When we traveled back to WA, I knew I was coming home to a seriously empty fridge. There would be no milk or other staples that I would need. I knew because I had been in on the consumption of these goods prior to our departure. I also knew that I was going to be arriving with two kids. One of those kids needs to eat, the other needs me to eat to be fed. I knew we were getting in late (past midnight NH time), and that I was not excited to food shop with a jet lagged 2.5 yr old and a newborn. What’s a girl to do?! We survive two days on water and what we did have in the house while we got ourselves settled. I was still not in any mood to hit the food store, so I went online. Yep. I food shopped online and had it delivered. This was GENIUS! Here is why:
1) I didn’t have to take my kids out in the rain, lug them into the car, fight them to stick with me in the store, and head home with those groceries only to have to put them away.
2) Each product was offered with several brand choices. Price per unit was included on each, so I actually saved money by having the time to consider my choices without distractions!
3) It took me only 25 minutes to do my full shop, and 5 minutes after delivery to put it all away. If I’d gone in person, it surely would have taken me over an hour and a half. I also wouldn’t have been able to double my efficiency doing laundry and running the dishwasher.
4) The cost of delivery ($10) pales in comparison to the therapy I would have required if I’d done my huge shop in person with my kiddos.
5) I was able to pick the hour of delivery, so it wasn’t even inconvenient to wait for my order!
I won’t do this technique for every shop, but there are several situations where I think this will be useful. When I travel, I can order the food before my return and have it delivered the day after my arrival. When there is illness that requires my care, I can keep my family fed. When I am seriously low on supplies during a stressful period of solo-parenting, I can use this to get myself through. Its a great tool to add to my arsenal. Check your local food store to see if there is one near you that does this service! Stop and Shop in the Northeast offers it through their Peapod program. Safeway offers it through their chain site in the Northwest.
I also need to thank my friend (a mother of twins) who reminded me that this was possible. You made another mother’s life easier this week. I think both of us can appreciate how important and appreciated this was.
