How To Make a Master Grocery List

Now that you know the importance of having a master grocery shopping list, it's time to make one for yourself. This is a super easy task that should not take very much time at all. You can have your master grocery list done in these three easy steps.

Here's what you'll need:

• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer with printer (optional)

Ready? Let's get started!

The first thing you'll need to do is think about the different categories of foods you purchase. You are making a master list of items you'd normally purchase on various occasions from the grocery store.

With that in mind, think about the different categories in the grocery store. You could also create your list based on the aisles in your store. (I suggest not to do this, unless you shop at a local store. Chain grocery stores tend to move things around frequently, which means your list would have to be updated often.)

Some categories you might include on your list could be:

• Produce
• Dairy
• Canned goods
• Spices/seasonings
• Frozen

Don't spend a lot of time on this step. Just quickly jot down categories off the top of your head that you know you shop from.

Ready? Write your categories NOW!

Time invested: 2-3 minutes

Now comes the fun part! Using the categories you wrote down, you will now make your master grocery shopping list. Here's how to do it using the front and back of paper. The number of sheets you'll need will depend on how many items you need to add to each list.

Write each category as a heading at the top of each sheet of paper. If some categories will not include many items, feel free to write more than one category per page.

Now, list every item you can think of, under each category, that you know you purchase. It doesn't matter how often you buy the items. You are making your master list, so write them all down.

Ready? Write every item you can think of NOW!

Time invested: On average, 20-45 minutes

If you are a stickler for details, now you can clean up your list. First, take a look over your list and make sure you included everything necessary on it.

Tip: Don't forget about the necessities, like toilet tissue!

Once you know your list is done, you can either re-write it to make it neater or type it up on your computer. By putting it on your computer, you will have a hard copy that will be much easier to update/change as often as you like. You can also print out a neat copy that way, too.

Time invested: On average, 30 minutes-2 hours