The Wall Street Journal: Want to Save? Put It on the List
The Ultimatest Grocery List, a downloadable PDF shopping list that I made for the book and have available at grocerylists.org, made it into the sidebar on this Wall Street Journal story about the economy and making lists:

You know times are hard when the shopping list makes a comeback.

As the recession takes hold, consumers who used to shop impulsively are seeking ways to rein in their spending, and many are finding that sticking to a list can help them navigate through stores and limit their purchases.

Yes, I meant to post this a while ago. Posted at 7:17 AM Central Time

What would it be like to find YOUR grocery list here?
Maybe a little bit like this:

When StumbleUpon sent me to this site, I actually landed on this page:

Lists Of The Top Ten Lists

Go ahead, click on that link. Now, see that Grocery list written on that square piece of paper on the right side of the page? The one that says, MEAT, CIGS, BUNS and TREATS?



I Wrote That! That's MY grocery list! I recognize the paper and the handwriting, and even the wording. That's MY Grocery List! Is that freaky or what?! I just happen to Stumble to this page about Found Grocery Lists, and there's MY Grocery List!

Awesome. Posted at 8:32 PM Central Time

greenmarket produce scans
Seen in Ranjit's Flickr stream: "Every Saturday, if I can, I go to my local greenmarket (at Grand Army Plaza), buy some goodies, take them home, and scan them. I've been doing it since 2000 or so, though this set only contains more recent ones." Posted at 7:41 AM Central Time

Coupon Sherpa Mobile Coupons: In Store Coupon Application for the iPhone and iPod Touch
"Coupon Sherpa gives iPhone and iPod Touch users access to in-store mobile coupons and printable coupons (found on the Internet) for many of the most popular retailers. The coupons on Coupon Sherpa are for in-store use and not online use. Coupon Sherpa is the logical next step in the convergence of shopping and technology." Posted at 7:33 AM Central Time

Thrifty shoppers 'Sold!' on grocery auctions
"Out of toilet paper? Need to pick up a few things for dinner? Take a number and start bidding.

Many bargain hunters these days are trading supermarket aisles for the auction circuit in search of deep discounts on everything from cereal to spare ribs. Past the sell-by date? Bidders are happy to ignore that detail if they're getting a good deal." Posted at 6:14 AM Central Time

Bizarre behavior in the 'Boro
"Food Lion employee Catherine M. Mosier was smoking a cigarette last Saturday outside the Lascassas Highway store when she noticed a man in his 60s ram a grocery cart into her 2004 Nissan two times, Officer Shondale Clark reported.

'Hey, that's my car,' Mosier yelled at the man who is a regular customer.

The man replied he didn't give a d---." Posted at 8:27 PM Central Time

Thief Steals $1,200 In Baby Formula
Police said a man in Columbia managed to walk out of a grocery store with $1,200 worth of baby formula without being caught. Posted at 8:26 PM Central Time

Retro cereal boxes from General Mills
Wow. Makes me feel like I'm gonna be late for school!



General Mills is putting several classic cereal box designs back on shelves in stores like Target.

Cool. I wish Detroit would do this with cars. Posted at 10:43 AM Central Time

BOODSCHAPPENLIJSTJES!
OK, I know I need to get back into a groove posting things here. So. This is a start: Check out these collections of shopping lists from the Netherlands! Posted at 6:55 PM Central Time

The Top 10...
...IT HAS BEEN UPDATED in the moderately interesting way that we tend to do at the end of every annum. Happy New Year, y'all! Posted at 2:25 PM Central Time

Happy holidays! (Now have a free book)
A FREE BOOK! The book has been given away! | It's (finally) that time again: The first person to write in and request the book linked below gets it for free. Limit one per person and you must send me your mailing address — although we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book. Email me for a free book while it lasts!

Note: If you've already won a book from me give someone else a chance. Thanks!

Gone! Claimed by Roberta of Austin, Texas!
Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost & Found | "Cabich, bird fude, nodiles, buttmilk, dog yogurt, bannes, hare sope, cream of salary soup.* What do these things have in common? They're all items from real grocery lists. Whose lists? Who knows. They were found discarded in shopping carts, dropped on supermarket floors and parking lots, even tucked in returned library books. These lists have been collected into the volume you are now holding. Peek inside to see what people will write on scraps of paper they never expect anyone else to see.

Marvel at the unusual combinations of food the average person shops for. You'll find yourself captivated by this unexpected and off-kilter glimpse into the lives of those around you. Separated into chapters -- funny lists, sad lists, unhealthy lists, organized lists -- the book also includes commentary by the author and some delicious recipes created from found grocery lists. If we are what we eat, then this book reveals deep and strange truths about the average food shopper... not to mention more mundane facts like a lot of people love vodka, banana is actually very difficult to spell and that butter used to be dyed yellow using marigolds.

*Translation: Cabbage, bird food, noodles, buttermilk, dog yogurt (duh), bananas, shampoo, cream of celery soup. —Amazon (List price: $19.99)

Yowza! Just email me for a free book while it's still available! THE BOOK HAS BEEN CLAIMED. Posted at 6:56 PM Central Time

The Food Timeline
We've been busy here, but look for the return of the GLC giveaway in the next week!

In the meantime, have a look at this really interesting Food Timeline:

Ever wonder what foods the Vikings ate when they set off to explore the new world? How Thomas Jefferson made his ice cream? What the pioneers cooked along the Oregon Trail? Who invented the potato chip...and why? Welcome to the Food Timeline!

Food history presents a fascinating buffet of popular lore and contradictory facts. Some people will tell you it's impossible to express this topic in exact timeline format. They are correct. Most foods we eat are not invented; they evolve.

Posted at 8:16 AM Central Time

The Grocery List Collection is coming to Chicago...
Hey! I will be presenting a portion of my immense collection of found grocery lists at an underground art event in Chicago, and giving a talk about the lists, collecting and my books.

The event is sponsored by He Said/She Said, an exhibition and event series held in the home of Pamela Fraser and Randall Szott. They take turns presenting what amounts to an ongoing conversation about art and culture -- Ms. Fraser presenting art and artists, and Mr. Szott sharing the activities of people who work in other contexts (that's me :-). Together they hope to offer up a fun and thoughtful take on current ideas in art and life.

All the info you need is here: http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1327562/

Hope to see you there!

-bk Posted at 10:30 AM Central Time

The GLC on The VSL
Cool. We got a little mention on the very awesome Very Short List! Posted at 8:25 AM Central Time

Awesome advert
Enough people have sent this my way that I have to link it up: "Put your skills to better use."

Though I must confess that I think they put their skills to great use -- and I would love to find a list like this one day. Posted at 7:58 PM Central Time

One thousand nine hundred lists!
Man. It's been too long. I finally added another 100 lists. There are thousands more waiting to be posted. Someday.

To everyone who has been sending in lists and emails... thank you! You are awesome. Posted at 2:00 PM Central Time

Food. Lists. Shoulds. Shouldn'ts.
Here's a mini-round-up of some recently published lists of recommended foods to eat.

• The 11 Best Foods You Aren't Eating


• The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1


• Eight foods you should eat every day


• Ostrich, and the 7 other foods you should be eating


• The 29 Healthiest Foods on the Planet

On a semi-related note (how not to eat), I just finished the 6th annual celebration of National Sandwich Month over at keaggy.com: http://www.keaggy.com/sandwich/. You can see the results (58 sandwiches!) over on Flickr too. Posted at 9:15 AM Central Time

Tips for stretching your food dollars
"As food prices continue to rise it's more important than ever to stretch your food dollars. Over the years I've discovered different ways to save money on food and groceries, and I want to share some budgeting and spending ideas with you this week.

I make a grocery list and 'try' to stick to it. I leave a note pad on the refrigerator to keep track of the food we need to replenish. Before shopping, I compare weekly grocery ads to find the best prices. If there is a good deal on something and I use the product on a regular basis, I buy it in multiples (especially the buy one-get one free items). Replacing name brand items with a generic equivalent also helps the budget. I have found that many less expensive generic products taste as good as the more costly name brand products." Posted at 6:43 AM Central Time

An amazing new book about grocery lists



So there used to be, like, no fun or interesting books about grocery stores and grocery store... stuff. Then Julian Montague released his amazing and comprehensive "The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification" in 2006. A marvelous achievement! Have you seen it?

And in 2007 I submitted my own opus, "Milk Eggs Vodka: The Lost Grocery Lists of America," a compilation of abandoned grocery lists discovered in grocery carts, market floors, and parking lots across the country.

And now here we are in 2008. What's left? Oh, plenty, trust me. Hillary Carlip also collects other people's discarded shopping lists. And she's been doing it longer than I have. She recently put out a wonderful book called "A la Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers," in which she imagines and assumes (quite literally and astoundingly!) the identity of the shoppers behind her found lists and writes some backstory about them. I love it. You will too. More: alacartthebook.com Posted at 8:41 PM Central Time

My new book: "50 Sad Chairs"
I probably should mention that my new book is out. It's published by the weird and wonderful folks at BlueQ. It's a nice little photo book of the sad chairs of St. Louis. No, really. Discarded chairs in alleys. Abandoned chairs on street corners. Abused chairs on loading docks. You get the picture. You're gonna like it.

Check out www.50sadchairs.com to see some page samples and (if you want) by it at Amazon or Blueq.com.

C'mon! Posted at 11:51 AM Central Time