The weekly grocery shopping trip. With kids in tow. How many of us just want to get in and out of the grocery store as fast as possible? Here’s a simple tip to make your shopping flow just a bit more smoothly.
As a kid I watched my mom make her grocery list like this and didn’t really think much about it at the time. But as a mom to five kids and a naturally organized person herself, she was really on to something. I use the same method now and really feel out of sorts with a regular list.
Your weekly shopping list might look something like this:
When you get to the store, you have to scan through the entire list when you’re in every department. You need to check everything on your to see what produce you need. Same thing when you get to the meat section.
If you divide your list into sections when you’re making it, then when you’re in the produce section of the store, everything you need to get there is in one section of your list. Here’s how I layout my grocery list:
| Pantry items | Dairy and refrigerated goods |
| Produce, bakery, and deli | Frozen food |
| Meat | Non-food items |
My list would look like this:
Now the list is organized by sections of the store, and you won’t be in the frozen foods area and realize you forgot to get tomatoes and have to go all the way back over to the product section. Your shopping trip will be smoother and quicker, and you might get out of there before the kids start acting up.