The Why’s And How’s Of Making A Master Household Supplies List

How many times have you gone grocery-shopping, only to find out upon coming home, that you have forgotten several things?  And so you resolve, from then on, to write down a grocery list before you go shopping.  But then you still forget to write down some things and your list becomes incomplete.  You also find it tedious and time-consuming to always think about what to write down.  This only makes you go back to your old habit of just relying on grocery displays to remind you of what to buy (which is not really a reliable reminder system).  This recurring problem can be solved if you have a Master Household Supplies List which you can simply look up and refer to before you hit the grocery. 

A master household supplies list is simply a complete list of all the items you need around the house.  To organize this list, you can divide it into: refrigerator items, pantry items and household items.  Here are some how-to ideas which could inspire you to make your own master household supplies list.

Ref Items

Allocate a page for writing down all the items you need to stock your ref.  This list is your Ref Items list.  Subdivide it further into:

• meats
• vegetables
• bread
• freezer meals
• dairy products 
 

Pantry Items

Next, write down on another page the list of pantry items.  The subdivisions under this category would be:

• grains
• baking goods
• oils, vinegars, sauces
• beans
• canned goods
• seeds and nuts
• sweeteners
• spices
 

Household Supplies

This list includes the following sub-categories:

• personal care
• office and school supplies
• cleaning items
• kitchen supplies
• prescriptions and supplements
• house maintenance items
• miscellaneous items
 

Some Tips:

• Write down as many items as you can think of.  Remember, this will serve as your master reference list.
• Update the list from time to time, adding in some more items which come to mind.
• Post this list or keep it on your home office desk for quick reference when you’re making your grocery list.
 

Start making your own master household supplies list and you’ll be amazed how much of a help it would be to your family life.