Weekly shopping list
Most of the time lost in a supermarket is lost walking: going for the milk, coming back for the bread three aisles behind, remembering the kitchen roll once you are already at the till. The list below is ordered by section, in the order shops usually lay them out, not by importance. That single change tends to save more time than any app.
Fruit and vegetables
- Bananas
- Apples
- Oranges
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potatoes
- Lettuce or bagged salad
- Peppers
- Carrots
- Lemons
Meat and fish
- Chicken (breast or thighs)
- Mince
- Steak
- White fish
- Salmon
- Ham or cold cuts
Dairy and eggs
- Milk
- Eggs
- Plain yoghurt
- Grated cheese
- Sliced cheese
- Butter or spread
- Cooking cream
Cupboard
- Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Pulses (chickpeas, lentils)
- Chopped tomatoes
- Tinned tuna
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Sugar
- Coffee or tea
- Flour
- Stock
Frozen
- Frozen vegetables
- Frozen fish
- Pizza or ready meals
- Ice cream
Drinks
- Water
- Soft drinks
- Juice
- Beer or wine
Cleaning and household
- Toilet roll
- Kitchen roll
- Laundry detergent
- Dishwasher tablets
- All-purpose cleaner
- Bin bags
- Sponges
Toiletries
- Shower gel
- Shampoo
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Razors or shaving foam
- Pads or tampons
What gets thrown away every week
- Bagged salad
- Too much bread
- The yoghurts at the back
- Fruit that ripens all at once
- Fresh herbs
- Opened cream
- Half a broccoli
- The second milk carton
How much to buy, by household size
| Item | 1 person | 2 people | 4 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 L | 2 L | 4 L |
| Eggs | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| Bread | 1 loaf | 2 | 3 |
| Fruit | 1 kg | 2 kg | 4 kg |
| Vegetables | 1.5 kg | 3 kg | 5 kg |
| Meat or fish | 3 portions | 6 portions | 10 portions |
| Coffee | 250 g a month | 250 g every 2 weeks | 500 g a month |
Three things that stop you doubling back
- Write the list across the week, not on the day. What gets forgotten is not what is missing from the fridge — it is what ran out on Tuesday and nobody wrote down.
- Always put the quantity next to it. «Milk» and «milk ×6» are two different shops, and you find out the difference at the till.
- Make the list belong to both of you. If you live with someone, a one-person list is always incomplete: the other one knows things you do not.
- Check the fridge first, not the list. Almost every second trip happens because you bought something you already had and forgot the thing you actually needed.
- The staples aren’t weekly. Oil, rice, pasta and toilet paper last longer: if they go in every week you end up with a full cupboard and an empty fridge.
And if more than one of you shops
A paper list, or one in your phone's notes, has a problem better handwriting will not fix: only the person carrying it can see it. If your partner remembers the bread while you are already in the shop, they have to ring you. With WeeList the list is the same for everyone and every change shows up instantly, so whoever is shopping always has the good version.
Create my shared listPacking list · How to share the shopping list with your partner