I must admit that in my
pre-baby days, it was never too much of a hassle for me to pick up something at
the shops after work, or dash out on the weekend for an item needed for a
recipe that instant. I used to quite enjoy a leisurely stroll down the aisles
looking at all the pretty products on the shelves (sad hey?!).
However with a little one, heading
out for a 5 minute trip to the shops usually takes me 40 minutes to pack the baby,
nappy bag, and every other baby accoutrement under the sun before I can even
start the engine in my car!! This means that I try and make my trips to the
shops as infrequent as possible; it is just too hard otherwise.
For busy people (or
those that just hate the bright lights of a supermarket!), I cannot stress
enough the importance of a shopping list. Sure it sounds simple, but it amazes
me the amount of people that head to the shops unarmed with such an important article!!
These days I cannot live without it.
The shopping list has
multiple benefits for you. Firstly (and most obviously) it ensures that you don’t
forget anything (ultra helpful when you get mid way through making a lasagna
and realise that you don’t have any pasta sheets etc!).
Secondly it reduces
household waste as you only purchase what you need and have planned meals for
(a bit on meal planning soon). It can definitely help tighten the purse strings
as if you are disciplined and don’t wander over to the ice cream aisle (Magnum anyone?!).
It can also ensure that you stick to a healthy diet and save you money by only buying what is on the list and hence budgeted for. This simple tool also avoids wasting time wandering aimlessly as you just go straight to the aisles of the products on the list.
It can also ensure that you stick to a healthy diet and save you money by only buying what is on the list and hence budgeted for. This simple tool also avoids wasting time wandering aimlessly as you just go straight to the aisles of the products on the list.
Preparing a list is not
a time consuming task at all. I find that the best place to hang my list is on
the fridge, which means that it is clearly visible and accessible for all
family members to add to the list as they use the last of any one item (last
roll of toilet paper anyone?!)
My pick is the Kikki K shopping list. It has a magnetised back, so goes straight on the fridge, comes with a pencil and
looks pretty too in my kitchen too :-)
It is easy enough to DIY a shopping list using a freebie template from the net. If you head to my Pinterest page, I have kindly put together a folder of free printable versions. Simply print off your favourite, clip to your fridge and away you go!!
