Do you use a shopping list when grocery shopping?

If I'm cooking for a special occasion then yes I do, but other times I just wing it (and usually forget half the stuff that I needed)

by Ivana Katz

Yes. It's the easiest way to make sure you buy the stuff you need and not too much that you don't.

by Jennifer Muirhead

I use a shopping list and try very hard to stick to what is on that list.
Otherwise we go over budget.
That's not a nice feeling, when money is tight.

by jonaja

I try to keep to budget, and when I don't shop with a list I generally forget half the stuff and buy stuff on impulse. The - eat before you shop - sometimes helps. When I shop with a list, I can keep within the budget 99% of the time. Other times, when I fall to weakness and buys something for the kids! ;)

by chipp

When we do our main shop we always take a shopping list. There are things that we always get that we never put on the list though - like crisps, chocolate, fish, and prawns. My dad is also notorious for buying lots of cheap meat that is on offer . It annoys the heck out of my mum because she then needs to find a place for it in the freezer, when there isn't any.

On smaller shops we don't make a list because know the things that we are going for specifically for. We always end up getting a lot more than intended though.

Occasionally we end up not get getting things that were on the list too. I sometimes miss them by mistake, forget, or can't read my mum's handwriting!

by Bryony Harrison

Yes, I have 3 kids under 6 to take with me. If I didn't have a list I'd never remember to get the things I need in between all the "no, we can't have that because there's too much sugar in it" type statements I have to make. I wish Woolies had a childminding service like IKEA does!

by Sarah Bell

I use a shopping list. I find it makes the trip much faster as I just look at the list and don't have to stop to think what I need. I tend to write it out in sections, grouping items together which are in the same area of the shop so that I don't have to criss cross about.

by Claire Winlow

Definitely, and I make sure I stick to it. Yes, that also includes chocolate bars.

by Justine Crowley

Shopping lists help a great deal, so I try to take a list. It also helps me store just enough groceries in the pantry afterwards and fill the refrigerator just the right amount.

by Happy Mom

Always. Otherwise I forget half the things I need and buy things I don't need instead. That means I have to make multiple trips to the grocer, and I cannot be bothered for that. Other times I just shop online.

by Vee

Absolutely - keeps everything in check and I can assure myself that I'm not forgetting anything - a very common feeling when leaving the store after a big shop.

by Xarah

I always do my shopping list at one of the online stores as then I cannot lose the list and it is so easy to add things.
Sometimes I buy online and even though this is more expensive, it works out cheaper for me in the long run, as I am an impulsive spender!

by Finy

I use a list. The list is on the fridge door. I do buy a few things that aren't on the list if I remember something when I am in the shop. Usually I avoid impulse buys but hey, I'm not perfect.

by Marie Vonow

Yes, shopping list, or else I'd forget items, & even with list, which is in a 'fat' Spirax Note Book, with heaps of other info, I still forget!

But I enjoy now having the time to 'peruse' the aisles' i/o having to run round like a 'headless chook' with no spare time, as was working full-time!

by donjo