Why Use a Chart for Your Grocery List?
Making a chart for your shopping list may seem like more trouble than it is worth, but I find my shopping list chart to be indispensable. Using a shopping list chart helps me make sure that I never forget any of our staple grocery items when I go shopping. I only go to the grocery store twice a month; this really helps me save on gas and on groceries. I have found that the less I go to the store, the less money I spend on groceries (despite the fact that our appetites are the same whether I shop weekly or twice a month).
Charts can easily be made by hand on paper, but the most efficient way to make charts and spreadsheets is to use a computer program. Using a computer allows you to easily change the format of your charts, add or delete entries, and even add in automatically-calculated math formulas if you so desire. I typically use Microsoft Excel to make my charts and spreadsheets, but you could also use the free Calc program from Open Office or Apple’s Numbers program for Mac users.
Laying Out Your Chart
The items on my chart are ordered in such a way that they follow the flow of walking through the store. This makes it very easy to get everything as I need as I shop, without having to back-track through the store. The chart has plenty of blank spaces so I can write in any additional items. I always keep a copy of this chart on the fridge so we can fill it in as we go throughout the month. You should tailor your chart to fit the needs of your kitchen.
Saving Your Chart
When you save your charts and spreadsheets, sometimes it is nice to save multiple versions. For instance, I have two versions of my shopping list: one for the Nourishing Traditions-style diet, and one for the GAPS Diet (which is a temporary healing diet). This will make it easy to transition back to the Nourishing Traditions diet when we have completed the GAPS Diet.
If you’d like to use my chart as a template, please e-mail me at nourishedandnurtured[at]gmail[dot]com.
This post is part of Monday Mania!
6 comments:
What a great idea! You have inspired me to start a chart!!
Me too!! I never thought of that before...DUH!
I have an app for my Ipod that I LOVE. It is called Grocery IQ. It was free. I just add things to the list throughout the week. Then when I run into town I can check my list. It pops up how many items are on my list so I know that I need to check it. You can put in prices, too so you can keep track of how much you spend. This has really helped me out. Plus I dont have to keep printing out a list.
I'm so sorry to post this here. I tried to find contact information for you, but didn't see anything, so I am just going to leave this message in your contacts. I am a GAPSter that follows your blog.
Signposts Ministries (my non profit that serves families with children that have chronic health problems or disabilities) is embarking on a project to make a series of video shorts about "real food" geared toward children. Sure we have documentaries galore at our disposal, but I haven't found anything I feel is at the level of the elementary school set (or precocious preschoolers). We are going to start by making a one minute trailer film (probably about honey, but to be determined) and will use that in a campaign to raise money to make more film shorts on different topics. We expect each film to be about 5 minutes long and to combine science and humor to help teach young children why their Mommys and Daddys won't let them have cake that came from the Wal-Mart bakery. Just kidding. But seriously, it will be about the importance of eating real, whole, traditional foods. All of this will be done through the non-profit, so no one will be making money off of this venture. I was hoping you'd be interested in keeping your readers aware of our project so that they can view the films as the come out and possibly donate toward the production if interested. I'm sure there are other ways we could partner in this venture, but I'm not the social media guru of this operation, so feel free to send me any ideas you might have and I can present them to my "people". Looking forward to hearing from you about this venture- and if there are any food topics you find to be burning in the minds of your readers, let me know and I'll see if they can be addressed.
PS. I will be approaching some other bloggers about this as well, but it should not be a situation that breeds competition in any way.
Thanks!
Annie Beth
Hi Annie Beth,
That sounds like a great project! You can e-mail me at nourishedandnurtured[at]gmail[dot]com. Please let me know when the first video is ready so I can check it out!
Great template you've made there in Excel! Think I'll make a start on making my own there.
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