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Food news

Shopping list comeback

Did you know that a shopping list can be used as a money-saving tactic when doing grocery shopping?

A growing number of American women are returning to the lists to help them stick to family budgets are relying on a money-saving tactic once used broadly during the Great Depression, according to retail analyst Britt Beemer.

The popularity of shopping lists comes as government data released this week showed that American consumers are paying 4.5 percent more for food than they paid a year ago. And they are being hit twice, also paying record gasoline prices for their drives to the grocery store.

Beemer said in the eight years he has queried thousands of Americans about using shopping lists in a bimonthly survey, typically about one-third said they wrote out what they intended to buy.

Beemer's research focuses more on women because they tend to make their families' shopping decisions, but he said many men are also making lists, albeit shorter ones.

Nicole, who lives in Washington, said she started making grocery lists in September.

A shopper with a list will rarely buy more than two extra items, said Beemer who is chairman of America's Research Group.

Someone without a list will likely go to the checkout counter with many more items than she intended to purchase. And the current dominance of brand names on people's lists shows that shoppers are paying more attention to advertised discounts, he said.

There was an increase in shopping lists in the months following September 11, 2001, as survey respondents sought to cut their shopping time and increase their time at home, Beemer said. Typically, though, he said, list carriers had been single mothers, keeping watch on their cash and time, and women over 70 worried about forgetting items.

Now, the intent across the board is strictly to save money, mirroring the results of a Gallup poll Beemer found from the 1930's, during the country's legendary economic depression.

"We're not very far today from the mentality people had in the Great Depression," he said.

Do you agree – will a shopping list make you spend less?

yes I agree - my wife always overspends! - Pieter   SHOPPING LISTS It is true that you buy less with a shopping list but I have mostly always had one so it is not coming back in fashion with me. - MOIRA   oh boy I don't ever go shopping without a detailed list. Stuff is just too expensive to wander around the store aimlessly! - Kahea   Yes I have always shopped with a list. Cannot imagine grocery shopping without one! - Penny   True The list makes you think about what you are buying. - Olivia   Shopping list come back I agree, it helps reducing overspending and regretting for not getting the right stuff at that time and have to buy again!!! amen - ria   Shopping lists It definitely helps. My wife is using it since we are married (25 years) and at one stage she even planned all the menus ahead. You buy what you need, and not what you want, which is in many cases a waist of money. - Wolfgang   SHOOPING LISTS Can't go shopping without my list. - Bev   Lists & Calculators My fiance' used to always walk around tallying up with a calculator and a list. I'm afraid the calculator is a bit off putting and I chucked it. - Sally   Shopping List I agree, you just buy what you need and in this way you don't overspend - Tasneem   Shopping Lists You should see me come month-end, I sit with "specials pamphlets" from every supermarket in the neighbourhood sprawled on the floor. Then I write a list, scratch out items if I see they are cheaper at the other store. On Saturday, I hit the shops & only buy what's on the lists! My husband thinks it's not a brilliant idea as I'll be driving around in circles & thereby using up a lot of petrol! I do it, coz in the end, we end up with all the groceries that we need and a bit of luxuries sometimes. - Tumi Ramasenya   Shopping lists Shopping lists do work. They mitigate against impulsive buying. Just watch people without lists at supermarkets on Saturdays and see the difference. - Craig   Must have's I've always used a shopping list as I find it difficult to do shopping without one. Adne another thing is that you buy staff that you still have , and I always calculate on how much I will spend on the listed items of course I will add one or two more items... can't resist some stuff. - Penelope   Shopping with a list I have always shopped with a list, otherwise I tend to forget something and have to find the time to go back - have always been a working single mother and had to fit it in after hours. - Sue   I agree!! I have been trying to teach my wife this for ages but it is like speaking to a rock... - Quinton   Shopping List I shop with a list and it really does save - Wendy Blackburn   Works For me As a working mom of three little ones I can't imagine how people can wander around aimlessly thinking about what to buy. For me a list and pen go with me every week as I do the grocery buying - Saves me time and money and stops me from buying stuff I have at home already! - II   Shopping List Cant imagine shopping without one! I would come home with everything I don't need and forget everything that I do! - It also helps to keep a check on costs. - Susan   shopping list It does work, but I wish I could remember to take the list with me. - Janey   I agree Every month we go shopping with a list, I pre-plan meals in advance so I know exactly what to buy and nothing is ever wasted - we certainly spend a lot less than other people we know in a month on food - GILLIAN   Why don't you help your wives instead of criticising Well, Quinton and Pieter, why don't you stop complaining and help your wives by doing the grocery shopping for a change?? - Jane   Quick shopping with a list I always make up a list. I go into the supermarket go straight to the sections where the goods are I want to buy go to the till and pay and go straight out. It definitely saves me a fortune and especially buying things I do not need (originally thinking they were a good idea to have!!!) and land up giving them away. - M       Name Email Subject Comment