Do you make a list before going grocery shopping?

Aidan wrote: "I always start in the produce section and end in the dairy section."

Aidan's starting choice made me ask a question. why are the shopping carts closest to the produce and bakery aisles? When I stop to think about it, when we load our shopping baskets, the worst thing we can do is to load up on produce and bakery products. Then next comes the heavy stuff such as canned goods, heavy milk and other stuff, heavy meats, heavy pet foods, etc. You get the idea?

Would it be smarter and easier on the more fragile stuff to go to the heavy stuff isles last? No broken eggs, no squished breads, bruised tomatoes, etc.?

Next time I go shopping, I will start at the other end of the store. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

BBB

We have shopping carts (trolleys) here BBB with a narrow section at the back that is separate from the larger square section. I put my produce in there and then my bread and eggs on top of that.
No problem with anything getting squashed. They also have a little hook on the front of the trolley where you can hang your shopping bags and pocket book. It's very well thought out.

We have 'layered' carts as well.

At my favourite store, there is the lowest level for the large heavy stuff - cases of bottled water etc - then there is the main cart - with two other shallow levels above - the one closest to the handle is divided in two - that's where bread, delicate veggies go - the level just above the main cart is where I put meat/dairy.

There are shopping bag hangers on the carts at a lot of the shops now. Very handy as everyone (pretty much) brings reusable bags to take their groceries home).

Do you make a list before going grocery shopping or do you just hunt and pick?

- Both, depending.

Do you start at one side of the store and end at the other end?

- Usually start at the northwest corner, do a circuit, do some aisles, and end up at the northeast corner.

Do you eat at least one sample in the fruit department?

- Never. As I think Aidan said, I wash fruit first.

Do you buy a month's supply, a week's supply, or a day's supply?

- Really varies. I usually do stock-ups at Trader Joe's, so can have up to a month's supply of ____ (whatever that may be). More frequently I do a few days' supply or get something for tonight's dinner.

I used to have a spreadsheet that had all items typed in and I'd check the one I wanted on that trip. It was organized to coincide with the path I preferred in the Super WalMart - where everything was cheaper!

I totally lost my grocery shopping mojo in the last few years - and this thread has spurred me to return to my former OCD ways! But, I have to do at least two stores because my guy is a grocery elitist and must have Trader Joe's stamped on all his food things, while I go to Lucky's for some of the stuff cause it's cheaper. I also go to Costco for roasted chickens and lots of asparagus, raspberries, coffee and some other really excellent buys.

I am all excited bout my lists. I have been so far out in left field with the organization. Can't seem to get a footing here.

I'm a bit of a weirdo about people handing me stuff to eat in supermarkets. Never. NEVER!

I'll make a list if I am doing a big meal and have lots to remember, or if I need things right away and am afraid that I will forget something. Generally I go every few days, and I am pretty good about sticking to either things I need or things that I find at a good prices that I know that I can use. If my kids or my wife comes along forget about it. The other day I had about $50 in the cart, she threw in another $30, all either overpriced or impulse/unneeded things.

I will eat a grape or a cherry if I am thinking about buying some, the quality is always so iffy, and they tend to be pricey. I want to make sure they are good. I would like to be able to test the strawberries, as a lot of them suck. We dont have samples though.

Most grocery flyers are online now - have built-in shopping lists.

Great for the OCD shoppers in the crowd

I make lists, but then i get to the store, and i look at my list of Anglo-Norman monarchs, and i start thinking about what fool Henry III was, and i lose my train of thought and make all kinds of silly purchases.

Chopin? Liszt?

i prefer Beethoven

The thought of beets, in the oven or not, makes me slightly ill.

I buy as much that I can stuff into my backpack, I don't have an absolutely fixed list which I buy, but usually improvise without any written list, when I had car it was by the wagon load. The bad thing about not doing it by list, is that some stuff have been missed for months, such as table salt and food oil.

What freeksme out, is the legs on the eggs.

I love art work that causes the viewer to go back to it over and over again to discover parts that were missed in the first and second views and on and on. I have a large painting in my dining room by a former A2Ker for me that is based on that searching idea.

My own paintings tend to create that same type of variety that you must search for. Two of them are in my living room. Others are in my entry hall. My last painting is in my bedroom. I'm so glad I have them because I'm no longer able to paint.

BBB

BBB forgive me for asking, why are you not able to paint?

My grammar school art teacher told me I had artistic talent based on what I produced. But I didn't keep up any serious efforts to paint.

I've been painting since the 1960s. I'm now 81 and unable to do things that I once did. I'm right handed. For the last 10 years, I developed a tremor in my right hand, which makes my writing difficult to read. I also have severe spinal injuries, which makes it difficult to stand for a long time. My last painting in 1995 was done sitting down and painting on a flat surface instead of an easel.

I've often wondered if I could develop a tremor painting style. What would it look like?

Here is another artist's attempt to continue after a tremor:

http://www.oregonlive.com/O/index.ssf/2009/10/parkinsons_disease_gave_david.html

BBB

I'm sorry to hear that, hopefully u'll find a way to paint once again. Have you tryed computer painting? Such as vector painting?

I had not heard of vector painting. I doubt it would work for me because I can't control the mouse tremor. It's difficult to just type on my computer.

http://home.zcubes.com/vectorpaint.htm

BBB

Hmmm, I know fighter pilots have visors tracking of the eye, also gunships have their cannon steerd with helmet/head moves. Maybe such options would have some relevance.

Thanks for your interest but I think I know when to stop even though I usually never give up to achieve a goal. I'm done painting.

BBB