Why I Have Groceries Delivered & How I Save Money

I remember the exact first time I went grocery shopping.  It was 1992 and my husband and I (then boyfriend & girlfriend) moved in together.  I was a substitute teacher and he had his own painting company.  We lived in a 1 bedroom apartment and we were barely getting by.  I had to learn how to buy food and use coupons and all that money saving stuff pretty quickly.  Little did I know, 26 years later I would be having my groceries delivered to our front door and really, really enjoying it.  You may be thinking that I spend a fortune to have that happen, don’t you?  Well, no, not at all.  Let me explain, “Why I Have Groceries Delivered & How I Save Money”…

For the last 26 years every Friday afternoon I have done our grocery shopping.  Rain or shine, sick or healthy, happy or sad, I’ve been there.  I remember when we eventually had the babies and it got to be really hard.  I was super stressed about the baby crying in the store, and I was just one of those nervous Moms.  Boy, do I wish I had this cool modern way of supplying groceries to our home back then.  It sure would have helped.  Today, those babies are teens and every Friday I would pick them up after school and we would head to the grocery store.  Oh boy, did they hate it.  They would beg me not to go, but we really had no other choice.  Until, now.

Now, I buy all of my groceries on-line through Instacart.  I shop right here at my computer whenever we start to run low on too many items, and I have it delivered when it’s convenient for me.  I use this service at Kroger, Meijer, CVS, and Petco.  Instacart is now in almost all 50 states and is spreading rapidly.  I know my girlfriends down in Florida love using it at Publix (there are many more stores depending on where you live).

I honestly haven’t been to the grocery store in months. For a girl that went every single Friday for the last 26 years, let me tell you that this has CHANGED MY LIFE.   I am absolutely shocked that this “delivering groceries to your house” business is real, and it is truly amazing.  I found out about “Instacart” through a neighbor, and after I tried it I have been telling everyone I know how convenient and awesome it truly is.  The best part is, I am saving $$$.   Isn’t that crazy?

Ways I’m SAVING $$$ by using Instacart…

1. TIME.  I can work longer on Fridays so that brings in more income.
2. GAS.  Gas is $3 a gallon here right now, and I was traveling to the grocery store that is 20 minutes away.  That’s 40 minutes of driving a week I am no longer doing.
3. VEHICLE MILEAGE.  I lease my vehicle, so if I go over the miles, I pay big bucks.
4. SPENDING LESS.  THIS IS A BIG ONE.  No more “on-the-spot” compulsive buying.  My grocery bill has cut in 1/2 on some weeks.  I’m now only buying what I need and I am no longer buying those cookies I crave when I see them.
5. SALES.  I notice the sales easier.  No kidding.  They pop up on the website as soon as I punch in the item I’m looking for.  It’s so convenient.
6. BUYING BULK. I can buy in bulk now because I don’t have to worry about lifting the items into the car/cart.
7. You can earn $10 towards your orders when you refer a friend and they use your referral information (my referral information is below if you choose to use it, we will both earn $10 toward our next order).

How convenient is it?

Imagine yourself working in the yard all day and you decide late in the afternoon that you really don’t feel like cooking that big extravagant meal you had all planned out when you had more energy.  You can hop on your Instacart app, or on the computer (that’s how I do it,) and grab a rotisserie chicken (here’s my low carb Creamy Chicken Casserole recipe I use that chicken in), and any other pre-made dishes and have them delivered quickly.  Sometimes in less than an hour.  Bye bye pizza dude.  Instacart is better for my health, too.

Or, imagine yourself coming home from work and seeing your fresh groceries on your step waiting for you .  Oh, and by the way, they give you exact delivery times, and they keep your cold items cold while they are shopping and delivering.

What’s really cool is that you can order from different stores all at once, and you can receive those orders at the same time if desired.

You can also add notes onto all of your shopping items so the shopper knows exactly what you want.  For example, if you want papers between your cheese slices, they will do it for you.  No more waiting in long deli lines.   😆  In addition, while the shopper is shopping for you, they can text you and ask questions about the order.  That part is very helpful because we all know stores run out of things, and if the avocados don’t look ripe enough, they can ask you if you still want them.

They will also put your groceries wherever you direct them to in your notes.  I don’t even have to answer the door.  They automatically know that I want my groceries left on my side porch.

Instacart is also something that would be very helpful for disabled folks, physically/mentally ill patients, and the elderly.  They even offer to bring items into your home if you want them to.   I’ve also heard how some people use it to deliver supplies to their college student who is way at the dorm!  This would be great on business trips and vacations (I can’t wait to try it on my vacation this Summer) when you are able to cook in the hotel room.  The convenience is endless.

Oh, and I can’t forget to mention that you’re subjected to fewer germs, so your chances of getting sick decrease dramatically.

How much is it?

I signed up for free trial first which goes for 14 days (sign up below).  Then I signed up for the annual membership (Instacart Express) because I shop sometimes twice a week which is $149.00 per year.  I saved that the first month I used Instacart by not buying everything in sight.  In addition, with Instacart Express- delivery is free when you order over $35.00, and there is a service fee that you can waive (see below how).  I always waive the service fee, and give a tip depending on the size of the order.  If you would only like to order occasionally, you pay $5.99 for delivery.

Where do I sign up?

First, I want you to know that this is not a sponsored post for Instacart.  I was not paid by Instacart to write this review.  Instacart has changed my life dramatically, so I’m spreading the word on my own.  But, I have great news for both of us.  If you use my referral information, you and I both will earn $10.00 off our next (or first) order 😯 .  How cool is that?!  Just click HERE to sign up, and if they ask you for my code, here it is: GE8D12D1E2.

MY INSTACART TIPS:

-Use the “Your Items” section when you shop and all of your previous purchases come up which enables you to find everything super fast.  I have noticed that I repeat buy almost everything.  So this is super convenient.

-Waive the service fee by clicking on the service fee when you check out, and click the “waive” option.

-Tell your friends like I am so you both earn $10 towards your next order (they allow 5 referrals total).

-Keep a detailed list of items you run out of to use when you place your order.

-Use the “notes” section to let the shopper know your specific requests.

-Try the free trial for 14 days, that’s what I did and fell in love.