Kitchen

[Beebee2]

Organizing a grocery list comes naturally enough, but once in awhile someone has an idea that makes me tweak my process a little bit.

For a long time, depending on where I'm shopping, I've made my list according to the layout of the store, doing the canned goods, any processed foods, cleaning/paper goods or bakery items in the middle aisles of the store first, and then I go around the outside of the store where the fresh and/or cold, frozen things are. I shop that way, too, so that the cold things are the last things in my basket. It usually works well, but when I do a big shopup, sometimes the layout of the places I shop varies. I often have two lists, maybe three.

So, I've read Ina Garten's method, and think it's an improvement - same idea really, but handled differently.

She recommends taking a pad or piece of paper and making the following headings on the page:

Dairy

Shelf Goods

Meat and Fish

Produce

Freezer, and

Miscellaneous

Of course, I'd have to put shelf goods first always, and maybe miscellaneous, too. But I think this way of making a list is one that will help me.

I'll still be making more than one list, but it will be easier to go back and forth between lists, if necessary, to see if I need to pick up something at a different place.