Tag Archives: grocery list app

Get Organized with a Grocery List Checklist

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Perhaps it’s pride, or maybe just laziness, but nine times out of ten we end up grocery-store bound without a checklist. However, according to surgeon Atul Gawande, author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, operating without a checklist is inefficient and illogical. “I introduced the checklist in my operating room, and I’ve not gotten through a week without it catching a problem,” Gawande said in an interview. “It has been really eye-opening. You just realize how fundamentally fallible we are.”

Grocery shopping is, by no stretch of the imagination, a surgical procedure, however, we could learn something from Gawande’s advice. Bottom line: we mess up from time to time. A grocery list check list can make it so that nothing slips through the cracks, eliminating one stressor from our lives. While making and completing a checklist may feel like a waste of time to some, it’s extremely helpful and fast, and it allows you to get home from the grocery store with all the necessary ingredients to make a great meal.

Making the Perfect Grocery Store Checklist

While it may sound a bit silly, crafting the perfect, fail-proof checklist takes time and a bit of effort. Now there are plenty of grocery list checklists online that you can customize and print. Whether you’re making a list by hand or you’re customizing one on the web, keep these key factors in mind when making your checklist:

  • Size: Do you want an enormous checklist that you won’t lose in a huge purse? Or do you prefer a bite-sized list that you can throw in your pocket? Generally, bigger grocery lists, the ones that don’t fall out of your purse, pocket, car, or cart, are better for shopping purposes. An 8.5 x 11 inch piece of paper is ideal for most.
  • Font: That cutesy font may look fabulous on the computer screen, but it may not be functional as you’re juggling children, cereal boxes, and a grocery cart, all while trying to read your list. Opt for an easily legible font, preferably in a dark color, like black.
  • Grouping and Flow: Consider grouping your items according to grocery store layout, or even order of occurrence within your grocery store. Thinking about the design of your store while making your list could save you some time when wandering the numerous aisles.
  • Quantity: Many people don’t include quantity when they’re putting items on their grocery list, but we suggest thinking about the number of each item you need before you step out your door, taking your recipes or meal plans into consideration. Dictating quantity ahead of time could prevent food waste and save you a buck.
  • Make it mandatory: Grocery lists don’t work unless they’re enforced. Put your grocery list on the refrigerator or post it up on your front door so that you don’t forget your list before you leave the house.

Your schedule’s probably jam-packed with a million things to do. You can make your life a little less disorganized by arming yourself with a grocery list checklist next time you go shopping for groceries. It will save you time and money at the store, which will make it worth the extra effort.

A $100 Weekly Grocery List Challenge

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While the average American now only spends about 13.3% of their budgets on food, 42% of that money is spent in restaurants, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Why the change?  Many Americans feel like they don’t have time to cook, go to the grocery store, and budget. However, budgeting is an important part of managing the household and, ultimately, being able to buy what you want. People at the Project Food Blog and other budget food websites often challenge their followers to take the $100 challenge, live on $100 dollars per person, per month. For the average 4-person family, that’s $100 when you hit the grocery store each week. This week, try making a weekly grocery list that rings in around $100. You never know what you can achieve until you try!

Creating a $100 Weekly Grocery List

  1. No Eating Out: It’s time to put down the menu and stop eating out. Consider this an intervention. Try to cut the eating out habit for just one month and see how you do.
  2. Reduce your Meat Intake: Limit your meat intake and you’ll save big. Why? Meat’s pricey! Instead try to find protein-packed veggies and beans, like black beans, corn, peas, and lentils.
  3. Stick to Your Grocery List: You have to stick to your grocery list if you ever expect to budget correctly. This means not grabbing that magazine that piques your interest at the counter and deciding against that something extra.
  4. Homemade snacks: Reduce snacking and eating in between meals. This will help you save big time; all of that snacking adds up. Replace your snack foods, like boxed crackers and granola bars, with cheaper snacks, like homemade crackers, nuts, and fruits.
  5. Drink water instead of bottled juices, sodas or other sugary/sugar-free drinks. Kool-Aid and other sugary drinks are money wasted on substances with little sustenance. Instead, opt for good ol’ H2O.
  6. Change your breakfast: Start thinking differently about food and opt for foods that will keep you fuller, longer. Most protein sources keep you much fuller than carbohydrates. This is especially important for breakfast, when most people load up on cereal. Swap cereal for omelets and you’ll be feeling full hours later, and therefore less likely to snack.
  7. Make sure your coupons are saving you money: Sometimes the coupons provided aren’t exactly for smart items with a lot of longevity. Additionally, coupons tend to be provided for name brand products when you could just buy the store brand and save even more cash than you would using the coupon for the name brand product. Analyze your coupons and make sure that you’re using them for a smart buy.

Just because your eating frugally, doesn’t mean you have to give up good food. You can easily make delicious veggie burgers, bell pepper fritattas, french toast, hummus, crepes, and seared tuna with ginger sauce, even on your budget. All of these dishes are extremely thrifty yet filling and delicious. Next time you’re making a weekly grocery list, try out the $100 challenge. You never know, you could be a lot better at budgeting than you thought.

 

Counting Calories with Grocery Lists to Print

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Are you watching your calorie count? According to research by Alexander Chernev, an associate professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, “Those most concerned with their weight are also more likely to underestimate the calorie content of a meal.” Counterintuitive? Definitely. Chernev explains the implications of his study by saying that dieters are, therefore, “more likely to overconsume and consequently more likely to gain weight.” Instead of lamenting Chernev’s studies, do something about it! Make your grocery lists with calories per serving next to each item so that you can better track your caloric intake and achieve weight loss goals.

How to Make Your Calorie-Counting Grocery Lists

Caloric grocery lists work the same as regular grocery lists, except that before you hit the grocery store you should jot down the expected number of calories in each item on the list. This will not only make you more cognizant of your caloric intake in general and educate you regarding the calories of each food, but it will also train you to always double check your food labels before buying a certain item. You never know, a food that you always thought was low calorie actually could be higher in calories than a healthier alternative.

Resources to Find Calorie Contents per Item

So how do we find accurate calorie counts before we hit the grocery store? Luckily, there are plenty of food databases out there that allow you to see the average number of calories per item (per serving) so that you can do your research before you hit the aisles. For example, Livestrong.com provides a library of over 1,557,800 foods to help you more accurately count calories. Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburg prefers SparkPeople calorie counter because of its goal range for calories and macronutrients. This tool has an enormous database of foods with accurate nutritional data, much of which is retrieved from the USDA’s food data and verified user submissions. You can also check out your favorite brands online and view their nutritional content and calorie counts.

Tips to Keep in Mind When Configuring Calories

When you get to the grocery store, don’t simply compare two items side by side, glance at the number of calories, and pick the one that’s closest to your researched calorie goal, as listed on your grocery list to print. Instead, make sure that you’re comparing your items based on calories per serving size. One box of cereal may list calories based on a 1/2 cup, while another may list calories of 1 cup. Some products try to “trick” the consumer into thinking the calorie count is lower by minimizing the serving size. Additionally, don’t simply analyze the number on the box. Look at the ingredients list and try to steer clear of products with trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, or preservatives. Sometimes the lower calorie option isn’t always the healthiest one.

After analyzing the items on your caloric grocery list to print, going shopping, and repeating the process, you’ll be able to better gauge your caloric intake on a daily basis and, with some exercise, achieve your weight loss goals.