How To Save Money Using Grocery Store Pickup And Delivery Service...

 

We decided to order groceries and other supplies online for pickup and delivery some time ago This seemed very foreign to us at first. We have always enjoyed finding bargains in the isles. If you are a fellow bargain hunter don't worry, bargains can still be found in the online isles. After some time went by we noticed that we were saving a lot of money by utilizing these services. This has helped us offset some of the costs associated with inflation. And now, we wouldn't  go back to in store shopping. Free Pick up and delivery fits our rural (remote) living lifestyle, saves us time and money. 

Grocery stores have weekly sales and big box stores have monthly sales. We take advantage of these sales online just like we would if we went into the store in person. We check out the sales flyer online, place our order and set our pick up date and time. Next, we hold our breath and hope they have everything in stock. We never know what is out of stock until we get an email or text telling us to come pick up our order and what is missing. This is not the case with delivery orders. We are told immediately if an item is out of stock. This gives us an opportunity to try to find a substitution before we place our order.  

The grocery store is where we find and buy most of  our bargains. They tend to have the lowest prices when items are on sale. They are way to expensive otherwise. Sam's and Walmart are our "go to"  shopping places for lower consistent prices.

When we go to town to pick up our grocery order we also run any errands that we might have. This saves us time and money by doing it all in one trip. The closest grocery store is about an hour away along with most everything else. We do have price gouging gas stations about thirty minutes away, so we are already planners out of sheer necessity. This is nothing new to us. We take this up a notch or two in the Winter. An unexpected blizzard is not uncommon. It's not an easy task planning around an ever changing weather forecast.

We also order groceries and supplies that we need from a big box store in the city. It is a four hour round trip to the closest major city, so we benefit the most in this case by using their free delivery service. 

We are also order from  Misfits Market. This is where we get our fresh organic produce delivered to our home. I will be doing a blogpost on this service soon. 

If we need anything during the in between times we will place an order for delivery from Walmart, Sam's Club or Misfits Market. We like this option the best. This is the "We don't have to leave the ranch" option. 

Sam's Club has free delivery and pick up for plus members. Sam's prices are just better than most places. They have better meat and produce too. We actually spend enough money to get our membership for free with their cashback program. I just had a partial order delivered today. I have one more package on the way. Deliveries seem very slow right now. I think it's because more people are ordering online. Keep this in mind for upcoming events like birthdays. Shop early and ship early. 

Here's the rundown:

We save money because we stay home...

We save money because we are not in the store impulse buying...

We save money because we don't have to stop to pick up something to eat during the long trip to the city and back...

We save time by ordering online in the comfort of our home. We don't have to wander the isles looking for the items that we need that are not in stock. Time is money...

We save money and time, because we are not burning up the road...

We save money because we keep a accurate shopping list that includes everything we use from groceries to motor oil... 

We save money by using our vehicle less. Gasoline inflation is up 41.8%, used car inflation is up 48% and the cost of tires have been steadily increasing...

Pickup and deliveries are usually free. Walmart has a $35 minimum purchase order to qualify for free shipping and pick ups. There is a $5.99 fee if you do not meet this criteria. We can't drive to Walmart for $5.99. So far, we have only placed an order when our purchase was eligible for free delivery or free pick up... 

There are plenty of printable freebies online.
Just Google it...

Buyer Beware: Bigger packaging does not mean that it is a better price. I have noticed this at Walmart. I checked several items and the smaller items were the better deal. Be sure to compare the different sizes. Some packaging is the same size with less product. They call this "Shrinkflation"...