It’s What’s For Dinner

Yesterday I wrote an article on the benefits of a successful to-do list, and then last night, as I was creating my grocery list, I decided that that would be another great article to write about. One of my biggest pet peeves with food is when there are two of anything open. This occurred quite frequently with my roommate and it annoyed the living hell out of me. I would end up trying to consolidate the two products into one. My advice to prevent this: either keep only one of that product in your refrigerator/pantry, or make sure that the open container is easily visible, and the second is hidden very well. Another experience that really got to me was leftovers or produce going bad. I am all for saving leftovers, but make it a habit to review what is in your refrigerator. I have had experiences where I would open a Tupperware container or a drawer and the contents were covered in mold, and when my roommates questioned what happened to their precious food, I would boldly tell them I threw that molded crap out. So in order to not get on my nerves, here are some tips you can take to reduce those chances:

• Keep just enough food in your inventory for a month, no more. This prevents waste.
• Constantly review what is in your inventory.
• Before you begin your grocery list, plan out a menu for the week using many of the items already in your inventory. This helps get old items out, and reduces the amount of new groceries to buy.
• There is usually always some weird concoction that can be made out of what groceries you have sitting around. Log on to Cooks.com, the Food Network, or Epicurious and search their extensive databases of recipes.
• Check the circulars for good deals, and modify your weekly menu to accommodate the week’s specials. If you don’t get them in the mail you can find them on the store’s web page
• Clip coupons! I know everyone hates being behind that coupon clipper that takes forever at the checkout lane, but it could save you tons of money. There are coupons in the Sunday paper, and you quickly get a return in your investment on the paper. You can print coupons online at SmartSource.com, search Google for coupons, search for them on a manufacturers web page, or join a coupon train.
• NOW, you can begin to make your grocery list, and make sure you always make a grocery list to prevent those impulse buys.
• Lastly, in regards to finally doing the shopping, try to go at non peak hours, go alone, and do not go hungry. These are all distractions which could lead you astray from your list.

To Do: Make a List

I have always been a very organized person. I believe in structure and patterns and this is evident in my day to day habits. One of my obsessive habits is writing to-do lists, and this morning I realized why I enjoy it so much. If you can keep a good list, one that isn’t overwhelming, not only does it help manage tasks, but it allows you to physically scratch through tasks, thus providing evidence of your accomplishments. Of course, as I just mentioned, you need to know how to make a good list. Know the difference between what tasks should be daily habits and which are actually tasks that need to get done. Try to keep your daily list down to three to five items. This prevents you from overwhelming yourself with too many tasks, resulting in a list of what you didn’t get done. If you have a lot of tasks, compromise with yourself, and manage the tasks over the week. I have a desktop calendar with post-it notes of lists for each day. When the day comes, I take that post it note off of the calendar and take it with me that day. Then, when I complete the task I pull out the list and proudly scratch through the task. I am still experimenting with several other organization ideas, so this is a work in progress, but let me know how you manage your to do list!