By Karalee Miller,Knight Ridder Newspapers

Some people love it. Others would rather eat paste.

All of us, however, do it.

We’re talking about grocery shopping, the weekly trek out to your local supermarket, the winding from aisle to aisle, the thrill of playing bumper carts along the way.

Sound familiar? Unfortunately, then, so will this. The most infuriating part of grocery shopping often happens when you get home. You’re unloading the car, putting away the goods and then it hits you: “I forgot the…!”

To help put an end to multiple market trips, get the pen and pad out and list-en up. That’s right, a grocery list is the way to go. Already a list lover? You’ll want to pay attention, too. These tips may help ease the list load:

First, make a master list of all the items you regularly buy each week: milk, juice, bread, eggs, etc. You may find it beneficial to outline the list into departments – dairy, produce, etc. – to avoid making round trips to the deli and frozen food section.

Keep this list as a saved document on your computer and print out several copies – that way you have your starter list already prepared each week. If you don’t have a computer, simply write out your list and then make plenty of photocopies. Keep the list posted on your refrigerator door or some area in the home where everyone in the house has access so they can jot down items.

Then, before you head out to the store, sit down and plan your needs for the week. Consider your current stock of paper products, snacks for kids’ lunches and meals for the upcoming week. Add the new items to the master list. This will give you focus and keep you from making unnecessary purchases.

Though it may take a little time creating the initial list, it’s a much better alternative than making several cart-driving cameos each week through your local checkout.