Writing a shopping list that works

A shopping list is the bridge between your meal plan and your fridge. Without one, you buy things you already own, forget the onion you needed and spend more than you meant to. This lesson shows you how to write one in about ten minutes.

Check what you already have first

• Before writing anything, look in your fridge, freezer and cupboards. Love Food Hate Waste suggests a 'shelfie': a quick photo of your fridge and cupboards so you can check them in the shop.
• Look at the back of each shelf, where food gets forgotten, and move anything that needs eating soon to the front or to an 'eat me first' spot.
• Cross off any planned meal ingredients you already have, and plan to use up anything close to its date.
• If you share a kitchen, check your own shelf, not your flatmates'. Agree separately which staples (salt, oil, washing-up liquid) are shared.

Use a master list of staples

• Keep a phone note called 'Shopping list' with the things you buy most weeks, then copy it into each new list and delete what you do not need.
• Add items the moment you run out, so the list builds itself during the week.
• Typical staples for one: milk or a milk alternative, eggs, bread, yoghurt, onions, garlic, fruit, a bag of salad or greens, rice, pasta, oats, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans or lentils, frozen vegetables.
• Include non-food items such as washing-up liquid, bin bags and toiletries, so you do not need a second trip.

Write quantities for one person

• Write amounts, not just names: '2 onions', not 'onions'. Your meal plan tells you how many.
• Love Food Hate Waste suggests about 75 g of dried rice or pasta per person for a main meal and about 37 g for a side, so a 500 g bag of pasta is roughly 6 main meals.
• Buy fruit and vegetables loose where you can, so you get 3 carrots instead of a 1 kg bag you cannot finish.
• For fresh food, buy for 3 or 4 days at a time if you can shop twice a week; buy tins, dried food and frozen food for longer.

Organise it so the shop is quick

• Group the list by the shop's layout: fruit and vegetables, bakery, chilled, cupboard foods, household, then frozen.
• Love Food Hate Waste suggests picking frozen food last, so it stays colder on the way home. In GCC heat this matters even more: take a cool bag and go straight home.
• Sense-check the list just before you leave, when you are less rushed: compare it with your plan and your shelfie.
• Take your loyalty card or app and any coupons with you.

In the shop: stick to it

• Staffordshire University's student money advice: make a list and stick to it, and never shop when you are hungry, because you are likely to buy more than you need.
• Tick items off as they go in the basket. If something is not on the list, pause and ask whether you will really eat it this week.
• If an item is out of stock, choose a similar swap (frozen spinach for fresh, chickpeas for kidney beans) rather than abandoning the meal.
• Example list for one week: 4 onions, 1 bulb garlic, 3 carrots, 1 bag spinach, 6 bananas, 4 apples, 1 pack chicken thighs, 12 eggs, 500 g plain yoghurt, 1 loaf wholemeal bread (freeze half), 1 bag frozen mixed vegetables, 2 tins chopped tomatoes, washing-up liquid.