My mom's the absolute opposite. I've suggested making lists, and she is vehemently against them for some reason. She'd rather go to the super market, walk up and down every aisle, hoping to remember what she needs. Then when she inevitably forgets something, she just sends me (or one of her other kids, or my dad) to go pick up the thing she forgot. It makes zero sense and does nothing but inconvenience the rest of us just because she refuses to write things down.

The only way that my spouse and I remotely come close to buying everything we need at the store is by using AnyList and training ourselves to add items to it the very moment we realize we need it. I've pulled out my phone in the middle of a doctor consultation just to add "Cat Litter" to the list, because I know if I didn't do it then, I'd forget, and wouldn't remember again until it was too late and the cats were already in active revolt.

And not just randomly thinking of things.

Figuring out what ingredients need to be used soon.

Then using that to plan out what meals will be made between now and the next shopping trip.

The figuring out what’s needed to make those.

Then figuring out what from that list you already have.

Then subtracting the “already have” list from the combined ingredient list of those planned meals.

Then writing that list down.