Shopping Guides

Holidays are comin’! It’s time to get that Christmas food shopping list sorted asap to make sure you avoid a Christmas catastrophe! The focal point of the season in the UK and the USA is the 25th and the big traditional dinner that will be had around midday or early afternoon. You need to make sure that you have everything ready and prepared so your Xmas spectacle goes off with a bang louder than a tonne of Christmas crackers pulled in unison. For that, you’re going to need a good Christmas .

Regardless of the variations and inclusion of family traditions/favorites/idiosyncrasies, there’s still a basic underpinning of traditional dishes that you should have. Therefore, we’ll let you loose with a basic Christmas dinner shopping list that should cover the essentials.

But first, let’s tackle some key questions that often get raised at this time of year. However, you can skip straight ahead to our , if you wish.

Christmas Food Shopping List FAQs

Does it always have to be turkey?

No!

Goose and pheasant are actually the oldest traditional Christmas meat in the UK. Yuletide yums historically even included wild boar’s head, swan, and peacock! Turkey in the UK was first served to Henry VIII for Christmas, but it only became widely popular in the 1950s due to wider availability and better access to refrigerated storage in the home.

Whilst turkey is now seen as a set-in-stone tradition, it’s absolutely OK to have something else instead. You could try more traditional goose, or try duck, lamb, beef, and even fish! Vegetarians and vegans don’t even have to always have nut roast either.

The same can be said about Brussels sprouts! If you don’t like ‘em, don’t feel bad about keeping them off your Christmas items list.

Christmas is a holiday that should be personal, so choose what you and your family like best. If it happens to be turkey, then hurrah! If you actually prefer something else: do it. After all, it’s your Christmas and no one else’s.

Fresh or frozen turkey?

The great thing about frozen turkey is that it’s cheaper and more widely available than fresh turkey. However, frozen turkey does require more preparation as you’ll need to buy it early enough to make sure you can defrost it fully before cooking.

If you’re planning to slowly thaw your bird in the fridge, then the recommended time is 24 hours per 2kgs (5lb). That means if you’ve got a 5kg (12lb) turkey, you’re going to need more than 2 whole days to defrost it fully!

You can defrost one quicker by placing it in cold water, but even then you should allow 30 minutes for every 500g (1lb). Even a small 2kg (5lb) turkey will need 2.5 hours before it’s ready to be put in the oven.

You absolutely must make sure the turkey is completely thawed out before cooking. If it’s not properly cooked, you run the risk of giving you and your guests food poisoning. This will really ruin your festivities.

How large a turkey should I buy?

With many people, the attitude is usually “go big or go home”. But this might not be the best maxim to live by at Christmas. For starters, you need to make sure you buy a turkey that’s not too big for your oven. It’s self-defeating if you’ve bought an avian so oversized that you are physically unable to cook it!

Furthermore, larger turkeys take longer to cook and defrost. So, if you’re planning on getting a bigger bird, you’ll also need to make sure that you plan extra time for both defrosting and cooking.

Unless you’re really keen on leftover turkey curry and sandwiches for the rest of the week, remember that Christmas dinner usually has a lot of trimmings, from pigs-in-blankets to big ol’ crispy roast potatoes. Even if there is only enough turkey for one serving each, there’s still likely to be plenty of food to keep everyone well fed.

Homemade or store-bought?

This is really down to you, your confidence in making dishes from scratch, and the time you have. Making the umpteen Christmas dishes needed for your standard Xmas meal takes a lot of time and timing. When should you start to boil the potatoes for roasting? When must you brown the gravy? What do you do if the trimmings are ready before the turkey?!

Although there’s a lot of pressure to be a domestic deity in December, remember that Christmas is a time that is supposed to be enjoyable. If you’d rather use instant stuffing mix because it saves you time and gives you peace of mind, then that’s fine! If you do want to attempt to make your own Christmas dishes, we highly suggest doing a trial run before the big day so you can build confidence in your ability to cook it, make any adjustments to the recipe that you need, and also get a good idea of how much time is needed to make it. This means that when it comes to C-Day, you’re versed and prepared to make your marvelous homemade feast.

Should I skip the starter?

Christmas dinner is already quite a large meal if you consider just the main course alone. Therefore, skipping a starter might make you feel less guilty about your Xmas indulgence: and less bloated! Omitting the starter from your Christmas shopping list will also save you some festive pennies too.

If skipping a starter is non-negotiable, then try and spread your Christmas courses over a couple of hours, rather than going straight from course to course. This will give you time to digest what you’ve already eaten and prevent you from feeling too gassy, nauseous, or suffer a bout of unwanted indigestion.

But don’t forget there’s likely to be plenty of snacks and chocolates that you might graze on well before the dinner itself. Skipping a starter won’t necessarily leave you and your family famished.

Christmas Food Shopping Checklist

Now that we’ve gone over some of the more poignant festive questions, we present to you our Christmas shopping list template for the crucial main course and dessert! Feel free to make any omissions, additions, or overhauls to this Xmas food list as you wish. This is your Christmas, so make it your own and a good one. You can also of this list.

We all love sunshine and good food, and Mediterranean countries certainly have both. But what they seem to also have is better health than their American or British cousins. But why is that? For over 2 decades dietitians have put this down to their healthy eating habits and a good amount of physical activity. So, why not be more Mediterranean and improve your health and lose weight using our Mediterranean diet shopping list?

Overview

The diet was first developed by Harvard School of Public Health and Oldways, a nonprofit food think tank, back in 1993 as a . It has since evolved into a fully fledged diet.

The whole idea of the diet is about making long-term and healthy lifestyle changes and eating patterns that match those of southern Europeans. It’s not about rapid weight loss or strict meal plans. It’s more about flexible and fundamental changes to how you eat and keep yourself active.

Indeed, there are many underlying healthy eating factors involved in this diet that are similar to those you can find on our or in our . The diet includes:

• Avoiding red meat and sweets
• Opting for leaner white meat, such as poultry
• Eating fish, especially oily fish
• Using plenty of olive oil in cooking
• Eating wholegrain and wholemeal products
• Eating lots of fruit and vegetables
• Having a glass of red wine with your evening meal
• Doing plenty of exercise

So, let's go over the benefits of the diet, answer some burning questions, and provide you with a Mediterranean diet shopping list template to get you started. However, you can skip straight to the end and of the grocery list if you want.

Benefits

The diet has several much-touted health benefits.

Heart Health

One of the biggest health benefits of this diet is how good it is for your heart. There have been into the cardiovascular benefits of the diet. It’s found to:

• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL)
• Increases good cholesterol (HDL)

What it means is that you can reduce the risk of heart disease. But why is this?

It’s because the diet shuns red meat which is high in saturated fat and opts for leaner white meat: namely poultry. Also, its emphasis on eating a lot of fruit and vegetables, using plenty of olive oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and staying active, all contribute to improving your heart health.

Blood Sugar

In 2017, a report found that 9.4% of people in the USA have type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. That’s around 100 million people. It’s also the USA’s 7th leading cause of death. In the United Kingdom, although the figure might be slightly lower coming in at 6.2% of adults, the amount has more than doubled between 1996 and 2015. Diabetes is also a growing problem globally.

But can the Mediterranean diet help?

It certainly can!

The biggest risk to becoming diabetic or developing pre-diabetes is being overweight. The diet can help you lose weight and therefore lessen your chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Because the diet is also about long-term and sustainable weight loss, you’ll be less likely to drift back into the danger zone.

What’s more, if you already have diabetes, studies have shown that the diet can help significantly control your blood sugar levels, and even them over time.

Mediterranean Diet FAQs

If your interest has been piqued, then you’ll most certainly have some questions about the diet. So, let’s try and answer them.

How easy is it?

It’s not one of the easiest diets to follow, but it’s certainly not hard. The reason it’s not easy is that it doesn’t have a defined meal plan and relies on you making changes to your eating and grocery habits.

This means you’ll have to do a bit more of your own planning to create a robust Mediterranean diet plan, and also exert a little bit of willpower to stick to the food you should be eating. A Mediterranean diet shopping list will certainly help.

Another difficult part of the diet is that you’ll also need to increase your activity: a crucial part of the diet. Depending on your current level of activity, and how pressed for time you are, this could prove challenging for some.

Making things easier is that this is a well known and established diet so it’s actually really easy to find plenty of recipes online to inspire you and help you plan your meals.

Do I really need to do more exercise?

Absolutely.

However, this doesn’t mean that you’re expected to be signing up to every available marathon, and end up living at the gym. The diet is more about being at least a little bit more active, rather than pumping iron 24/7.

Being more active can simply be achieved by doing some more walking than you usually do. Try catching public transit from a stop further away to your usual, or making time for leisurely strolls now and then. Or, swap your car or bus commute with a bicycle one.

However, the more active the activity, the better. But this still doesn’t mean sweating away at the gym by yourself. You can learn a new sport, or join a dance class for more social exercising. Whatever you do, just don’t be languishing on the couch or in front of the computer for too long.

One thing you could do to help is to buy a fitness tracking watch or even download an equivalent app for your phone. Whilst these won’t directly help you lose weight and become healthier, they can serve as motivation and monitoring tools to help spur you into becoming more active.

Do I really need to drink wine?

This is completely up to you. There are many to drinking 1 glass of red wine with a meal on a regular basis. This is why it’s part of the diet.

These benefits include:

• Lowering your post-meal blood sugar
• Increasing your good cholesterol (HDL)

It is recommended that you drink red wine instead of white wine, as the ruddier version has than its paler counterpart.

But you should only drink a glass of wine with your meal if you have the willpower to stick to only 1 glass. Drinking more than this can pile on unnecessary extra calories and start causing . These can be in the form of increasing the risk of liver disease and stomach ulcers.

It’s important to note that there is no “safe” level of drinking alcohol. 1 glass of wine with your meal is considered “low risk”, even taking into account the benefits it’s supposed to have.

So, it’s up to you whether you include wine as part of the diet or not.

Is the diet cheap?

If you’re going to include a lot of olive oil and wine, the diet is going to err on the side of expensive. Especially as, the more “virgin” the olive oil is, the purer it is. This means that extra virgin olive oil is healthier than virgin olive oil as it has gone through less processing. But this also makes it pricier. However, you can omit the wine, and/or opt for cheaper oil that is still rich in omega 3.

You can reduce costs further by eating more vegetarian meals than meat. Like with the , you can replace meat protein with that from food such as pulses, which also contains a high amount of fiber. If you buy dried pulses instead of canned, your outgoings will be even less, although your meals will take longer to prepare.

Is there anything I can’t eat?

Nope.

You’re still free to eat whatever you want. However, food containing a high amount of saturated fat and refined sugar should be avoided as much as possible.

This means you can certainly still have that steak or fried chicken now and then, or a nice bit of your favorite chocolate. But these should be something you do from only from time to time.

It might be hard to adjust to these changes and the absence of these treats at first. Willpower and some smart shopping can help here. Try snacking on wholegrain bread dipped in oil, or eating a nut and seed mix. Instead of having ice cream or sugary puddings for dessert, try having plenty of fresh fruit to hand. Or at least opt for low-fat yogurt. These will certainly stave off any cravings you might have at the start, and help you adjust to your healthier diet.

After a time, you’ll be looking forward to your indulgent treats. But you might find you’re not missing them nearly as much as you thought you would.

Will I lose weight?

Certainly.

But it must be noted that this is not a rapid weight-loss diet. The weight loss you will see will definitely be gradual, but you can sleep easy knowing that this is sustainable. You won’t see it coming back to haunt you any time soon.

Indeed, Oldways calculates that the diet innately puts people at a calorie deficit of 25-40% against daily recommendations. Even if you’re being more free with what you eat, chances are you’ll still be eating fewer calories and will start naturally losing weight.

However, if you want to be sure you’re heading towards weight loss, you can always use a calorie counter to keep track of what you eat.

If you want to see more instantaneous results, you might want to consider something like the . However, it should be noted that the nutritional benefits of this are nowhere near that of the Mediterranean diet.

Is the diet healthy?

Exceptionally!

You’ll be eating plenty of fruit and veg, ingesting lots of omega 3-choc olive oil, doing plenty of exercise, and avoiding food high in saturated fat and refined sugar.

The increase of fruit and vegetables in your diet will mean you’re getting plenty of vitamins, minerals, and fiber that are key to keeping you healthy. The avoidance of saturated fat and sugar will keep your calorie intake steady.

In fact, the diet is so healthy that USA News, considered an authority on global diet trends, rated it as it’s #1 diet of 2019, alongside the DASH diet.

Your Mediterranean Diet Food List

If you’re as excited about this diet as we are, then you’ll no doubt be eager to download and print out your free grocery list to help get you started.

It’s so easy to over-indulge. But what’s even easier is the detriment too much of a good thing can have on your health. The fact that you’re reading this very sentence means you’re already aware of this and want to do something about it. It’s the best first step you can take. For the second step, let’s provide you with a healthy grocery list template.

As well as informing you what food you’ll need to be switching to, we want to make sure you know why you’re switching products. Armed with this healthy grocery list and the knowledge behind it, you’ll be ready to fight for a healthier lifestyle and a better you.

However, if you’d rather skip straight to the healthy grocery list, you can here.

What to Substitute

Most of what makes up a healthy eating grocery list is substituting what you already have on your food shopping list for a better alternative. So, we want to take the time to talk about what and why you’re making these substitutions.

Go for Gold Bronze

One of the simplest changes to make in order to create a healthy grocery list is to switch your usual carbs for wholemeal or wholegrain alternatives.

That’s not to say white pasta and white bread are bad for you: they’re fine! It’s just that wholemeal and wholegrain versions are better for you.

Why? Because they’re full of fiber.

The best thing about fiber is that it keeps you feeling full after eating it. This means, that if you’re also on a calorie deficit diet, you’re not going to get those hunger pangs as quickly. Fiber is also great for the following:

• Lowering cholesterol
• Reducing the risk of heart disease
• Regulating your blood sugar

However, do be prepared for these to take longer to cook than their paler counterparts.

A Meaty Dilemma

Being healthier doesn’t mean you can’t have meat. But it does mean you need to more careful about the type of meat you eat.

There are two types of meat you’ll want to avoid:

• Red meat
• Beef
• Pork
• Mutton
• Processed meat
• Ham
• Bacon
• Sausages
• Dried meat
• Cured meat

Red meat has high levels of saturated fat which is strongly linked with high cholesterol and heart disease. Eating too much processed meat over a long period of time can increase your risk of bowel and stomach cancer, and has been linked with other diseases such as heart disease and high blood pressure/hypertension.

However, evidence keeps coming to light that paints a slightly more complicated picture about whether red and processed meat are as bad for you as first thought. But it’s best to err on the side of caution, especially if you’re really keen on becoming a healthier version of you.

Meat you should be going for is white meat, such as turkey or chicken, which you can also buy in ground/minced form. When you buy fillets, go for skinless varieties, as the skin itself holds a lot of saturated fat.

But that doesn’t mean you must cut red and processed meat completely out. If you still fancy having red meat, just be sure to buy leaner cuts or ground/minced meat with lower fat content. This will make sure you’re not getting too much saturated fat into your system.

If you really fancy drastically cutting back meat from your diet, we highly recommend replacing it with legumes. This is because these have a high protein content meaning you don’t lose out on these essentials nutrients. As they’re also full of fiber, they’ll help you stay full for longer, as well as pump you full of amazing B-Vitamins.

For more information about decreasing the meat on your healthy grocery list and increasing your legume intake, be sure to read our .

Fishy Business

One thing you should definitely be including on your healthy grocery list is fish. But not just any old fish: oily fish.

There isn’t anything wrong with non-oily fish: they’re still a great source of protein and contain many minerals and vitamins. However, oily fish contain a lot of omega 3 oils, which are attributed to:

• Lowering the risk of heart disease
• Reducing cholesterol
• Improving memory
• Reducing the risk of dementia
• Preventing cancer

In the UK, the National Health Service recommends eating two portions of fish a week as part of your healthy meals, with one of them being made of oily fish.

Don’t Milk It

Milk is something that many of us have day in and day out. So it’s no surprise that making some changes to the milk you use can also result in better healthy eating. Like with other food, going for low-fat versions of dairy products will help you get healthier quicker.

So swap that creamy full-fat milk for semi-skimmed (half and half), or even go the whole hog and go skimmed (1%)!

You can even try replacing mammal milk with milk alternatives, like almond or soya milk. But be careful. Different types of milk alternatives have of protein, fat, and nutrients compared to each other as well as animal milk. But these are certainly the way forward if you’re worried about the dairy industry’s impact on the environment or the treatment of animals in the production of milk and milk products.

Fight (Bad) Fat with (Good) Fat

Whilst we’ve spent some time extolling the virtues of cutting down your intake of saturated fat, not all fat is bad for you. Indeed, fat contains some of the proteins that are required to make our body function properly.

Therefore, when making a healthy grocery list, you need to make sure you’re getting the right kind of fat. You can do this by replacing your usual fatty products, such as oils and spreads, with ones that are better for you.

Regarding oil, it’s best to steer away from vegetable oil and opt for rapeseed, linseed, or olive oil. That’s because all these contain omega-3 like you find in oily fish.

For things like spreads, consider swapping out butter for margarine on your healthy food list. You can also find spreads which have been infused with healthy oil, like olive oil, to ensure you get extra benefits beyond simply reducing your saturated fat intake.

Be Bitter About Sugar

As much as saturated fat has gotten the blame for a whole host of problems for quite some time, people are now starting to put refined sugar under scrutiny. Calories from sugar that don’t get used up get turned into body fat. Too much sugar can also cause type 2 diabetes. Therefore, the amount of sugar added to food during processing has started to be blamed for large increases in obesity.

This means you should also be making sure as much refined sugar stays off your healthy grocery list. The problem is everyone loves a sweet treat and craves sugary goodness from time to time.

But there are a few ways to stave off these urges.

• Freeze some grapes - these can provide a chilly and tasty treat
• Go dark with your chocolate - if you love chocolate, chances are this is going to be difficult to give up. Instead, start eating more dark chocolate. Higher cocoa content means there’s more of the bitter main ingredient that makes up chocolate, and less added refined sugar and oil.
• FroYo because YOLO - frozen yogurt is a great alternative to ice cream because it contains a lot less saturated fat. But be careful not to over-indulge, as some types can still contain a lot of refined sugar.
• Eat fruit or veg-based cakes - As fruit and veg can are natural sources of natural sugar, they can be used to sweeten some things instead of refined sugar. If you fancy some cake (and let’s face it, who doesn’t), try carrot, beetroot, banana, or zucchini cake, to name but 4 possibilities. The natural sugars contained in the vegetables and fruit used will either replace or lower the need for refined sugar to be added. What’s more, these are also higher in fiber and vitamins making them all-around healthier cakes. In some cases, the high fruit/veg content means a slice could contain a full portion of your greens!

Survive a Snack Attack

One of the biggest issues with dieting is the hunger pangs. It’s highly likely you’re going to feel the urge to snack, especially if you’re on a calorie deficit diet. But that’s ok. If you are going to snack, it’s best to make sure that what you’re eating between meals isn’t going to undo your hard work. Even if you’re not dieting and just wanting to become healthier, this is a great way to stay on the straight and narrow.

• Air-popped popcorn - this is a great alternative to chips/crisps. Popcorn is a light, low in calories, and comes as either savory or sweet snacks.
• Fresh Fruit - this is hardly big news, but eating some fresh fruit is still one of the best ways to snack. Our only advice is to be honest with yourself with the amount you buy. The last thing you’ll want to do is buy so much that you end up with food waste instead of a trim waist.
• Fruit, nut, and seed mixes - another great way to snack is to buy or make your own fruit and nut mixes, such as trail mix. This will provide you with extra protein and fiber as well as satisfy your search for sugar. Pre-made mixes are available and super convenient but tend to cost a lot more.

I’ll Drink To That

Drinks can also be a surprising substance that can pump you full of saturated fat and sugar. But, thankfully, it’s not difficult to make some tweaks to combat this. One of the best things to do is to drink as much plain water as you can. But we know this can become a little boring. Therefore, having some more flavorsome drinks to quench your thirst certainly wouldn’t go amiss.

• Use sweeteners instead of sugar - if you do like your hot drinks as sweet as you are, switch to an artificial sweetener instead of using refined sugar. But don’t go overboard. Many contain phenylalanine, which people who suffer from phenylketonuria (PKU) should absolutely avoid. Also, consuming too many artificial sweeteners in a short period can cause diarrhea and other gastric issues.
• Use low-fat milk - if you love your lattes or prefer a lighter shade of brown in your tea, you can cut back on the saturated/fat in these simply by going for reduced-fat milk. You can also try milk alternatives.
• Pop your soda habit - soda/fizzy drinks can also contain a lot of sugar unless you’re drinking diet versions. But if you really fancy some fizz in your life, then you can make a healthier alternative by mixing some fresh fruit juice with some soda water.
• Get fresh with fruity fruit tea - If you like hot drinks, this can be another way of having delicious drinks without piling on the pounds. Instead of opting for a soda, try having a warming fruit or green tea instead. This will quench your thirst and add some fruity flavor to your day.

Healthy Eating FAQs

Must I Use Reduced-Fat Alternatives?

If we’re going to be honest, we know that some low-fat alternatives to some products don’t taste very good. We also think that, even when on a diet, food should be enjoyable. If it’s not, dieting and diet adjustments become a chore, making you resentful and less likely to stick to these.

Therefore, we think that if you really don’t like a low-fat alternative, then stick to your regular kind. Just make sure you’re making enough adjustments elsewhere on your healthy grocery list to offset the changes.

We highly recommend trying alternatives. For example, if 1% milk leaves a bad taste in your mouth, then try soy or almond milk instead. You never know, you might even prefer these healthier alternatives to what you’re used to!

Fresh or Frozen Fruit and Veg?

Fresh fruit and vegetables are always the healthiest options, right? Generally, the answer is yes. But you need to have the time and the skills to prepare them.

But frozen fruit and veg is not something to be sniffed at. that frozen fruit and veg lose little to none of their nutrients compared to their fresh counterparts. Giving fresh produce a very cold shoulder by going frozen will not make an indent on your health.

However, frozen fruit and vegetables do tend to be more expensive in terms of cost overweight. But they have the added advantage of lasting a lot longer, cutting down on food waste whilst you’re at it. Chopped/prepared varieties can also save a lot of time in the kitchen.

Is it possible to make a healthy grocery list on a budget?

Yes.

But it will take a little more effort.

The problem with so many diets and proclaimed healthy alternatives is that they can be quite pricey, meaning you won’t just be tapering your waist, but also slimming down your bank account.

But it's far from impossible to do this. If you’re on a budget, you might want to consider:

• Buying fresh fruit and vegetables instead of frozen
• Buying dried legumes instead of tinned
• Making your own alternatives at home, such as almond milk

Even if you’re not able to make all the changes to a healthy food list that you’d want/can afford, even just making some changes will start having a positive impact on your health.

Doing what you can is far better than doing nothing.

Do I also need to exercise?

Absolutely!

You’ll certainly be reaping some benefits from merely making adjustments to your diet. But being active will really help with weight loss.

However, we don’t mean that you should start spending hours at the gym and/or training for a marathon straight off the bat. Doing (around 30 minutes per day) will be enough to keep you on the straight and narrow. This can be done in the form of:

• Doing some extra brisk walking - this can be achieved by doing things such as going to a transit stop further away from your usual, as well as making time to take a leisurely walk
• Dancing - it’s not only great fun, but it’s also great exercise. Even a gentle waltz gets the blood pumping and your feet moving. Consider taking a dancing course or attend some dance socials.
• Cycling - switch your bus for a bike. It helps you work up a sweat on your way to work, even if your speed isn’t quite that of Bradley Wiggins. It might also save you money in the long term over public transport. However, cycling is not cost-free, and you’ll need to factor in safety equipment, maintenance, and repairs into your monthly budget.

Your Healthy Grocery List

Now that we’ve gone through the rhyme and the reason for what changes you need to create your own healthy grocery list. You can also download a .

Music festivals are awesome! But unless you have a comprehensive music festival packing list to help you prepare, you’re not going to get as much out of them as you can.

Festival Frenzy

Every year thousands of music lovers head to their favorite outdoor festivals around the world:

• 135,000 people at Glastonbury
• 250,000 at Coachella
• 700,000 at Rock in Rio
• 400,000 at Tomorrowland

And that’s only a handful of festivals on offer!

All these people endure heat, rain, dirt, crowds, and long hours of standing and dancing, whilst having the time of their lives.

Despite all the craziness, many will prepare a festival checklist to ensure they have all the essential items before they arrive. This means they can maximize their time dancing and listening to great music, and not worry about whether they forgot anything important.

Whether you’re a first-timer or a regular festival-goer, this festival essentials checklist will help you sort out everything that you really need to take with you. You can even skip straight to our free printable shopping list if you're ready and raring to go.

Music Festival Packing List

Festival Essentials

It may be just a couple of days and you might think that you don’t need that many things on your music festivals packing list.

But let’s start with the absolute unmissables on your festival packing list: money and a mobile phone. You’ll need money to buy food and beverages, and a phone to keep in contact with your friends.

Let’s focus a bit more on your mobile phone.

Apart from being contactable, another purpose of bringing a phone to a music festival is using the internet to post pictures on social media, use messaging apps, or simply check the weather. For this, you’ll definitely need a smartphone.

But you may want to get an old or cheap phone instead.

Why?

The big advantage is that it’s not a big deal if it gets lost or stolen. Plus, these tend to have a longer battery life.

Either way, you should take a portable phone charger. Most festivals are in the middle of fields, or even deserts, where there’s nowhere to charge your phone. Whilst some festivals do have phone charging points, it’s likely you’re going to need to wait in a long line to charge your phone at these, which means missing out on the music.

You can pack all of the above in a belt bag which will keep both your money and your mobile safe and in easy reach.

Other things on your festival checklist should include sunscreen, and a hat or a headscarf,  to keep you safe from the sun, especially if your festival takes place during the summer. Even if it’s not too sunny, dangerous UV rays can still penetrate clouds and give you uncomfortable sunburn and put you at risk of heatstroke and skin cancer. Better to be safe rather than sorry.

You should take sunglasses as well. This will help you watch your favorite bands without having to squint on brighter days.

Further items to have on your music festival packing list are:

• Trash bags - these multipurpose wonders are not only useful when cleaning your campsite, but they may become a DIY raincoat or a ground blanket
• Water bottle - bottled water may be expensive in a festival area but tap water is free.
• Wet wipes - a must! This may become your emergency shower and can make using portable toilets a little less unpleasant.

Camping Checklist

If you’re not planning to sleep at a hotel while being at a music festival, you’ll most probably be camping. And why not!

Not only does camping keep you on site and close to the center of all the action, but it also plays a huge role in creating that alluring, magical atmosphere of outdoor festivals. That’s why it’s so important not to leave anything related to camping off your music festival packing list.

The most important item is a tent. Choose the one which has enough sleeping space and a place for your backpack and other necessities.

The next thing you absolutely can’t forget is a sleeping bag. Depending on the location of a festival and its typical temperatures, choose a sleeping bag that will keep you warm enough at nights, as these can be surprisingly cold especially during late summer. You may also take a blanket with you for extra warmth and comfort.

But that’s not all.

We bet you don’t want to catch a cold because of sleeping on the bare ground. Not to mention the grass isn’t as comfortable to sleep on as it is to sit. So, take a sleeping mat, or an air mattress to make it comfier.

If you’re taking an air mattress you’ll need to take an air pump as well. You’ll also need to spend time inflating the mattress instead of enjoying the festival, and if you get a puncture you’re back to sleeping on the cold hard ground unless you have a puncture repair kit with you. 

A multi-tool, a knife, and a tarp are also good to have, as sometimes you need to prepare the ground before pitching a tent. A mallet or a hammer will also help you with pitching a tent.

Now, imagine the nighttime and the complete darkness. You’re tired and maybe a bit worse for wear, but you want to find your pajamas, your bottle of water, or even your teddy bear. Or maybe you just really want to get inside your tent as quickly as possible without too much tripping up, stumbling, or even getting into the wrong tent! A headlamp or a flashlight makes nighttime at music festival much easier.

What may turn out extremely useful is a camping lantern which you can hang up in the middle of your tent ceiling. It will provide the light for the whole tent and will free your hands from holding a flashlight.

It may be a good idea to take extra batteries with you just in case your lamps and lights go out unexpectedly.

One final item for your festival checklist when camping is a flag. This will help you locate your tent among thousands of others. But make sure it’s distinctive and recognizable.

Festival Wear

Although festival season is in summer, we all know that the weather can be unpredictable even at the best of times.

First of all, be prepared for hot days by packing warm weather clothes, such as shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, and dresses.

But forget about playsuits. They might be fun and comfortable but can be bothersome and embarrassing when having to answer a call of nature!

Also pack some warm clothing, such as a long-sleeved sweatshirt, long trousers, a hoodie, or a sweater. Don’t assume that because it’s summer it must be warm. Sometimes it gets cold, especially at night.

But don’t forget about the rainy moments either. Be sure to pack some wet weather gear, such as a raincoat and rubber boots. These will keep you dry and make you laugh in the face of any mud. You could even make do with bringing some disposable ponchos if you’re worried about packing space, as these are lightweight and don’t take up too much room.

Also, make sure comfortable footwear like boots, trainers, flip flops make it onto your music festival packing list. But make sure they’re ones you don’t want to get ruined. They’re honestly not going to look too good after a festival.

What else is necessary? 

Swimwear is useful when you’re having a shower (if possible) and when it’s too hot to wear any other clothes: which is totally acceptable at music festivals!

Toiletries

Music festivals are sometimes wild: you lose yourself to music and forget about the whole world. But there are some things you probably should keep in mind:

Health and hygiene.

Be sure to put together a bag of your toiletries and any medication essentials for your music festival packing list, but only in sensible amounts.

Let’s start with cleaning products:

• Hand sanitizer and dry shampoo - may only temporarily help you to stay clean but you’ll be glad you have them, especially if access to showers is hard or non-existent. There’s so much to do and to see, not to mention the lack of facilities to clean your hair and body properly.
• Deodorant - to protect your skin from heat, dirt, and sweat, and others from unpleasant odors

You should buy the mini versions of your favorite products, or simply decant them into small empty containers similar to what you can buy to take liquids through airports.

Don’t forget your shower essential: a towel. To save space in your backpack, you can take a microfibre towel. Not only is it thin and light but it also absorbs more water than a regular towel and dries quicker. And it’s so soft!

What about basic first aid at music festivals? You can easily buy a mini emergency kit which will provide you with all the basics for small injuries and accidents. It’s also a good idea to pack some painkillers for minor ailments. Plus, don’t leave any personal medication off your festival essentials checklist.

Here are also some other accessories that should make your festival checklist:

• Contraceptives - both men and women should take them. Even if you don’t plan to make use of these, sometimes the unexpected can happen. Condoms are highly recommended as not only do they prevent pregnancy, but they also protect you from catching STIs.
• Sanitary products - you never know when your period will appear

Festival Miscellany

You can survive without some gadgets and miscellany at a music festival. It’s just a couple of days. But some of that you might want to consider adding these items to your music festival packing list to make your life easier:

• Small battery-operated fan - to help you stay as cool as you look
• Small plastic bags - protect your phone from liquid substances. You may also put your accessories or other tiny things inside these to keep them dry and in one place.
• Portable chair - so you can sit down whenever and wherever you want
• Portable speaker - for listening to your own jams when the bands have finished
• Selfie stick - for the perfect festival selfie or groupie

Festival Shopping List

There you go. Your music festival packing list is ready, and so are you! You can check out the list below or .

Shopping lists have been around for as long as anyone could write, with evidence dating back ! But why do we make them? Sure, they’re convenient. But did you know there’s a load of psychology behind why we like to make lists. There's some some surprising mental benefits, too.

Let us indulge your curiosity about making shopping lists' mental benefits.

Mental Benefit #1: They Improve Our Memory

This probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise to people, and is probably the most obvious mental benefit.

Our brains are pretty good with memory, and we put a lot of trust in them. But they’re not always perfect. We can guarantee you went to the grocery store without a shopping list and came home to find you’ve forgotten at least one item.

One study has constantly been cited when it comes to shopping lists and memory: in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. It found that over 80% of items that are placed on a shopping list are ultimately bought.

“...shopping lists appear to be an effective external memory storage device for grocery purchasing”, says the study.

But it’s not just the mere fact you’ve made a shopping list that helps us remember things. The format which we make shopping list in is also a great help.

That’s because our brains .

This means that we not only remember pieces of information, we also remember their location. Because shopping lists are very clean and simple it’s very easy for us to remember items by simply recalling their position on the list.

“...it’s hard to memorize through brute force the groceries we need to buy,” says Maria Konnikova in the . “It’s easier to remember everything if we write it down in bulleted, or numbered, points.”

Writing and taking a shopping list with you is the most effective way to make sure you get everything you need. But the mere process of making a list makes your groceries more memorable.

So, if you make a list and leave it at home, chances are you’re likely to remember items on the list. Just recall where they were written.

Mental Benefit #2: They Make Shopping Easier

Lists are the perfect way to make a task seem so much more doable. means it’s easier for the brain to process it, and helps relieve some stress. It can even “trick” you into being more productive.

Indeed, shopping lists are inherently doing this already. You don’t just put down “spaghetti bolognese” on your shopping list and then try and remember everything you need for it. You break the meal down into its ingredients, which makes the task of shopping to make one a lot easier.

But what also makes the task of shopping easier with a shopping list is because the layout makes it quick and easy for our brains to understand them.

This is because we love to read in an F-pattern.

Several years ago, using eye-tracking on webpages, found that readers read in a pattern that roughly resembles an F. This means that at the top of the page they’ll read quite far to the right, but the further down it they go, they less their eyes move right. This research had a dramatic impact on how people write, especially for the internet. This research is often credited/blamed for fueling the rise of “listicals”.

It’s much easier and quicker to look at a shopping list and then know what we need to buy. This is because it fits this F-pattern quite nicely. It’s much simpler than trying to take in a list of ingredients written in paragraph form, saving a lot of time and effort.

Furthermore, shopping lists take away the .

Sometimes, having too much choice can actually make things more difficult. It causes us to be more dissatisfied with the choice we eventually make. What should we choose? What is the better choice? Apples, oranges, or pears?

A shopping list can make all the decisions we need before we even enter the shop, from the type of cheese we want to what meals we plan on cooking. This means you can shop with focus and intent, making the trip easier and quicker. It can also be a tool in helping you fight that grocery stores use to make us spend more.

Mental Benefit #3: They Help Us Focus Better

As well as helping us keep focus when we’re shopping, one unexpected mental benefit of a shopping list is that it can also help us focus better in the rest of our lives.

A study in 1928 by Russian psychologist showed that unfinished tasks can produce intrusive thoughts to try and encourage someone to get it finished asap. It shows that our brains constantly hold onto a task until it is completed.

Following on from this, a study done at found that planning can actually help limit the cognitive dissonance caused by uncompleted tasks.

In this particular study, two teams were given a preliminary task to complete before a main one. One team could prepare for the preliminary task, whilst the other couldn’t, but neither team were allowed to finish it. So, both teams should have experienced interruptions to their trains of thought during the main task, right? Wrong!

The team that were able to make preparations performed better on the main task compared to the team who weren’t allowed to prepare. This is because the plan assured their brains that the unfinished task was able to be finished later on.

“...a plan reduces the amount of thoughts and attention that are typically recruited in service of an unfulfilled goal. Thoughts of an incomplete goal will not interfere with current concerns so long as a plan has been made to see the goal through later on,” concludes the study.

Making a shopping list means your mind doesn’t need to worry about the shopping anymore. It helps to reduce anxiety regarding shopping. If you make your shopping list in the morning, your brain can forget it for the entire day. Then, you can focus and get on with the rest of your life, uninterrupted, until it’s time to go to the grocery store.

Mental Benefit #4: They Make Us Feel Good

Completing a list is satisfying. Ever finished a to-do list and thought, “Yeah. That’s the stuff. I feel goooooooood”?

Of course you have! It’s human nature.

That’s because your brain literally makes you feel great when completing a task. Even for the smallest of successes, the brain triggers the release of the chemical which makes us feel elated.

This is one of the reasons where the advice for making a shopping list’s close cousin, a to-do list, is to break tasks down to as many simple ones as possible. Not only does it make the task easier to understand, but all those little releases of dopamine from completing these smaller tasks can greatly help with the motivation to complete your list.

The same goes for shopping lists. If you’ve managed to complete your shopping list in one shop, you’re going to feel damn good about it. Even if you there are some items remaining, you’ll still feel good about the items you have been able to pick up and cross off.

Shopping List Your Way To Happiness

So there you have it. If you’re someone who really enjoys making , now you know why. Not only do they have several mental benefits, they're also good for your mental health.

If you don’t usually make shopping lists, maybe these 4 mental benefits will be enough to encourage you to start making one.

First carved pumpkins appear in the neighborhood. Then you start noticing paper bats, plastic spiders, and spiderwebs in the stores. Halloween is approaching! Can’t wait to get into the Halloween vibe? Why not begin your spooky preparations with some Halloween ghost decorations?

But Halloween shopping can cost a lot and you may be concerned about the amount of money you’re spending this Halloween. In 2017, the National Retail Federation estimated that 72% Americans will spend $2.7 billion dollars on decorations. That’s a frightening fortune!

But there are lots of ways to cut down on your costs this Halloween. One way is to make your own Halloween decorations.

If you’re finding the amount of choice for DIY Halloween decorations a bit overwhelming, why not start by focusing on one type of decoration? Here, we’ll give you 13 ghoulish Halloween ghost decorations, complete with a shopping list for each one.

Cheap and Simple Halloween Ghost Decorations Shopping Dos and Don’ts

Before you start your Halloween shopping, here are some tips to help you out.

Don’ts

Don’t head to a Halloween-themed store as your first shopping destination if you have still plenty of time before the celebrations. Only go there if you really can’t find what you want anywhere else. The prices there are usually much higher than in other stores, such as supermarkets, where you can find the same or similar items.

Dos

Do plan your Halloween decorations shopping with a shopping list. You can even use a shopping list app, like Listonic, which is full of handy features like your shopping list with others. A shopping list will help you keep track of the products you bought and those you still need to buy, meaning fewer missed items and duplicates.

Do use a shopping list to you plan your expenses. There are estimated prices for each decoration at the end of each shopping list so you can be aware of how much each decoration will cost. You can also use a shopping list app with a to help you keep track of your spending when doing your shopping.

Do check out online auction sites like eBay.com, eBid.net, or Bonanza.com for materials. There’s plenty to choose from and the items you can find there are sometimes much cheaper and more unique to what you might find in stores.

Do visit a consignment store if you do any Halloween shopping at the last minute. The choice may be limited but you can still find some wicked accessories for your home decorations.

Do shop for pre-made Halloween decorations late. This way, you’ll save yourself money as most stores offer big discounts just before Halloween on items that aren’t popular and haven’t sold well. Use the opportunity to buy decorations for next Halloween, too.

#1 Cheesecloth Balloon Ghost

Creating one is pretty simple. Follow these steps:

1. Inflate a white balloon
2. Attach the balloon to a plastic bottle. The size of the bottle depends on the height you want for the ghost.
3. Fill the bottle with a transparent liquid such as water so that the ghost stays in place
4. Prepare pieces of cheesecloth to cover the balloon. It’s best when the cheesecloth is crumpled, frayed, and torn.
5. Cover the balloon with cheesecloth, using pieces of double-sided adhesive tape to make the cheesecloth stick to it
6. Cut out some eyes and a mouth using black paper and glue them to the ghost

Cheesecloth Balloon Ghost Shopping List

• White balloon (from $1)
• Plastic bottle (from $1)
• Cheesecloth (from $3)
• Double-sided adhesive tape (from $3)
• Black paper (from $2)

Total: $11

#2 Floating Ghost

You may use the balloon ghost to create a similar kinds of Halloween ghost decorations: floating ghosts.

1. Attach two plastic bottles of the same size to the left hand and right hand side of an inflated balloon
2. Put some cheesecloth directly on top of the balloon
3. Spray the cheesecloth with fabric stiffener
4. Leave for 24 hours to dry
5. Remove the balloon and the bottles from under the cheesecloth. When placed directly on the table, it’ll create the illusion of a floating ghost.

Floating Ghost Shopping List

• White balloon (from $1)
• Plastic bottles (from $1)
• Cheesecloth (from $3)
• Double-sided adhesive tape (from $3)
• Black paper (from $2)
• Fabric stiffener (from $4)

Total: $14

#3 Hanging Ghost

Another variation of the cheesecloth balloon ghost is a hanging ghost.

1. Inflate a white balloon
2. Tie a piece of string to the balloon
3. Make a small hole in a piece of cheesecloth and thread the string through it to cover the balloon with the fabric
4. Hang the ghost from the ceiling

You won’t need to glue the cheesecloth to the balloon as it will stay in place because the string is threaded through the cheesecloth.

Hanging Ghost Shopping List

• White balloon (from $1)
• Cheesecloth (from $3)
• String (from $1)

Total: $5

#4 Cloche Jar Ghost

This is an elegant way to decorate your house with Halloween ghost decorations.

1. Find a big glass cloche
2. Fill it with cotton wool
3. Cut out some eyes and a mouth using a sheet of black paper
4. Stick the eyes and the mouth to the cloche with double-sided adhesive tape
5. Put it on a cake stand

Jar Ghost Shopping List

• Glass cloche (from $10)
• Cotton wool (from $1)
• Sheet of black paper (from $2)
• Double-sided adhesive tape (from $3)

Total: $16

#5 Milk Jug Ghost

Quick, easy, and cheap, especially as you’ll probably have a plastic milk jug in your house. If you go through a lot of milk, you can start saving these early on. Just don’t forget to clean them thoroughly our you might get a frightful pong from them!

1. Find and clean an empty plastic milk jug
2. Draw a scary face on it using a black marker
3. Put a glow stick, flashlight, or fairy lights inside

Milk Jug Ghost Shopping List

• Empty plastic juice or milk bottle (from $3)
• Black marker (from $1)
• Glow stick, flashlight, or fairy lights (from $3)

Total: $7

#6 White Candle Ghost

These are simple Halloween ghost decorations you can add to your dining table at your party. Amuse and spook your guests with these cheap and easy candles.

1. Use a white candle
2. Create some eye and a mouth using a black marker

White Candle Ghost Shopping List

• White candle (from $2)
• Black marker (from $1)

Total: $3

#7 Lollipop Ghost

Create some scary lollipops this Halloween season, either as a treat or as Halloween ghost decorations.

1. Cover a lollipop with a white tissue
2. Secure the tissue by tying a ribbon around the lollipop
3. Draw some eyes and a mouth on the tissue using a black marker

Lollipop Ghost Shopping List

• Lollipop (from $3)
• White tissue (from $1.50)
• Ribbon (from $1.50)
• Black marker (from $1)

Total: $7

#8 Leaf Ghost

Make use of the falling leaves from the trees and recycle them for Halloween ghost decorations. You can also make collecting the leaves part of the Halloween fun with your family, by seeing who can find the biggest, bestest, leaf!

1. Find a leaf and cover it with white paint
2. Use a black marker to draw a face on it or attach some googly eyes

Leaf Ghost Shopping List

• White paint (from $2)
• Black marker or googly eyes (from $1)

Total: $3

#9 Coffee Filter Ghost

This is a good option if you had little time to prepare or even think about decorating your home for Halloween. It’s also a cheap, quick, and fun idea for a kids’ craft.

1. Take a coffee filter and draw a face with a black marker on it
2. Turn the filter upside down and make it into a cone shape

You may thread a string through the top of the ghost and hang it from a plant in your home or a dry branch that you put inside a tall vase.

Coffee Filter Ghost Shopping List

• White coffee filters (from $3)
• Black marker (from $1)

Total: $4

#10 Paper Hanging Ghost

It’s a very last minute option but an effective one! It’s great fun for kids to make, too.

1. Take a black marker and draw a simple ghost’s face on a white sheet of paper
2. Draw the shape of its head
3. Make the lower part of the ghost a spiral
4. Take scissors and cut out the ghost, including cutting out the spiral
5. Glue string to the ghost’s head
6. Hang it wherever you like

Paper Hanging Ghost Shopping List

• Black marker (from $1)
• White paper (from $2)
• Glue (from $1)
• String (from $1)

Total: $5

#11 Plastic Cup Ghost

You’ll probably already be using a lot of plastic cups for your Halloween party, so why not use some of them to create Halloween ghost decorations.

1. Take a white plastic cup
2. Draw some eyes and a mouth on the cup using a black marker

You may place the ghost on the table or create a garland out of it. For the latter you’ll need string to thread it through the cups. Additionally, you may glue a couple of strips of tissue paper to the cup, to make the ghost even more ghost-like.

Plastic Cup Ghost Shopping List

• White plastic cup (from $3)
• Black marker (from $1)

Total: $4

#12 Lamp Shade Ghost

Transform cheap or old lamp shades into Halloween ghost decorations. This is a good way of reusing an item you may no longer need, making this decoration eco-friendly too.

1. Find an old lamp shade in a neutral colour such as white or beige
2. Draw a face on it with a black marker or cut the eyes and the mouth from black paper and glue it to the lamp shade
3. Place a flashlight or fairy lights underneath it

Lamp Shade Ghost Shopping List

• Lamp shade (from $1)
• Black marker (from $1)
• Black paper (from $2)
• Glue (from $1)
• Flashlight or fairy lights (from $3)

Total: $8

#13 Trash Bag Ghost

Why not create extra cheap, homemade Halloween ghost decorations which also make sounds?

1. Use a white trash bag
2. Hold the bag upside down
3. Place a white balloon or a messy ball made of other white plastic bags underneath the bag
4. Attach the ball to the bag using double-sided adhesive tape
5. Draw a ghost’s face with a black marker or glue the one that you cut out of black paper
6. Attach some string to the bag and hang it outside close to a window

If it’s windy the bag will make spooky noises and will move like a ghost!

Trash Bag Ghost Shopping List

• White trash bag (from $4)
• White balloon (from $6)
• Double-sided adhesive tape (from $3)
• Black marker (from $1)
• Black paper (from $2)
• String (from $1)

Total: $17

Have a Fa-BOO-lous Halloween!

Remember, creating Halloween ghost decorations should be fun. Even if they don’t turn out perfect, focus on enjoying yourself whilst making them. Grab your family and have your kids help you in making them, or use this opportunity to spend time with your friends while preparing these spectral centrepieces.

Happy Halloween!

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