I wish I had more time. Maybe then I really could do it all – work, study, enjoy my family, exercise, talk to friends, clean the house, and even get some sleep! But there’s no denying there are just 24 hours in a day, which breaks down to only 1,440 minutes. When you think about it that way, it easy to see why time is invaluable.
Since I started working full time a few years ago, I’ve gradually come to the realization that it’s okay to trade dollars and cents for time. I think of it as outsourcing. It’s not for everyone, though. Paying someone else to do a job can be worth the cost, but every working mom has to decide how much outsourcing is in the budget
Today I’m going to talk about a chore that I outsource regularly – grocery shopping.
In the past, I used to dread food shopping. Driving to the store, shopping, dealing with whiny kids who want to buy every piece of junk food in the store, waiting in line to pay, transporting the bags to the car…ugh! Now my weekly food shopping is done online at Giant Supermarket using their Shop at Home service. I’ve been using it for about two years and find it well worth the $4.95 weekly fee.
I just visit Giant’s website from the comfort of my laptop and create a shopping list. I can create the list at one time or I can build and save it throughout the week. There’s an option called “Things I Buy”, which allows me to select from the items I regularly purchase, but I can also shop from their online “aisles” or even the weekly circular. I click on the item I want and it magically appears in my virtual shopping cart.
Checkout is easy…I select a date and time to pick up the groceries. There’s a special drive-up area in front of the store just for Shop-At-Home customers and I rarely have to wait in my car for more than five minutes before Giant’s staff processes my payment and loads the groceries in my car.
Unfortunately, Giant only offers online grocery shopping at their Willow Grove and Camp Hill locations. However, they are also a member of PeaPod, an online shopping and delivery service for a wider geographical area.
Other grocery stores in the Philadelphia area and beyond have online shopping options. Genuardi’s has been providing online shopping with home delivery for several years. Check out your supermarket to see if they offer online shopping. Give it a try sometime and see if it works for you!
I’m always looking for ways to save time and I’d love to hear from you with other ideas. Leave a comment below!
Wow! I wish my Giant offered online shopping…better yet, I wish they delivered it to my house and put everything away for me too! I hate every part of the grocery shopping process
I agree that sometimes it’s okay to “outsource” certain tasks to save time. When I have kids, I may consider having someone (other than myself!) clean the house.
I would pay almost anything if they put the groceries away for me, too! I guess that’s too good to be true.