This system for making the shopping list has become very popular because of the advantages it offers in the medium and long term. Home economics experts always recommend going to the supermarket or market with a shopping list so that we stick to it and don’t fall into superfluous spending or run the risk of treacherous forgetfulness. It’s a habit we’ve all learned from childhood, accompanying our parents and grandparents, and it’s as valid now as it was a century ago. What we didn’t know is that we were doing it wrong.
Let’s not be so categorical; it’s not that the traditional method of making a shopping list is wrong, it’s just that there is another, more logical system that can also save us time and money. It’s called reverse shopping, and I admit that since I read about it I no longer do it any other way.
The fact that it is going viral and has more and more followers on social networks may make us doubt its reliability – and we would do well to do so – but once you know the details and the logic behind how it works, you have to admit that it is a method with many advantages. It only has one drawback, a small initial investment of time which, however, is more than rewarded.
What is reverse shopping?
The typical system consists of writing a list just before making the purchase of the ingredients and products that we have run out of or need. For example, if we plan to cook sea bass in salt for lunch the next day, we would write down ‘sea bass’ and, after checking the pantry, we would also write down everything that we have used up or are about to use up, such as the coarse salt itself, and the products we usually buy (olive oil, yoghurts, flour…).
Reverse shopping works in reverse. It is also based on making a list, but not of what we have used up before going shopping, but of everything we have or usually have in the pantry, fridge and freezer.
This approach means that we have to dedicate a certain amount of time to it the first time, calmly, doing a thorough review of our entire kitchen. It’s not a bad idea to empty cupboards and drawers or check expiry dates and the contents of the freezer. In this way, we will write down everything we already have, marking with a special note what is about to run out. It is also a good idea to include what we have already run out of and need to buy.
Logically, it will be a much longer list than the usual shopping list, so it is recommended to group the food and products by categories or groups according to what is most convenient: spices, preserves, basic ingredients, cereals and pasta, legumes, fruits, drinks, dairy products, frozen vegetables, sauces, etc.
Once we have our list ready, all we have to do is write down what we spend on a day-to-day basis, or when the stock goes into what we consider to be the red. For example, if we have yoghurt every day and when we take one there are only two left, it’s a good idea to write it down.
In this way, we will arrive at the supermarket with the list already made with everything we need, and we will check in situ what we still have at home and do not need to replenish. Only at the last moment will we have to add very specific purchases that are subject to occasional seasonality, such as meat for a barbecue or a special dessert.
The advantages of reverse shopping are obvious: we will have a much more effective routine of control over the food we have at home, we will waste less time making a list before shopping, we will avoid buying things several times because we forget that we already have them at home, food will not go off so quickly and we will avoid impulse buying or “just in case” shopping. In the long run, we will spend and waste less money.
