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5 Ways Backpack Online Organizer Makes Grocery Shopping Faster and Easier

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I have a love-hate relationship with technology.

I love it when technology lives up to its promise of making life easier, fuller and more meaningful.
But I hate it when it forces me to bend to its inhuman operating systems—eating up my precious time in the process.

(For a meditation on technology’s impact on human cognition and culture, read Is Google Making Us Stupid?.)

This is all by way of assuring you I don’t quickly adopt—or recommend—the Latest Shiny Tech Toy. But when I find something really useful—like using Backpack for grocery shopping—I want to share it.

What is Backpack?

Backpack is a free online organizer that lets you create lists, plan tasks and manage projects. I use Backpack to plan weekly menus and grocery lists.

5 ways Backpack makes grocery shopping easier

Using Backpack…

  1. Saves time. With Backpack you don’t have to create a new grocery list every week. Once you make your initial list—and include your weekly staples such as milk, eggs, bread—you only have to tweak the list slightly each week. Backpack’s handy click-and-drag feature lets you easily add, move, edit and re-arrange items. See screenshots of my weekly menu and corresponding shopping list, below.



    2. A week's worth of dinners at Copywriter's Kitchen.
    A week's worth of dinners at Copywriter's Kitchen.



    Grocery lists for the week.
    Grocery lists for the week.


  2. Helps you make a habit of meal planning/shopping. Before I started using Backpack I jotted menus and lists on Post-its, note cards, old envelopes and scraps of paper. Each week I had to re-do the list with its menu, multiple stores and stops. I hated this chore, so I procrastinated and tried to avoid it. Groceries got disorganized, I’d forget items and end up running out again and again during the week. Now when I plan meals and lists, I don’t have to start from ground zero each week. Because it’s easier, I actually get it done.


  3. Speeds grocery shop. Backpack lets you list items with a check box in front of each. This handy feature allows you move quickly through the grocery store checking off items as you go. Backpack’s click-and-drag feature makes it easy to re-arrange items on your list. Some uber-organized shoppers arrange their lists to correspond to grocery store floor plans. Yes, I actually know someone—with the initials C.L.—who does this. And he zooms through the store’s sections—moving through pantry items first and frozen foods last—in record time. I’m not there. Yet.



    4. Once items are checked-off, their font changes to gray and they move to the bottom of the list.
    Once items are checked-off, their font changes to gray and they move to the bottom of the list.


  4. Lets you grab your grocery list anytime, anywhere. Your spouse or partner calls to tell you he forgot the shopping list. “Shucks,” he says. “Guess I’ll have to forget about shopping—maybe you can pick the stuff up tomorrow?” Um, not so fast. If they have a Blackberry, they have the shopping list. Backpack lets you log on—and share pages—from any Web-enabled computer, Blackberry or smartphone.


  5. Gets the family to share household tasks. Ever find yourself angrily saying to your teen, spouse or partner, “If I have to explain exactly how to do it, I might as well do it myself!” And then you do. You do it yourself—every single time-consuming task. Way to be a beast of burden! If you want to enjoy scratch-cooked meals and family dinners you need to share the work with the family. Backpack can help. Meal preparation and shopping—like all new tasks—come with a learning curve. Backpack shortens the curve. The system’s clear, typed format, check boxes and online accessibility make it easier for new shoppers to learn. So now you can “outsource” shopping to your teen, spouse or partner—without living in fear that they’ll come home with the wrong pasta or forget the fresh cilantro.



Backpack lets you edit items—you simply click to open each item, make changes or additions and close.
Backpack lets you edit with ease—you simply click to open each item, make changes or additions and close.

How to open a Backpack account

You can open a Backpack account in minutes and start using it immediately. Your free Backpack account comes with five pages. If you want or need more pages—and additional features—Backpack offers a variety of membership levels for nominal monthly prices.

For a nice overview of Backpack and simple instructions on setting it up, check out this article from Personal Technology or go right to Backpack.

Do you have an online, paper or other way to organize meal planning and shopping? Do tell!

Image at top of post: Million Dollar Dan

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