Organise Your Life-Grocery List

CREATING A GROCERY LIST

Most of us find shopping for groceries a daunting experience. We get into the supermarket without a clue of the things we need to buy!! And finally...we end up stocking our fridge and shelves with things we will not use.

As for me, I find my shopping to be less time and cost consuming if I prepare a grocery list prior visiting the supermarket. I normally do my grocery shopping once in a month. There might be some of you who prefer to do your shopping once a week or once a fortnight. Regardless of the frequency....a grocery list is a must if you want to have a smooth shopping experience!!

How do we actually create a personalised grocery list???

Well...there are several ways of creating a grocery list...either you use an online software or generate a template manually and update it as and when you need to go shopping...

Let's discuss about generating a grocery list template manually first...

STEP 1: OBSERVATION

Visit your regular supermarket first. Bring along a piece of paper and a pencil. Walk around the supermarket and sketch out the layout of the aisles, including the items which are displayed in each of the aisles.

STEP 2: DECIDE

Once you're at home..look through the piece of paper which contained the information that you have gathered in Step 1. Now...you have to decide on the sequence of which you will be walking through the aisles in the supermarket. Are you going to start from the aisles which display raw and frozen items? Are you going to begin your shopping in the aisles which displays dry items? Or do you just prefer to start from the end of the supermarket, moving forward to the entrance? Just make sure that the sequence you decide is the most efficient in accordance with your habits of shopping.

You will also need to look at the items stored in each of the aisles, and eliminate those that you know you'll never buy. If you're not sure about an item...just leave that item.

STEP 3: PREPARE GROCERY LIST

Based on the information you have gathered in the above steps, produce your own master template. You can choose to do this by Word or Excel whichever suits you better.

Using Microsoft Word
Open a new document. Insert as many columns as you need. Type in the items which each aisle displays. Include boxes beside each of these items (you'll fill them up with the quantities you want to purchase). Leave some rows empty after listing items in each aisle to add any miscellaneous items. Save the document in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template".

Using Microsoft Excel
Open a new spreadsheet. Create as many columns as you need. Type in the items which each aisle displays. Create boxes beside each item to fill the quantities you'll like to purchase. Save the spreadsheet in a proper folder and name it as "Master Grocery Template". Leave some rows empty just in case at the end of the document.

Try to create a template which fits into one single paper. You don't want to carry several sheets of paper when you go shopping!! If you're unable to view the example grocery list attached below...kindly send me a comment or just email me at ramutha@hotmail.com. I will be happy to email the template to you directly.

Grocery List

STEP 4: SHOPPING!!
Print out the grocery list template. Affix it to your refrigerator (use magnets!!) or store it in the kitchen or some place where it's easily accessible to you and everyone at home. Train your family members to mark items which needs replenishment as soon as they go low. In this case, you do not need to spend specific time in finding out which items that need to be purchased, before you visit the supermarket.

You should also review your menu planner a few days before you shop. Ensure that your grocery list contains all the ingredients that you'll need to prepare your menus!! Items that are still in stock or those which you do not need to prepare your menu should be striked off.

And finally, don't forget to mark or colour items which are under promotion or for which you have coupons for!! It's a great way of saving some money on groceries!! You can always opt for select coupon program which notifies you about the available coupons in nearby supermarkets, by clicking on the icon in the sidebar.

If you're a person who's tech savvy or someone who uses the computer on daily basis, you can opt to use one of the various online softwares to generate and create your grocery list. The good thing about using an online software is you don't need to create a manual template...the layout and design has been created for you.

Here are some reliable and popular online softwares which you could try out:

Firefox's Add-On "Grocery List Generator (GLG)

You can download this for free from Firefox Add-ons Website. To install it, simply click on the "Add to Firefox" button and then the "Install Now" button. After that, restart Firefox and click on the pink shopping cart icon in the upper right hand corner. You're now ready to start using it. You'll be able to store your recipes (ingredients, quantities, cooking instructions and photos), grocery items according to categories of your supermarket. You can also sort the grocery list to match your supermarket's walking route (Step 2 above) which could save you a lot of time and hassle.

Everytime you need to go shopping, all you have to do is quickly access your database of recipes and choose those that you'll prepare in the coming week. GLG will generate the relevant grocery list as per your chosen recipes. Finally, just print out the list or if you prefer...save it into your mobile device or disk.

BigOven

This is a Windows-based recipe software which has the similar features as the GLG, but it comes with a money tag and a few extra features. Unlike GLG, this software allows you to generate nutritional analysis of your recipes and provides video tutorials on preparing dishes. You can choose to try or purchase the BigOven software by clicking the link in my sidebars.

Plantoeat.com
This is a website rather than a software. You will have to register and create a login name as well as a password to access the site. You are given a 30 days trial in the beginning, of which once the trial period ends...you'll need to pay a monthly subscription of $4.95 per month of $39 per year to utilise the website. You will be required to key in all your favourite recipes in accordance with categories (e.g bread, meat etc) including the relevant ingredients, quantities and cooking instructions. Once you have done that, just tick the recipes that you would like to include in your upcoming weekly menu planner. The site will automatically generate a grocery list which lists down all the ingredients that you'll need to purchase as per your chosen recipes. Just print the list or use it to directly to shop online via Amazon.com.

So guys...enjoy shopping!! And don't forget to bring along your grocery list!!

Organise Your Life-Filing System

CREATING A FILING SYSTEM

Do you maintain a reasonably efficient filing system to store your bills, important documents, certificates and agreements?? Or do you just pile up your paid bills somewhere in the store room of your home?? Do you need to sit and recall the last place you kept your certificates or your car insurance policies every time you need to attend an interview or you need to make an insurance claim??

It is so simple to establish your personal filing system at home. All it takes is some basic stationeries which you can purchase from any local book or stationery stores, and a very efficient approach.

Before further elaboration.... it is important for you to understand the two fundamental types of files; the permanent files and the temporary or current files. Permanent files generally are those files into which more permanent natured documents are filed into (e.g. sale and purchase agreements, birth certificates, education certificates, insurance policies, bank saving books and etc). Temporary files on the other hand holds documents which are temporarily needed and often replaceable (e.g your paid utility bills, bank deposit slips, copies of your CVs or salary slips etc).

There are thousands of approaches out there which you can use in establishing your filing system. However, I always prefer to follow the simplest approach available...a 4 step approach which is unambiguous and easy.

STEP 1 : CATEGORISE

The first step in establishing an efficient filing system is to clearly determine and write down the categories of your files..i.e what are the labels of your files. The categorisation of your files should reflect your lifestyle and your needs. Some would only want to file in their most important documents such as certificates and legal agreements; others would want to file in receipts of payments and their utility bills. You can easily obtain these categories from your budget listings or any budget templates available from the net.

STEP 2: ASSIGN
Once you have determined the categories of the files, assign each to be either a permanent or temporary natured. Some categories might have both versions for e.g assume one of your category is "BANK"....now you might want to have a permanent bank file (to file in fixed deposit certificates or overdraft facility agreement) as well as a temporary bank file which only stores monthly bank in slips. Just indicate whether each of your categories are P(permanent), T(temporary) of P&T(both permanent and temporary).

STEP 3: PURCHASE
Now...since you have clearly defined the category and type of your files, you will be able to determine the number of files that you'll need to purchase. Visit any bookshop or my online store and purchase the following:-

• Coloured Indexes
• 2 Different Coloured Stickers
• Label Maker or Black Marker Pen (optional)
• Arch Files

STEP 4: FILING
Start labelling your arch files. If you purchased a label maker, use it to produce and print out the labels. If not, label your files using the black marker pen. Decide which colour sticker will represent a permanent file and which one will represent the temporary files, e.g let's assume you bought green and yellow stickers...thus decide whether you want to use green for permanent files and yellow for temporary files or vice versa. Finally, file in the documents according to its dates. Remember to use the colour indexes for each type of document within a particular file, as required. I'll illustrate this using my previous example in Step 2....you've decided that you need to set up a "BANK" permanent and temporary file. You've labelled two individual arch files which you purchased with "BANK". Stick on the green sticker above this label on one file and on another, stick on the yellow one. Green sticker means permanent and yellow sticker indicates it is a temporary file. Next is to start filing in the relevant documents into the relevant files. If you come across a bank in slip...file it in the temporary "BANK" file. If you find another group of document which should be filed in the temporary "BANK" file (e.g bank interest payment slips) ...file it in too. Use the colour indexes to separate the two types of documents within the temporary "BANK" file. Simple!!! All it needs is some practice!!