Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for February 19, 2019

Come on Arlo, lend a hand, don’t keep your wife as step-n-fetch it.

Sounds like my hubby.

He’s talking to the electronic assistant.

Hubby learned after about 15 yrs that if he finishes something and doesn’t put it on the whiteboard on the fridge, he will be without it next time. My days of having enough brain power to keep a running inventory of what is in the pantry are over…

Would she go for help when he falls in the well??

I’m constantly looking for yellow mustard in a lid/jar. Can’t find it anymore/anywhere. It’s all squeeze bottles now.

Seems Arlo uses a lot of mustard. Buying the largest container available would be more economical than replacing the empty container with another small one.

Bit of a flip remark. Another strip showing Janis’ obsession with her e-gadget?

ditto…unfortunately my wife is not a list maker, she is a coupon taker…she is not really shopping unless she makes an appearance in each aisle of the grocery.

I do 90% of the shopping and my wife never puts anything on the list, even when it’s something only she uses.

Haven’t we seen this before?

Oh goodness! Do I ever recognize myself in this! Arlo and I have much in common…

Our family has the app “Our Groceries.” Even in the free version (instead of paying $5 for some upgrades) it is one of the handiest apps I have ever used. Any of us can update the shared list, selecting from previously used items or adding a new one, and everybody sees it at the same time. That is handy if somebody is on the way to the store or is buying the stuff. If not everything is checked off the list you know you can add something and it will still make it in this trip. Arlo could have put mustard on as easily as Janis could have.

We have a pad and pen on the phone desk (yes, still hooked to the wall, shut up already) and if you say a shopping item out loud, you have to write it on the list. If you don’t, it’s your fault.

my wife and I make a list, drive a hundred miles, and discover we left the list and the re-usable bags at home. EVERY TIME

Someone has been eavesdropping at our house.

Of course!

Well, Doesn’t Janice do the grocery shopping? FYI, I do all the grocery shopping while my wife does the cooking. She tells me what is almost empty and its then up to me to remember to get it. If I fail to get it, its my fault

I use a paper list on the fridge. Items go on different areas of the paper according to where they are in the store. I never forget my list and I usually remember the reusable bags.

A little whiteboard on the fridge. Whoever discovers we are out of something writes it on the board. Grab the smartphone and take a pic of the whiteboard before shopping.

This is why Ellen and I have a shared list app on our phones. (Also, it has saved uncounted return trips to the store.)

I confess…

I make a list, but I don’t always remember to cross items off. That’s why I now have a lifetime supply of celery salt and pasta sauce…

This used to be us. Alexa changed everything. 100% our favorite Alexa skill followed closely by controlling the lights. I’ve kept a digital shopping list for well over a decade. But husband forgets to tell me to put something on the list. Or husband tells me and I forget to put it on the list. Or (pre-smart phone days) I forget my device that has the list. These days, if I get low on milk, I tell Alexa while I’m closing the fridge. No muss, no fuss, she’s yet to mess up the list except for occasionally mis-hearing what we said. Then it’s “Why is there a brown fedora on the list?”

She’ll remember now.

At least Arlo said something. It’s better than leaving an empty milk carton in the refrigerator, or a cracker box with only one crumb left, and expecting their wishes to be magically fulfilled.