Create a template to speed up grocery shopping. Replace paper catalogs with Web addresses. Create media lists for no-duplicate CD and DVD buying. Capture once-a-year shopping needs. Write wish lists for gift-giving and receiving. Set up a tracking system for orders placed.
How many times have you gone to the grocery store for three specific things and left with a cartful? Do you ever get to use the 10 Items or Less lane? Want to evolve from the accumulation that browsing produces into laser-guided, budget-friendly, super-efficient shopping? Great! Let’s make a list! Just kidding. We can do better than a plain old list. Instead, let’s make a map. The next time you go grocery shopping, plan to spend some extra time there to begin this project. Take a large pad and pencil with you, and start at the service desk. Ask if they have a list of the items in each aisle or a map of the store. Use these items to inform the map you’ll make, but don’t rely on them completely: They’re often out of date or not customized to the particular store you’re in. Sketch a rough diagram of where each section of the store is in relation to the other sections. This visual representation is better than a simple list because it reminds me that if I need ice cream and batteries, I’d better start with the batteries because the ice cream will melt by the time I trek all the way over to the batteries! Now fill in the details Walk the grocery aisles and write down the locations of your most commonly purchased items. When you go home, you’ll type or write these common items into your map so you can circle them as you run out. When you’ve completed your sketch and item locations, go ahead and do your shopping. Then head home to your desk. Use the Tables function in Microsoft Word to create a one-page map of the store and type in your commonly purchased items in their aisles or sections. If you prefer, you can use a ruler to redraw your draft sketch. When you’re satisfied with your map, make copies and post one where it will be convenient to add to, such as your kitchen bulletin board or inside the pantry door. You’ll need list
Your computer and spreadsheet software Your planner Paper and pencil
Some people use more than one grocery store, and some have an additional produce market or warehouse club they frequent. If this is true of you, create maps for each so you can enjoy the same organized efficiency everywhere you shop.
