I’ve been going a little crazy with the Sharpie lately.

One of the challenges when making a provisioning list for extended passage times is knowing exactly how much to buy. Sure, you can just buy it all, especially with things like toothpaste and deodorant that won’t go bad, but that strategy can wreak havoc on both the budget and the storage space.

So how do you know how much YOU use?

My new trick? Pull out a Sharpie and date it all. Write down the date when you open something, and then note when you’re on to the next. I do keep track of these weird specifics in a notebook as an extra reminder. Already this has come in handy. I thought we went through about a pound of coffee beans every week. Turns out it takes us 10 days to go through a pound of coffee.

This matters. It means, for example, that if I’m stocking up for a 2-month Pacific crossing, instead of needing nine pounds of coffee we can get away with six. (Okay, I’ll take a few extra. Running out of coffee would be a terrible thing.) It also means that when I open the last pound, I know we’ve got 10 days instead of just a week to source more, allowing a bit more of a cushion for weather and vagaries of access to shops.

Sharpies. Good for all kinds of things on board!