Shopping lists make comeback as economy slows

By Lisa Lambert

WASHINGTON (Reuters Life!) - Shopping lists are making a comeback.

A growing number of American women are returning to the lists to help them stick to family budgets, relying on a money-saving tactic once used broadly during the Great Depression, according to retail analyst Britt Beemer.

The popularity of shopping lists comes as government data released this week showed that American consumers are paying 4.5 percent more for food than they paid a year ago. And they are being hit twice, also paying record gasoline prices for their drives to the grocery store.

Beemer said in the eight years he has queried thousands of Americans about using shopping lists in a bimonthly survey, typically about one-third said they wrote out what they intended to buy.

Last October, though, the proportion began rising and now stands at 59 percent, Beemer said.

"They're literally saying: 'I can't afford more than this. I'm buying essentials. I'm not going to go overboard,'" Beemer told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Florida office.

Beemer's research focuses more on women because they tend to make their families' shopping decisions, but he said many men are also making lists, albeit shorter ones.

Nicole, who lives in Washington, said she started making grocery lists in September.