How to Build a Grocery List That Actually Works

Do you ever get home from the store and realize you forgot something?

Or spend way more than you planned?

Or buy food that never gets used?

I’m raising my hand so hard over here. I have ADHD, so I’m always missing key components of the shopping process.

Like, I’m the kind of person that forgets to add chicken to the list, for a meal that needs chicken.

What I’ve noticed over time is that the problem isn’t me. It’s the system I was using.

And once I found a system that actually worked for me, my meal planning process changed!

• Much fewer forgotten items
• An organized grocery list
• An efficient way of shopping

Here’s how to build a smart grocery list that actually works for you!

Why Most Grocery Lists Don’t Work

If you’ve had any of the above problems, here’s why it may not be working for you:

• Your list is written way too quickly
• Your groceries aren’t connected to meals
• You made the list while already at the store
• You rely on memory, which means forgotten items and impulse buys
• You have no structure or categories in your list

A poorly-written list can cause problems later. But I’ve got a system that can help!

Here’s my exact process of creating a grocery list.

Step 1: Plan Your Meals Before You Shop

Your grocery list should come from your meal plan, not the other way around.

I know some people thrive on “reverse meal planning”, where they come up with meals based on the sale items they buy.

But my brain doesn’t work that way. I need structure; otherwise the food I buy will go bad.

So here’s what I do:

• Plan my 5 dinners for the week (With one leftover night and one pancake night on Saturday)
• Find the recipe with the ingredient list
• Double check each recipe and add ingredients I don’t have to my shopping list

Step 2: Check Your Pantry

Once you have your meals figured out, check your pantry and freezer to see if you already have some of those ingredients!

This matters because:

• It prevents a ton of duplicates (Like my 5 cans of chickpeas)
• It reduces food waste (Which wastes money and makes me mad)
• It saves money immediately (Because you don’t have to buy it!)

Chances are, you already have a few of these ingredients already in the house.

Step 3: Build Your List By Category

This right here is my biggest time-saver when it comes time to actually shop.

If you shop online and do grocery pickup, this step won’t matter to you. But if you shop in-store, categorizing your list by section/aisle will save you SO much time and energy.

Imagine not having to backtrack 3 different times because the item you needed was at the bottom of your list and you didn’t see it at first.

I use Trello to keep track of my meal plan and grocery lists. So here are some of the categories/aisles I use:

• Dairy
• Deli
• Meat
• Frozen
• Dry Goods
• Produce

I’m the kind of person that likes to go in, get my stuff, and get out fast. So having my list organized like this makes my shopping trip so much more efficient!

Step 4: Add Items Throughout the Week

This is another important step, and is really hard for my ADHD brain to keep up with.

But if you run out of a food staple, add it immediately to your grocery list!

If I know I’m doing a Wal Mart pickup this week, I’ll go ahead and add it to my cart through the app. Or I’ll add it to my grocery list on Trello if I’m shopping in-store.

This really helps because:

• It reduces the mental load
• It prevents forgetting key items
• It speeds up your planning day

My biggest tip is to leave the empty packaging out until you put it on your list.

Sometimes I’m cooking and can’t be bothered to stop what I’m doing to pull out my phone.

So if I put the packaging at my place at the table, it’ll trigger my memory and I’ll actually add it to the list!

My Simple Weekly Grocery Budget System

I’ve been doing this every week and it’s helped me save money and stay under budget!

Here’s how I make this work for my family of 3 with a $125/week grocery budget:

• I choose store brands as much as possible (Aldi really helps with this)
• I stick to my list as much as possible
• I avoid impulse buys (Or deliberately set aside $10 for those super good deals)
• I repeat a lot of core meals (Burrito bowls, pasta and sauce, grilled cheese)

It’s such a simple system. But honestly, this beats those complicated couponing sessions. And my brain feels so much better when I actually follow my system.

How to Build Your Grocery List in 30 Minutes

Let’s recap what you need to do every week to keep your grocery list simple:

• Write down your 5 weekly meals
• Check your pantry/fridge/freezer
• List the ingredients you need
• Add any other staples you need
• Organize your list by category

Honestly, my meal planning time has been shaved to 30 minutes a week following this system. It doesn’t have to take forever!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Shopping without a plan

Having a plan is KEY to staying on budget and getting what you need.

No plan = running around like crazy!

Not checking what you already have

I can be guilty of this. Just look in my pantry and you’ll see 5 cans of chickpeas from when I don’t use it for dinner, but buy another one a couple weeks later.

Forgetting staple items

I’m guilty of this, mainly because I don’t take my time when I add recipe items to my list. And then I inevitably forget something.

Slow down and take your time when you make your grocery list!

Shopping while hungry

This one’s a little funny, but it’s totally true.

When you’re hungry at the grocery store, you’re more likely to add little snacks here and there. And then your budget is busted.

I make sure I eat something before I shop, because otherwise I’ll buy all the things!

Just remember that systems take time. You won’t get this perfect the first time, but don’t worry! It’ll get easier!

Leave a comment and tell me: What’s one thing you struggle with when it comes to your grocery list?