Mom Hacks: Online Grocery Shopping 

Posted by Sarah M. White 

Sometimes, I love going to the grocery store. It's a source of inspiration for creative meal ideas, a way to get out of the house, and a mood-booster when you feel proud that yes, you really did get an entire week's worth of produce at Aldi for only $67. 

Earl Grey-- out of stock 

Other times, trips to the grocery can be a source of frustration. Grocery shopping is a time suck. For me, it causes all kinds of internal turmoil, anger, and questioning: "No one is following the one-way arrows. Do we really have to? Where are the cans of diced tomatoes? They should be right here." In fact, just today I gave someone the death glare when they pulled into the drive-up pickup spot facing the wrong direction. There are arrows. Follow the arrows.* 

Ordering my groceries online means that I can still eat while avoiding all negative feelings (except in the pickup line) associated with the grocery experience. I also save a ton of time. I don't have to carry everything from the shelf to the cart, cart to checkout, checkout to cart, cart to car, car to house. I go, they put the food in my car, I carry it inside and unpack it. The time savings are amazing!!!! 

Although you might not get everything you ordered due to items being out of stock, stores offer many options for substitutions. Some stores have you approve substitutions ahead of time, which is great because then you have the option of saying, "No, actually I prefer yogurt without sucralose in my household." 

There is a learning curve for the different stores' websites, apps, etc. But once you learn to use them, understand their substitution policies, etc., it's definitely worth it. Some stores charge more for pick-up, others do not. I use Pick-n-Save most frequently, followed by Hy-Vee. I prefer going to Aldi in person because it makes me happy. Target just recently added grocery to their pick-up capabilities. Also, check out the app Instacart. 

I hope you're laughing at least some of my jokes. You might be thinking, "In this terrible time when the world is upside down, she's complaining about getting to buy food?" You're right. It's silly. But I still have to buy food somehow. And I'm going to do it online because it's awesome. And I'm going to take that time savings and invest it in making the world less awful, being with my kids, or some other worthy endeavor. 

*If you want to know why this matters so much to me, read up on Enneagram type 1's. That's the best way to understand it.