How to Save When Your Appetite is for Buying Groceries Online?
The world has basically turned upside down in 2020. It has changed in ways we never expected. We have learned to adapt to a world where social distancing and masks are part of our everyday life. We have been separated from our family and friends. We have limited the amount of time we spent in public places. As a result, we have begun having groceries and food delivered to us, and now it became a part of our routine. This allowed us to stay safely at home. However, just because we can shop online, it does not mean we always should. Continue reading this article to find out what to consider when buying groceries online.
Buying groceries online has become much easier over the few years. Not that long before COVID, you could buy groceries online, but it was expensive. The prices of food were marked up and there was a hefty delivery fee. After the pandemic started, shopping online and having food delivered to you became much easier, a little more reasonable, and far safer than going into the grocery store.
You go online and find the items you want, put them in your cart and sit at home waiting for them to be delivered. It is simple and fast. It is a great way to get the items you need without leaving your house. It is easy to buy more than you need and spend more than you want. If you keep some simple rules in mind, you can safely shop online and not blow your budget.
Don’t Forget the Coupons
When you are considering buying groceries online, do not forget to look for discounts and coupons. While you cannot use paper coupons in the way you did in the past - you cannot hand over your coupons to the cashier because you will not be there, grocery stores do offer electronic or digital coupons. When you are on the website for the store, you can order groceries on their interface. They show you the digital coupon and you can click on it and it will be applied to the sale item that is in your shopping cart. It is a simple way to get a discount. It is important that you do not miss the opportunity.
Another way that stores provide discounts when shopping online is they offer promo codes. They may offer codes for various reasons. They are displayed on the website, usually across the top. They tell you the promo code and what it is for. The good news is it is easy for you to get a discount. The bad news is that you have to remember to enter the code when you check out. The stores still have sales and advertise the items that are on sale. When non perishable items are on sale, you could consider purchasing one or two extra. You might not want to stockpile the item, but you can purchase a few extra when it is on sale. You can start shopping the sale items and create meals from the items that are on sale. Do not purchase items you do not want or will not use just because they are on sale.
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Busy Times And Fees
When buying groceries online, the time of day matters. When you are using a delivery service for your groceries, there are fees. The fees vary by the size of the order and if there are many heavy items. If there many people ordering items through this service at the same time as you, the drives up the demand for those who are delivering groceries. When the demand is higher, you may pay more of a delivery fee. You may not be able to get the groceries delivered when you want them. On an average day, you may be able to have the groceries delivered within a couple of hours. If it is a busy day, you may not be able to get the groceries for five hours, or it may not be until the next day.
In addition to the timing of the delivery, some delivery services charge extra fees at busy times. You can pay attention to the fees and if you see that you are being charged an extra fee because it is busy, you can pick another time to have your get your order. If you place your order at the last minute, you may not have the flexibility to get your groceries delivered at another time.
Subscriptions
As part of buying groceries online, you can consider a subscription service. Some of the local grocery stores even offer subscription services. The way this works is that you pay a set fee per month or per year to have your groceries delivered for no extra fee. In most cases, you have to spend a minimal amount of money on your order. You usually have to spend $25 or $35 per order to either have it delivered for free or at a discounted price. There are many stores that offer a free trial of these delivery services. You can get a month, or a few months, for free before they begin charging you.
You want to read the fine print to make sure that there are no catches. You also want to consider how many times you order groceries before you sign up for one of these free trials. If you order groceries rarely, this probably not the way to go. If you order online several times a month, or perhaps once a month, this free trial may be ideal for you. Make sure you always check your inbox before you order online. Delivery services are always sending out special offers via email that offer you discounts and promo codes.
Consider Curbside
When you are buying groceries online, you can opt for curbside pickup instead of delivery to your home.
When you order this way, you pull up to the store or park in a designated spot. Then a store associate loads your groceries right into your car.
You do not have to come into contact with anyone, or even the groceries until you get home. When you opt for curbside pickup, you do not have to pay a delivery fee. You typically do not have to pay a fee at all. Most stores will do curbside pickup without any additional fees. If the charge a fee, it may be a much smaller fee than the charge for delivery.
First Time Meal Kits
If you want to have groceries and meals delivered to you, another consideration is having meal kits delivered. If this is a route you are considering, you have to be smart about the meals you choose. Sometimes, these meals are more expensive than shopping at the grocery store. These meals are cheaper than if you order from a restaurant. Many of these meal kit companies offer you discounts for signing up for the first time. There are a number of meal kit providers and you can rotate through all of them using their promotional offers. This allows you to try the service while getting a discount. It is an easy way to have food delivered directly to your door. This also makes mealtime easy because these meals are already determined. You simply follow the instructions to make quick meals.
Another option to consider is making simple, less expensive meals. You do not always have to cook a huge five-course meal. Instead, you could make grilled cheese and soup for dinner. You can also try breakfast for dinner. These are simple ways to make an inexpensive dinner for your family. These meals could be a nice change of pace for your family and it is a way to keep the costs low.
Things To Remember When Shopping Online
There are a few other ways to buy online and not blow your budget, so you can still afford your personal monthly expenses. You should make a list of items you want to purchase. Just because you are not in a store, you can still act like you are. It is possible to buy items that you do not need or want, even online. Many of these sites have a place where you can keep a list of items that you often purchase. You can quickly add them to your shopping list. If you use these tools, they can help you purchase the items you need quickly without buying items you do not need. You also have to control your impulse buying. If you just go to the items you want and add them to your shopping cart, you can fight off impulses. Do not spend a lot of time looking around the website.
You can still consider bulk shopping, even when you are not shopping in the store. Some websites even offer you a discount if you buy items in bulk. You can buy staple items that you need and store them for when you need them. Organic and gluten-free items tend to be more expensive. Often times, you can find them on sale, or find discounts when you are shopping online.
Other Considerations for Saving Money
Before you do any type of shopping online or anywhere else, you need to create a budget for yourself. There is no better way to track the money you have coming in and the money you are spending. You are probably spending more money than you realize. If you have goals for retirement or savings or even just a family trip, how can you reach those goals if you do not have a plan. A budget is a plan to help you get there. For your savings goals, the best way to reach them is to open a savings account.
A budget gives you an understanding of your spending habits. If you are not keeping track, you cannot possibly know how you are spending your money. If you do not have a plan for saving money, you most likely are not spending as much as you should or would like. When you create a budget, you can create parameters for your spending. With these in place, you know that you have a certain amount of money to spend on groceries and you have to stay within that limit. This can help control your spending while shopping online. It can also help refine how you shop, prompting you to shop sale items and think differently about the food you eat.
Here at our platform - the Goalry mall we can help you budget. We can help you create a budget and a plan. We also offer an app to keep track of bills and advice on the goals you should set and how you can work toward achieving them.
Conclusion
It is important to shop smart, especially when you are online. The cost adds up quickly. When you add an item to your cart, you see the cost immediately. The one thing you do not see right away are the delivery fees. Be mindful of all the ways the prices creep up. Remember all the tips you learned here and shop safely.