51 Little Ways to Save Money This Summer

This Ingenious Amazon Find Guarantees I Never Forget My Grocery List at Home

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Credit: Sarah Crowley

Asking for a friend: What’s the best way to keep a grocery list? I’ve tried writing them down on scraps of paper just before walking out the door, printing out a permanent checklist of items I always keep stocked at home, and typing out a list in my phone. Each method has its pros and cons. When I make lists right before heading to the store, there’s always at least one item I forget to add. The permanent grocery list was a great tool — until I got lazy about using or updating it when my home habits changed. Keeping an ongoing grocery list might sound like work (because it is), but it’s all in the strategy. For a long time, I thought a magnetic notepad on my refrigerator would be a lifesaver, but what has actually been the ultimate game changer is the peel-and-stick Think Board .

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The Think Board is essentially a dry erase board that uses the beacon technology from Rocketbook to turn it into a smart tool. Anything that’s written or drawn on the board can be scanned and saved to your device via the Rocketbook app. I bet you’re asking, “Why not just take a picture?” You can if you want to take up precious memory in your phone, but a better alternative is using the app to scan it, because it keeps a history of your scans so your device doesn’t have to. The Think Board even comes in multiple sizes, but I personally think that the medium (10” x 15”) fits really well on the fridge. It’s not so big that it overwhelms the appliance, and not so small that it gets lost. The board is extremely easy to apply to a flat surface, whether it’s the refrigerator or a desk, and isn’t difficult to remove if you ever need to place it elsewhere.

So, here’s where my grocery list method comes in. Instead of sitting down and focusing on what needs to go on my list, I add items to the Think Board as soon as they come to mind. If I’m in the bathroom and notice the toothpaste or toilet paper is low, I go straight to the board and write them on it. If I’m cooking and see that I’m almost out of a specific spice, I jot that down along with any other food I might be thinking about at the time. Once they’ve been written down, I don’t have to worry about remembering them again later. If I happen to pick up an item on my list on a whim while I’m already out, I simply erase it once I get home. Then, when I make my actual grocery run, I scan the most current list to my phone, save it, and go.

Credit: Amazon

I’ve done the last-minute song and dance of pacing my kitchen and taking inventory to see what’s missing, and I’m over it. There’s a better way to manage my household needs and it doesn’t include staring at my pantry for 10 minutes straight, wondering what goes in that empty space that I didn’t account for. Besides, the Think Board is low stress and fun to use! I keep the marker and cleaning cloth in a magnetic refrigerator organizer , so everything I need to maintain the list is nearby.

Grocery lists are just one reason to tap into the Think Board . It’s also worth mentioning that the board doesn’t only have to be used in the kitchen. It’s great in an office (at home or otherwise) or for studying, and encourages collaboration since you can send the scans to multiple destinations; including email, Slack, and Google Drive. The board can also be live streamed, and anyone with your unique link can see it updated in real-time. The Rocketbook beacons can also be purchased separately to turn any basic dry erase board into a smart one.

Now that I’ve solved my problem of ill-managing my grocery list, maybe I’ll dress up my Think Board with some drawings. Ever since the scramble to find paper and a pen has been ruled out, it’s given me so much more mental space to get creative with the task at hand.

Buy: Rocketbook Think Board (Medium) , $24.99

This post originally appeared on Apartment Therapy. See it here: The Ingenious Amazon Find That Guarantees I Never Forget My Grocery List at Home

Britt Franklin

Contributor

Britt is a stargazer and sunrise-chaser with a collection of magic erasers, and a fascination with the fantastic. A storyteller at heart, she finds inspiration in all the small things, and can likely be found singing show tunes, catching up on K-dramas, or going on adventures to satiate her natural-born wanderlust. (Sometimes even all at the same time.) An all-around creative, Britt has worked in various facets with Scene Louisiana, The Nerd Machine, and The Daebak Company, Inc.

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Source : food