In the summer of 2011, we remodeled our kitchen. When we moved in in the late 90’s, it had the original 1970’s cabinetry, cracked tile countertops, some old appliances, and a peeling stained chunk of linoleum for flooring. With limited counter space and storage, it was barely functional and ugly.

We saved up the money, did the majority of the labor ourselves (and by ourselves, I mean Dave), and finally had a kitchen that was both lovely and a joy to work in. One thing we did give up when we bought new appliances was our refrigerator magnet collection. Magnets don’t stick to stainless steel. The magnets moved out to the garage and now adorn our washer and dryer. While I miss their funky aesthetic, it does make for a cleaner look.

As a compromise, Dave installed a small white board to the side of the cabinetry by the garage door. On it, we could place a small assortment of magnets including my Polder timers. What we didn’t realize was how functional a small whiteboard becomes in a kitchen.

I started writing down things we needed to pick up from the store, mostly groceries. As soon as I see we are running low on something, I can jot it down on the whiteboard. Before we leave to go shopping, all I need to do is pull out my iPhone and snap a photo. While shopping, just pull up the photo and buy what you need.

I’ve tried a few shopping apps in the past, but they end up being more work than I want to invest. This quick method of jotting items down and snapping a photo before we leave has proven to be an ideal way to remember to buy what we need.

I’ve told a few people about this and they all seem surprised at what a simple and effective method this is. I even saw Isa Chandra Moskowitz write about a similar method in her new cookbook, “Isa Does It“. So, give it a try. You may find, like us, that it helps you to remember more easily what is needed when out buying groceries or running other errands.