How to Write a Grocery List That Shortens Your Shopping Route
Retracing Your Steps Eats Up Time
The real reason grocery shopping takes a long time is not that you have too much to buy, but that you end up retracing your steps, thinking, “Oh, I forgot tofu.” A list written in the order items come to mind makes you wander around the store. The solution is to group items in the order of the store sections.
| Section | Key summary |
|---|---|
| Retracing Your Steps Eats Up Time | The solution is to group items in the order of the store sections |
| How to Group Items by Section | Practical method in brief |
How to Group Items by Section
In most stores, you encounter vegetables and fruit near the entrance, meat and fish farther inside, dairy products at the back, processed foods in the aisles, and frozen foods and snacks near the checkout area. If you divide your list into sections following this flow, you can walk in one direction and pick up everything along the way.
| List order | Section | Example items |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegetables and fruit | Green onions, onions, apples |
| 2 | Meat and fish | Chicken breast, mackerel |
| 3 | Dairy products and eggs | Milk, eggs, yogurt |
| 4 | Processed foods and seasonings | Soy sauce, instant noodles, canned goods |
| 5 | Frozen foods and snacks | Dumplings, ice cream |
- Divide your notepad or phone memo into the 5 sections above in advance.
- Write each item that comes to mind in the matching section. Do not worry about order; just place it in the right location.
- Open the refrigerator and fill in the blanks while checking what has run out, especially milk, eggs, and vegetables.
- Write the quantity as a number next to each item, such as 1 carton of eggs or 2 bottles of milk.
- At the store, start from section 1 and pick up items in order, crossing off each item as you put it in your cart.
- Pick up frozen foods and snacks last so they melt less before checkout.
When you write your list this way, you avoid passing through the same aisle twice, grocery shopping takes noticeably less time, and you have fewer chances to get distracted by items outside your list, which also reduces impulse purchases.