shop. Blanche makes it much easier
So much better than that 15 year old piece of crap Taurus and I have been driving.
I do not shop frequently
Once every 3 weeks
It would be better if I got off of my behind and shopped weekly. oh well. A goal to work on.
YES to lists
I keep a list to keep track of my lists.
I know. SICK. That's me.
 
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@SatNavSaysStraightOn
Wish I were kidding but I am not.
I have certain stores that I shop for certain things.
I have a list for each store and I have a master list of the stores based on location. I plan a route. Start with stores on the right. (U.S. Driving) Then hit stores on my left
I put an ice chest in my car so I do not have to run home after each stop.
 
I usually have a list of the absolute needs.

Then I go do a jazz riff on what looks good in the produce department (if there wasn't an expected menu plan for a specific dish already), and in the seafood department. I seldom plan in the seafood department - what looks good one week looks terrible or doesn't exist the next.

I don't buy desserts to begin with (the occasional ice cream, but that's it. Most commercial desserts sit on my stomach and play bad knock-knock jokes...)

I figure there's nothing wrong with suddenly deciding -- hey, they gots SNOW PEAS or ARTICHOKES on SALE! And buying those!
 
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