BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Organization From paper calendar to electronic calendar

When I prepare my grocery list (I haven't checked Scott Common Sense yet) I put the items on my sheet in the order in which the store is laid out. It's a great help as I go around the store so that I don't have to keep checking the list to be sure I have picked up everything.

That's a great idea! It makes it so much easier when you get to the store. The list on scott common sense is similar to that. It groups items by type - produce, breads, deli, dairy, etc. - in most stores they are all laid out together. It's been helpful but actually tends to add items to my list, haha. I see foods on the checklist and think I should add them too. Oh well!

That's probably what they hope will happen. Supermarkets are fascinating the way they are laid out. I have to admit, the only thing that is common to all of them is the outside wall - Produce, meat, dairy. The rest is set up to tantalize us into buying more than we need.

I really am going to try to plan my shopping trips better for August, as part of my frugal living August plan. We'll see if it helps! Right now I just wander aimlessly and grab things.

I used to do out a monthly calendar of our meals (been slacking on it for quite a while now - probably since my gastric bypass).

But I would figure in 2 nights to go out somewhere nice to eat, 2 nights to grab fast food, then literally plan out a menu for every other night.

We didn't have to eat said meal on the night it was written, but I would just mark through the meal on the calendar when we had eaten it.

It not only helped with our budget, but it also help healthwise, too. Because I could see that I had this many meal planned out with chicken, this many with beef, this many meatless, etc. and I could balance it out thats way.

And I also included at least 4 slowcooker meals on there (basically 1 for each week) - for days that I knew I would be running around like nuts, but we would need something nutritious.

Then I could go do my bulk shopping at Sam's, and only need to go to my local grocery about once a week for fresh produce and milk.

I love my slow cooker - don't use it much during the summer but the rest of the year it is a big time saver. I put it on in the morning before I go to work and voila, dinner is just about ready when I get home. All I have to do is add the vegetables. Stews, chicken, barbecue, whatever I can put together. Whenever I get home from work, my DH always asks, "What's for dinner?" and he's generally home. He will remind me about any left overs in the fridge. Sometimes that helps; but he's notorious for putting together some weird meals made up of left overs.

Lisa, I'm with you, I use both an electronic calendar and a paper calendar. I love the conveinience of the reminders and my Outlook task list, but I also love being able to write in my calendar and keep track of events that way. The kitchen calendar is necessary as if it is not dept up to date I always near "You never told me!" That way, I have a back up defense, whether I did or not, if it's on the calendar, they can see it in writing.

Sarah... I'll probably have to bring in the paper again when my children are older. Now, they are all still young enough that they rely on me to tell them when and where (to bring them as well). My oldest is 7.

I was just yearning for my paper calendar again (I last had a Mom Agenda) and then spoke with a friend who told me she was going electronic - it was too hard to have everything in three different places.

I did have one of those magnetic write on/wipe off weekly calendars. I had to take that down when our new fridge was non-magnetic. I tried to invent one that I could carry with me - to no avail.

At work we use electronic calendars but I still need and like to use paper calendars. I used a clio for awhile but I much prefer paper. I did not get a daytimer refill this year yet but I do have a hard back book-calendar that I may use.