Making a list and checking it twice

I need to listen to some of the old Christmas songs and follow the advice they contain. In this case, I am writing about “Santa Claus if Coming to Town”. Lines in that song goes something like this “He’s making a list and checking it twice”. I made a grocery list a couple of days ago; however, I did not check it “twice” before I left the house yesterday.

I did not put light bulbs on the list; therefore, I did not get light bulbs when I went to supermarket. I have to go to the store again this afternoon to get the light bulbs. I need a light bulb for the back porch and for the bathroom. I probably should get two light bulbs to put in the bathroom.

I also have to check my list twice before leaving the store because there were a couple of things I did not buy yesterday. Since I have to go back for the light bulbs this afternoon, I will make another list. In addition, to the light bulbs and the two items I did not buy on Thursday, I need to get a filter for the heating unit. I have to change the filter on either December 31 or January 1.

The advantage of going to bed early

There is an old saying "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I am no sure about the healthy, wealthy and wise part of the saying, but I do know that going to bed early causes one to get up early. Apparently, a human being can sleep only so many hours and if you go to bed early then you have to get up early because you have gotten all your sleep in for the day.

Getting up early lets you get more work done in a single day. I got up about 2:00 AM and already I have gotten a lot of work accomplished. I emptied all the cat litter pans, checked the bank accounts, and made two blog entries. I have not taken the trash to the garage, but that was because it was dark outside. I need to put new light bulbs in both the front door and garage light fixtures.

The problem with putting lights in is buying them. I have to go to the store and get a couple of long lasting light bulbs for the front porch and the garage. All right, if I made a grocery list when I go to the store I would have gotten the lights before they burned out, but I did not make a grocery list. I am a writer and I did not write a grocery list. My grandmother always made a list before she went to the store and she never forgot anything she went after.

I just read an interesting article about lists

I just read 10 Reasons Why We Love Making Lists by Linton Weeks. This is an intriguing article, which tells gives the reasons people like to make lists. It also gave me some ideas for blog entries.

I have some very fond memories of lists from my childhood. My grandmother always made a shopping list before she went to the store on Friday afternoon. My grandparents did their grocery shopping on either Thursday or Friday. The day they -picked to go shopping usually depended on what they planned for the weekend. If they were going to go to Lake Blackwell for the weekend then Grandma Newland wrote her shopping list on Wednesday and went to the store on Thursday.

I don't remember Grandma ever going to the store without a list in her hand. She took a pencil with her and marked the items off as she or Grandpa put them in the shopping cart. Grandma and Grandpa always went to the grocery store together; Grandpa would push the cart and Grandma put the items in the cart. If the item was too heavy for Grandma to lift then Grandpa put it in the cart.

Writing a Grocery List

Now I know why my Grandmother always made a grocery list during the week. Grandma and Grandpa Newland went grocery shopping on Thursday or Friday afternoons. They never went to the store between grocery trips unless it was an emergency, i.e. unexpected visitors.

I have never made a grocery list because I could always drive to the store during the week or after work and buy what I forgot. However, that is not a good option anymore because of the gas prices and the fact that I sometimes take a bus. Going to the store for things I forgot is becoming too expensive (gas prices) or too inconvenient (taking the bus). I am going to have to make a list starting today.

As it is, I am going to have to go to the store for something I forgot to get yesterday. I cannot leave it until the next trip because it is an essential. My only excuse, which does not hold water, is that I did not check to see if we needed the item. I am going to have to go to the store for toilet paper.

I am a writer and you would think that I could remember to get an essential paper item. I forgot, so I am going to have to go to the store after it. I am going to go to Food 4 Less because that and the 99-cent only stores are the place I buy most of my groceries. It's cheaper to go to Food 4 Less and get an 8 or 12 count package then a 4 count package of toilet paper. No more, I am making a grocery list beginning today.