Okay, I’m sure you parents can relate to this.  After becoming a mother, grocery shopping has taken on a whole other dimension.  Having a toddler with you as you try to concentrate on grocery prices isn’t very conducive to a stress-free environment.  I often found myself buying things I really didn’t need, forgetting to buy items (that were even written down on my shopping list) and feeling overwhelmed because I wasn’t focused.

Let me rephrase, I wasn’t focused on shopping.  I was focused on making sure my child was near me and didn’t knock over a glass jar of spaghetti sauce in aisle ten.  I thought there had to be a better way.  Then along came online grocery shopping.  Ahhhh….sweet serenity!

The first time I used online grocery shopping was with Target.  I figured if I didn’t like the products, I could easily enough return then on my next Target run.  The icing on the cake, however, is that they offer free shipping and a five percent discount to all Red Card members.  I couldn’t say no to that!  Having things like our fifty-pound bag of dog food delivered straight to my door?!  There, my friends was my first experience with online grocery shopping and I’ll never look back.  I no longer have to spend two hours shopping and hauling a bunch of bulk purchases from Costco. My back is very thankful.

But, I haven’t turned my nose up at my beloved Costco.  I had to give them a try, too.  So, I navigated over to their website.  I found when I first started shopping with them online a few years ago, they didn’t offer fresh produce or deliver perishables directly.  I had to shop via Google Express to get those items and the shipping fees made it a little out of reach.

Then enter Instacart.  My new online shopping BFF. I was then able to have my Costco items delivered straight to my house at a more reasonable price, by my friendly Instacart delivery person, who is now a familiar face.  In fact, sometimes, I think she does a better job of picking out produce and meats than I do.  Instacart also offers a subscription service where you can get deliveries for free if you make a purchase of over $35 at one retailer.  I signed up for that service over a year ago and love it!  Some of the stores in my area are Sprouts, Aldi, Albertsons, and El Super.

Online shopping doesn’t stop me from heading to my local grocery store in person.  However, it has allowed me to spend more time with my loved ones and keep a better eye on the budget.  I’m able to see my online cart total add up and easily take out items I don’t really need.  That isn’t as easy when I’m in the store shopping with my child in tow begging for the awesome Lego Friends staring at her as I’m trying to cash out at the register.  Plus, my own wandering eyes while in the store at Costco now have blinders on them when I’m shopping at my computer.  I have my list in front of me and no longer spend an extra $300 per month on things that “just wound up” in our cart.  I have kept track of our grocery budget and estimate we have saved roughly $1,500 in one year!  Wanna join me in the savings?  Then click on this code to save $10 off your first order with Instacart.