That used to be the same mix my household used. I’d suggest giving the Reminders app a try as a drop in replacement for Notes. There’s a really handy list template in the Reminders app called Groceries. It’ll auto-group items you add to the list into categories so it’s easier to sweep through the store in one go and not have to double back repeatedly for things you overlooked further down the list.
No idea why it’s tucked into the Reminders app instead of Notes, but it’s been really handy since stumbling on it and a QoL improvement in my household over a generic Apple Notes list.
HA - I wrote the same comment, including the bit about "why is it in Reminders and not Notes?" - it really is just inexplicable
Even if it feels oddly out of place there and more appropriate for Notes, kudos to whomever on the Reminders app team advocated for and shoehorned in that featureset.