Don’t even try to grocery shopping without

this list. I really don’t like leaving my house. With small children in tow, I’ll do anything to stay out of the stores. But, how many times have you gone to the store, come home, only to realize you don’t have the exact thing you went there for? And then you have to go back?! This used to happen to me all the time. Until I created this list.

I promised I’d share my secret for an efficient, easy way to keep your pantry stocked, and here it is.

You can copy mine, or create your own. Basically, I’ve broken my grocery store into departments, in the order I will walk through the store. Then, using MSWord, I created a table, listing all of the items I typically buy. I’ve even included blank lines for extra items.

I keep the list in Sheet Protectors, and keep this in my kitchen, where everybody can see it. Whenever I run out of anything, I simply circle the item with a Dry Erase Marker.

So, if my husband is running out to the store, I just hand him the list, and I don’t have to stand there and “think” about what we need.

When I’m going to the store, and printing out my recipes from here, I simply circle the items I need. Then, I do a quick run through the see if I’m running low on any other items I might have missed.

I actually left my list in the grocery cart once. I was lost without it until I created a new one.

There you have it.