Do you go grocery shopping with a list or do you just "wing it" when you get

If I go shopping without a list I am totally useless!! I would just end up with a load of rubbish, I also get into a panic if I have forgotten my list! Every Sunday I sit and work out what meals I am going to do for the week, what I need and also what bills I have to pay, so if i go out without that all important list then im stuffed!!

For me, I keep the receipts I shopped for last time. I shop only once a month for all the requirements in the house. So when I go shopping the following end month, I carry the receipts I purchased the good for so i shop from what is in the receipt. I don't cook using recipes.

I make a list of the things that I ran out off or that are low. Other than that I buy fruits, vegetables and meats at best prices. If chicken is on sale I buy it rather and pork or beef and freeze it, if beef is at a good price I buy it and freeze some and so on. There is a particular kind of cheddar that I like. Occasionally it goes on sale for $3.97 a block, most of the time it is $7.97. When it is on sale I buy two even if it is not on my list. I cook my meals from scratch so I do side dishes from the vegetables that are featured that week. Last week cauliflower was $.98 a head it was fresh and beautiful. Normally it is $ 2.49 a head. So naturally I bought some. If green beans are on special I buy those. Same with lettuce I buy iceberg, romaine or leaf lettuce depending on the price and make salads accordingly. I have to do my shopping that way because I am on a fixed income but like to eat well.

normally I make a list but it normally isn't a very good one so allot of the time I just wing it.

I usually make a list of the stuff that I know I need so that I don't forget anything, but I usually end up throwing a few extras in the cart as I go along. I usually come out cheaper by buying only what is on the list, but I always like to try new things too. Then there are the times when I spend the time to make the list, then I forget to take it to the store with me, so I end up having to "wing it"

I buy stuff by bulk, so when things start to ran out I usually put them on a list.then I got out and buy them..however there are times that I forget to bring my list--then I go ahead and just "wing it" which sometimes result in missing important grocery items that have ran out--like detergent! :)

I ALWAYS use a list....regardless of how I cook (which sometimes is totally from scratch and sometimes I use recipes as a base)..I also use coupons every week too....and actually I'm trying to get my gf back home to get in the habit of making a shopping list..She's getting the hang of it I think LOL.. I think that NOT using a list is really a bad idea..even if you CAN afford to spend hundreds and hundreds on groceries (though few of us can) using a list is IMO still a great idea..I mean why go out and end up spending a fortune on a few $100s only to find out that half of it you didnt even need?!

i totally should make a list and stick to it,, but that would require time and organization skills from someone who is short on both. i absolutely hate grocery shopping. i tend to get things that i don't need as i look in my cabinets, and see all the items that have not been used.. i could feed another family with all the things i dont ever intend on using. its quite an embarrassment really, and im going to try and improve this whole situation this year.

I make a list, as there is no reason to waste money. The money saved at the grocery store can be used for something else. I cook some of my meals from scratch, so I do regularly check to make sure that my spice rack is well stocked.

I always take a list, but I don't always stick to it :)I might spot something that I'd forgotten, or more rarely, a straightforward impulse buy.

I always make lists before doing grocery whether it is for me or for my husband when he do grocery. Don't want to forget few things since we are not living near by the store. :)

I just memorize what I needed. But if i found something that is really needed, even it is not included on what I memorized, then I winged it. But I prioritizes what is on my mind. I only buy the excess if I still have money for it.

Usually, before I go to the grocery store, I check the items around the house. I just kind of memorize the essentials like everyday food, drinks and toiletries. Everything else I get from the grocery store is pretty much the desirables. But there was a time when I used to grocery shop with a huge list. It was when I was still living at home and my mom thought to train me to grocery shopping. So one time she sent me off with this really long list of everything and a cheque. It was pretty embarrassing since I was probably the only person in the whole store with a list.

I usually buy the food and cooking materials once a week. And before I go to the market, I always make a list in case I will forget something I need. I needn't cooking with recipes. But I need plan what I will cook for my family the whole week. So a list is essential for me.

Normally I will make a list of the things which I want to buy or else I will ended up with extra spending on my cash. Yeah, most of the time I am cooking from scratch and always love to cook from scratch. Like you I also seldom seeing someone with their list in any store I went. As for me, I will always have the list whenever I go for shopping. Like this I can save my money for other things.

i am a wing it kind of girl. i try to make a list but it never works out. i get there and forget to take it out of my pocket. so it always works better for me to go by what i know i need.

I always make a list, then half the time go off and forget it, now I put it into my purse after I make it or in the envelope where I have my coupons so that I don't forget it. I try to make sure I make it around the coupons that I use also, and like you if I don't watch it I would have a huge grocery bill, I take my calculator with me and add it up as I go along. i only have so much and can't afford to go too far over that amount. I like to shop for things that is different and I am one who will make a meal planner and then not stick to it, I hate shopping for groceries now adays as things are so high that it means we have to buy the same old thing every time we go to the store, chicken, (which is getting outragious in price) hamburger and pork chops). ONce in a while I would like something differnet. It is getting cheaper to eat out at McDonalds where you can get a cheeseburger and a coke for $2.

Agreed!! A list is essential but I hardly stick to my list :) I usually cook from scratch but still there are lots of items that are needed always and I can't remember all of them so I religiously make my list. It's another story that when I'm in the store, I often find stuff that is not in my list but I want to buy it. It's hard to stay under budget but I agree that if there wasn't any list then it would be a total disaster. One tip is that don't ever go to the store while you are hungry. You'll most probably end up buying all junk food :D

I make a list. Then once I get everything on the list I throw in a few extra things. We spend way too much money on food, but oh well.

I always need a list. If I don't have one I'd forget a lot of things I need.