Have You Created a Standard Personal Grocery List?

This may sound so simple yet many people don't have a standard weekly grocery list. Many people sort of "wing it" each time they go to the grocery store. This is not a good thing because we open ourselves up to impulse buying. If we forget to eat and we grocery shop when we're hungry, then we can really get into trouble in purchasing items we had no intentions of buying.

I'm not saying you have to plan out every meal for the week. I don't do that but I always have my staples on hand so that I can choose from those healthy items in order to create each meal, whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner. It's there and ready for me and my family to enjoy.

Creating a standard weekly grocery list is important for many reasons. Here are but a few:

1) It displays what your standard weekly shopping items are so that you don't forget anything.

2) It helps you stick to the same healthy choices that coordinate with your healthy eating pattern for the entire week. Your foods will always be available in your home and you won't run out and be left to resort in trying to figure out what to eat at any given point.

3) It helps you to save money and shop wisely by not having to think on the go.

A great suggestion that I have enjoyed is setting up your grocery list in Word. This way, you can put it on your desktop and click on it when you're ready to modify it in order to print it out to go to the store. I keep another tablet in the kitchen so I can jot down what I run out of during the week also. Before I print out the list I go through my refrigerator, freezer and pantry to see what I need to replenish. Of course, you have to check the disposable items needed for the kitchen and bathrooms also.

Many of these items don't change, especially when you set up your healthy eating pattern. It sure makes shopping easier and it is extremely important when it comes to staying "on track" with your healthy eating pattern.

Have a great day!