| Oh my goodness, this is my thing! That article is pretty much what I do. I used to keep everything on paper, but now I do it online and transfer the master list (DH calls it the dreaded list) to paper once it's completed.
First, I keep an ongoing list of things I run out of or am running low on such as toilet paper, dish soap, and so on. I find that if I write it down on the dreaded list then I don't forget to get it during the next store trip. That saves me a ton of time as if I forget things, it would require extra trips to the store. My time is as valuable as money to me. Plus, extra trips to the store costs lots in money in gas alone.
Next, I plan meals for 1 week. But, you could plan for 2 weeks, a month, or any amount of time. For each day's worth of meals, I write below it, all the ingredients that I will need. Some items can be put together like a loaf of bread for one meal can be used on another meal. Keep in mind, that leftovers might stretch out the weekly menu, but that's okay as it means you won't have to plan another menu for awhile.
Another time/money saver is to keep a breakfast, lunch, and dinner meal that doesn't have to be refrigerated on hand for those emergencies. For example, I keep tuna and canned chicken on hand. I have a recipe for chicken and dressing casserole that is made entirely in the microwave. I take 1 stick of butter, which I always have on hand, and melt it in the microwave. I add 1 large can of chicken, 1 box Stove Top stuffing mix, and 1 can cream of chicken soup. I cook in the microwave on high for 8 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. I serve with canned cranberries, green bean casserole (also all canned ingredients), and heated up canned yams. This way, if I get busy and forget to defrost something or I am not in the mood for heavy duty cooking, I can throw this together in a minute.
One other time saver is when you make out the master grocery list, keep everything that is located together in the store, together on the list. For example, I put all the produce together, I put all cheeses, milk, eggs, and the like, together, and so on. This saves more time as I don't have to run to the other end of the store to get something I forgot. I also put items in order of where they are first approached in the store. For example, the produce section is just inside the doors, so I have them listed first. The eggs, milk, and such are at the very back of the store and therefore, will be picked up last. I put those down at the bottom of my list. If you aren't sure where things are located in the store, be sure to spend a little extra time making a map so that in the future, you will save tons of time making your master list.
One other thing, I do. Bring a pen to mark off items as you get them so that you don't accidentally forget to get them. If for some reason you do forget your pen, you can always make a tiny tear on the paper next to the items and use the tear as a marker.
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