Groceries

One shared list, and a reminder tied to the shop rather than a time.

The scenario#

Two people, one household, and a shopping list that is currently a mix of messages, a photo of a whiteboard, and something one of you wrote down and forgot.

Set it up once#

1. 1

   Make one list and share it

   Give the other person edit access. One list, not two. See collaborate on a list.

2. 2

   Bookmark it

   So it is one tap away for both of you. See bookmarks.

3. 3

   Add a location reminder for the shop

   Arriving, not a time. See location reminders.

4. 4

   Silence the list's notifications

   Otherwise you get a notification every time they add milk. See Settings → Notifications → List activities.

The rhythm#

Anyone adds anything, any time, from any device. Whoever is at the shop checks things off as they go, and the other person sees it happen.

Make it yours#

• For a repeating staples list, turn on a daily or weekly reset so it comes back unchecked. See routines.
• Use headings for aisles if the shop is big enough to matter. See headings.
• Add a widget pointing at this list so it is on a home screen. See widgets.

What this looks like after a month#

The whiteboard photo stops. The main change is that things get added at the moment they run out rather than at the moment someone tries to remember what ran out, which is the actual failure mode of every shopping list.

Related#

• Collaborate on a list
• Location reminders