A shopping list by aisle: faster round the supermarket

Why does a shopping list by aisle work better?

Because then you walk round the shop once. A list in the order you wrote it forces you to double back: first an onion, then the pasta, and at the till you remember the tomatoes. If the same list is sorted by aisle, in the order of the walking route, you pick up everything from one aisle in one go and move on.

There is another benefit you can't see as easily: duplicate ingredients stand out. If an onion is already under Fruit and vegetables, you spot the second onion straight away and add it on. On a list without any order, that onion stays on twice.

A list in the order of the shelves also works as a check. When you walk out of an aisle, you know everything from that aisle is in the trolley, and you don't need to go through the whole list again at the till.

Which aisles are there, and in what order?

Smaquli uses thirteen aisles in a default walking route. The order is a first guess, because every shop is laid out differently, and you can adapt it to your supermarket.

In the default order, Frozen comes almost last. That works out well: what has to stay cold, you pick up last. If the bread is at the front of your supermarket, simply put Bread and bakery at the top. In a shop you don't know, the default order is a reasonable start.

How do you make a shopping list by aisle in five steps?

Put everything on one list, add up, take off what you already have, sort, and get the order right. This is how:

Step 1: put all the recipes on one list

Make one list for all the recipes of the week, not one list per recipe. That way you see straight away what is doubled up. Also note which day you cook which recipe, so you know what has to be eaten first. In Smaquli you put a recipe on the list for the number of people you are cooking for, and the quantities scale with that number.

Step 2: add up the same ingredients

Add together what appears twice on the list: 1 onion and 2 onions make 3 onions, and 200 g and 0.5 kg of mince make 700 g. Convert to the same unit first, because 0.5 kg is 500 g.

Step 3: take off what you already have

Look in the cupboard and the fridge. What you already have doesn't need to come along, such as salt, pepper and olive oil. It saves money and carrying, and you don't buy paprika for the third time.

Step 4: sort by aisle

Put each ingredient under the aisle where you find it in the shop, such as Fruit and vegetables or Dairy, cheese and eggs. If you are unsure, choose the aisle where you would look first yourself. Fresh tomatoes belong under Fruit and vegetables, chopped tomatoes in a tin under Tins and soups, and your list can have both.

Step 5: put the aisles in your own walking order

Walk round once with the list and notice where you had to go back. Put that aisle earlier next time. After two or three trips, the order fits your supermarket.

What do you leave off the list?

What you already have at home. In Smaquli you tick what you already have on a recipe, and under Always in stock you put what you always have. Salt, pepper and olive oil are in there from the start. Neither kind appears among the things you have to buy, but you can still see them under Already have it, in case you want to check.

You add your own things yourself. Washing-up liquid or a birthday candle isn't in any recipe, but it belongs in the same shop.

How do you use the list together?

Share it in your household. What one person ticks off, the other sees straight away. One of you starts at the vegetables and the other at the dairy, and each can see what the other has already put in the trolley, so nobody searches for the cheese a second time. In the supermarket you don't always have a signal: the list simply works and syncs afterwards.

A shared list needs a household with more than one person. On Free, your household is one person. Premium includes 4, and with extra people you can reach 10. Prices are on Pricing.

How does Smaquli make the shopping list for you?

You choose a recipe and the number of people, and Smaquli puts it on the list with the matching quantities. If you put the meatballs in tomato sauce and another recipe with mince on the same list, the list adds up the mince. What you already have or always have doesn't go on it. The list is organised by supermarket aisle, in your order, and you can add your own items.

The shopping list and adjusting servings are unlimited, even on Free. How to work out the quantities is in How much pasta per person. More about the list is on Shopping list. The app is in Dutch for now. English is on its way.