Making a list and checking it twice

Americans don’t eat about 25 percent of what they bring into their home. (That number comes from an interview I did with William Rathje, the former director of the University of Arizona’s Garbage Project.)

How do we waste a quarter of the food we bring home? A decent chunk of that comes from buying too much food at the store. How does one avoid buying too much? Don’t shop hungry. I prefer to go right after hitting the all-you-can-eat Indian buffet.

Another tip is to make a list and stick to it. On that front, I just came across this SmartShopper Organizer. For those of you who aren’t listmakers, this might be the answer. It has voice recognition software, meaning your entire family can speak their orders into the machine. Fortunately, you can scroll through and delete items like the Fruit Loops Cereal Straws your kids try to sneak on the list.

After making your edits, you can print out a list that’s broken down by category. As I’m writing this, I can see my own list on a high-tech index card. I know, I know–so “old school.”  I’m not sure I can justify the expense of going digital, as I’m pretty good about making lists. Maybe if I could program the SmartShopper to make dinner…