A shopping list maker that sorts your list by aisle
Paste the items from your notes, your meal plan or a recipe and this shopping list maker turns them into a printable checklist grouped the way a supermarket is laid out: produce, dairy and eggs, bakery, meat and fish, frozen, pantry, drinks, household, health and beauty, pet. Quantities written in any common way — “Milk x2”, “2 kg rice”, “Eggs (12)”, “Tomatoes 500 g” — are recognised and shown at the right of each line. Print it in one, two or three columns with checkboxes, download a PDF or PNG, or copy the list as plain text to send in a chat.
If you prefer your own sections, write a heading ending in a colon (“Hardware:”) and the items below it stay together. The list never leaves your browser.
How to use the Shopping List Maker
- Type or paste the items, one per line. Add quantities in any style (“x2”, “(6)”, “500 g”, “1 kg”, “- 3”).
- Choose Auto-sort into aisles, keep only your own “Category:” headings, or switch categories off.
- Pick one, two or three columns, the text size (large print is handy in a busy shop) and the accent colour.
- Keep the quantities, the date and store line, a couple of blank lines per category, and alphabetical sorting if you like.
- Press Print list, download the PDF or PNG, or use Copy as text to share it.
Shopping List Maker features
Automatic aisle sorting
Around 250 keywords place everyday items — including Indian staples such as atta, dal, paneer and masala — into ten categories; anything unknown goes under “Other”.
Quantity parsing
“Milk x2”, “2 x milk”, “Apples (6)”, “2 kg rice”, “Rice 2 kg” and “Bread - 2” all become an item with a quantity.
Your own headings
A line ending with a colon or starting with # starts a category; mix your headings with auto-sorting or use only yours.
One to three columns
Checkbox lines flow down each column and onto extra pages when the list is long.
Plain-text copy
A clean text version with [ ] boxes and category headings for WhatsApp, email or a notes app.
Print, PDF, PNG or TXT
Vector PDF and a PNG for phones, generated locally.
Writing a list the tool understands
Units recognised: kg, g, l, ml, lb, oz, pcs, pack, pkt, dozen, bunch, box, bag, bottle, tin, can and jar. Leading dashes, bullets or “[ ]” from a pasted list are stripped.
| You type | Item | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
Milk x2 | Milk | 2 |
2 x Bread | Bread | 2 |
Eggs (12) | Eggs | 12 |
2 kg rice or Rice 2 kg | Rice | 2 kg |
Tomatoes 500 g | Tomatoes | 500 g |
Olive oil - 1 | Olive oil | 1 |
Dairy: on its own line | starts a category called Dairy | — |
Shopping faster with a sorted list
- Order the aisles like your shop. The default order (produce first, household last) suits most supermarkets; write your own headings in shop order if yours differs.
- Plan, then list. Fill the meal planner first and copy the grocery column here; the unit price calculator helps compare pack sizes once you are there.
- Keep a master list. Paste the same staples every week and delete what you still have; the blank lines catch the extras you spot in the shop.
- Large print is easier to read on a trolley handle, and three columns on landscape paper fits a big weekly shop on one sheet.
Shopping List Maker FAQ
How does the shopping list maker know which category an item belongs to?
It matches each item against a list of common grocery words. “Cheddar cheese” contains “cheese”, so it goes under Dairy & eggs; “Dish soap” contains “soap”, so Household. Unknown items go to “Other”, and you can override everything with your own headings.
Can I keep my own order instead of alphabetical?
Yes. Leave “Sort items alphabetically” unticked and items stay in the order you typed them within each category.
How do I share the list on my phone?
Press Copy as text and paste it into a message, or download the PNG. The text version has [ ] boxes and headings so it reads well in any app.
Does it work for non-food lists?
Yes. Choose “Only my own headings” or “No categories” and the tool becomes a general checklist maker for packing, hardware or party supplies.
What happens with a very long list?
Items flow down the columns and onto further pages automatically; the PDF contains every page and the PNG shows the first.
Is my list stored or sent anywhere?
No. The list is parsed and drawn in your browser only; nothing is uploaded, and it is gone when you close the tab unless you copy it.