[zeta0134]

I don't use a list generally, because I have a fairly fixed path through my local grocery store and I know what I regularly need to stock up on. On occasion however, if I'm unsure, I'll close my eyes and browse the kitchen, pantry and linen closet in my mind's eye, to check the contents of the shelves. As long as the last time I looked at them matches reality, I get a pretty accurate inventory and can usually spot things I'm forgetting.

Recipes are the exception. If I'm cooking something I've never made before, there is no way I'm committing that ingredients list to memory.

[ozim]

I have set path as well but I don’t always know what is there in the fridge or pantry as my partner mostly cooks. So we make the list that I later sort to match my path at the shop. It speeds up my shopping a bit and sometimes I just pick something outside of the list for fun.