023 - Scarily Organised

Eeeeeeeek. Never in my life have I seen someone as anal as this. A fully computerised list that evidently features the items they have bought from Tesco in the past, this list has tick-boxes to show which items are required on any particular visit. Options are provided by way of circled words, such as Creme Caramel or Chocolate Mousse, and Cream or Creme Frais. Blimey, I'm glad there's some choice here! Not to let the shopper off, though, strict reminders are given regarding checking the date and condition of eggs. What's more, there's a whole 2nd page! It's not quite as good as the first side, but I love the way that options are given regarding which sweets and lunchpack drinks to buy. Check out the kitchen rolls though - "Bounty look for best offer". I couldn't have said it better myself.

022 - Korean Takeaway List

Cor, I'm having a bumper week this week. Not only have I added Arabic and Greek to my collection, here's Korean too! There's a bucket load of Korean take-aways (and a large Korean community) where I live, and I think it's great that they've used a take-away order ticket to write down their shopping list. I presume that there are no Korean symbols for Tonic Water.

021 - Commas Galore

Whoa, commas! This must surely be one of the most nightmarish lists to try and shop from. The shopper has used lined paper, but rather than sticking to the conventional One-Item-Per-Line approach taken by most other shoppers, they've just bunged it all together with commas. What's also so great about it is the last item is listed as "and sauces". Now THAT is a list.

020 - Greece and Tesco

Multi-culturalism part 2! Not only is this list partly in Greek script, but the list itself is written on two sides of the paper and is divided into "Greece" and "Tesco". Side two of this list actually features more Greek letters than the first side, which I personally find a bit weird since this is headed "Tesco". I can only assume that they are getting in the mood to head abroad soon, as the addition of Sun Block at the bottom of the list suggests.

019 - International Handwriting

Here's the first of my international lists! While I have set myself the collection specification that I must find each list I feature myself, it's quite handy living in multi-cultural south London. I have no idea what this says, but it looks great. I'm confused by the ranking of 2 as the top item and 1 as the bottom, though.

018 - Oats and Coconut

I've looked in recipe books, but haven't got the foggiest what 6lb oats and 2lb coconut go into. Unless they like coco-nutty porridge, perhaps. UPDATE: I guess my recipe books aren't very good. Rosie emailed to say that they're part of the ingredient list for "snow balls".......coconut, oats, cocoa, sugar, a little milk...... She also recommends them highly. I'll be sure to investigate.

017 - Mexican Tonight

Another list that has the need to add the title "Shopping" at the top. By the looks of it, they're getting Mexican food ready: avocado and sour cream are the only clues, though. I'm not sure they put Twiglets in Mexican food.

016 - A4 Envelope!

This is the most detailed list thus far in my collection. What is so funny about it, though, is the shopper's need to write the title "Shopping" at the top of it. What the hell else is it? Potential names for a baby? I don't think so.

015 - Vegetarian

Maybe saying this person is a vegetarian is presumptious: there's only 6 items on it and it's all fresh veg (and 4 tins of beans). However, the recycling of an old envelope at least suggests someone with a the sense to protect the environment. Well done, shopper!

014 - First Attempt at Cuisine

This is brilliant. A fantastically detailed list of ingredients for what sounds to be a fantastic meal for two is rounded of by the shopper needing to buy a Frying Pan, presumably to cook this amazing meal. The best bit, though, is the last line: Ready Made Meal, presumably in case it all goes wrong.

013 - Didn't Get Everything

Here's someone who had a disappointing shop. Either that, or they didn't cross off all the items as they thougth it would be more fun that way. The linking of Tussues and Hand Soap suggests someone who has organised the list by category, but no! Fruit/Veg are NOT found by Toothpicks.

012 - Butter Coupon

Here's someone who is so keen to save a few quid, they write COUPON twice on the list to remind themselves about the offer they can have on Lurpak Spreadable. I like seeing that level of desperation. I think it's also quite cool the Oxo cubes are defined as Red, Chicken and Italian. Surely this shopper should decide on one format: Red, Yellow and Green, OR Beef, Chicken, Italian. The back of Butter Coupon features this fantastic draft of a letter, demonstrating to us that the shopper runs some kind of casino. Cool! What I find particularly endearing about the casino is that the croupiers are listed at the top: Tessa, Angie, Lyn ... and Pierre!

011 - Friuts - Appel

Here's someone who has a spot of trouble with spelling. This person is healthy, being a fan of "friuits", most notably the "appel". Chicken also features a whopping THREE times on this list in different guises: chicken, fresh chicken and chicken legs. Wow!

010 - Baby Rice

I like the idea of baby rice. Is it really, really, really small bits of rice - or is it rice for babies? I suspect the latter based on the other items on this list. This is also worthy of praise for changing 4 onions to 5 onions. You've gotta love those onions.

009 - Cash

How, and why, you go shopping for cash I don't know. I'd like to, though. This person has tried to copy the style of 005 - The Organised One by arranging items into groups, but has somehow missed the point of it. Steak and mushrooms: fine. Veg and lamb: fine. But group those with milk? Toothpaste and pepperami? Weirdo.

008 - Big J

A reassuringly homeley list, except for a mystery in the middle. What is this strange item by the circled J? Shaun emailed to suggest that it reads "marg" (as in margerine). Good suggestion! Another highlight is the Jucie Jam. Sounds tasty!

007 - Floures

One of the most interesting things about shopping lists is the way that people spell things. Apparently ground down wheat for making bread (i.e. flour) is often misspelt as flower. On this example, though, we see the reverse: this person wants a plural quantity of milled wheat.

006 - WHAT Chunks?

Collected on a rather sunny day, it's no surprise that this shopper wanted to buy some patio planters. However, I'm a little confused by the chunks they want to buy (written in black ink for effect). I have absolutely no idea what chunks they are, although it looks like mango.

005 - The Organised One

Not only is this a neat hand, but also an organised one. Items for different uses are spread around the list, which breaks it down into the following categories: Fruit and veg; Cold goods; Cake ingredients; Dried goods; Pharmaceuticals; Drain cleaner. Green Onions, I thought was a song by Booker T and the MGs rather than a vegetable, though. The reverse of the list is an interesting info card. Use of such a card, combined with the neatness of the writing and organised nature of the list, suggests that this is a member of the Women's Institute.

004 - Healthy Lemon Squash

An impressive Saturday shop, which required a double-size Post-It to fit it all on! A healthy selection of food and health-care products, which I think is undermined by the presence of lemon squash.

003 - Gambling Marmite

You either love or hate certain food, and this person evidently loves lots that others hate. Liquorice Allsorts coupled with Marmite would suggest a man in his 60s, especially since he's after some "crumpet". There's so much to like about this list: not only is it written on a betting slip, but the chap evidently sees liquorice allsorts as being something other than sweets.

002 - Ace PLANTS

Presumably looking to invite some people for dinner, the presence of tonic suggests that this person already has a good stash of gin at home. No brandy or wine, though...or is the Brandywine River from Lord of the Rings? I particularly like the way that PLANTS require capitalisation, and that the shopper evidently thinks highly of them, as they are followed by the word "Ace" in red letters. Ace, indeed.

001 - Boring Coco Pops

The list that started this fixation! Although eye-catching in its pinkness, this Post-It contains nothing more than a boring list of groceries. The presence of Coco Pops, however, alleviates at least some of the mundaneness. It suggests that the list comes from a household with young children, or from an adult who really needs to grow up and eat something mature like Rice Krispies.