With gasoline being ridiculously expensive nowadays, it is more economical to take fewer trips to the grocery store and consider buying many foods online. There are many places to shop for basic groceries; two of my favorites are Amazon.com and Peapod.com. At Amazon, when you choose items marked “grocery” instead of “gourmet”, and look for items that qualify for Super Saver Shipping; your shipping is free on those items. If you do choose to buy gourmet items through Amazon, though, the price can go up quickly so be careful. For items that you need recurrently, you can set your preferences to “once a month” or more, on many items. Like a normal grocery store, Amazon and other online groceries carry an extensive selection of items, from toiletries to even milk. I just bought a case of organic milk and it was wonderful. Also, on the Amazon site, you can save all items you like to your virtual “shopping list” to buy later. They’ll be there for you whenever you choose, at a later date. It’s a good thing.
Whichever service you choose, just sign up with their site (most are free), then look through their many categories for the brands you like. Many carry famous brands like Betty Crocker, Nabisco, Folgers and more. Every month, I have my coffee, cereal, milk, flour, and other various items shipped to my door. It is convenient, and the items usually come in bulk sizes, so I don’t need to make trips as frequently as regular store visits. Weigh the pricing from your groceries with the amount of product and price you can buy a case of food for on a website, and see which comes out on top. For my items, I am getting a real bargain. They even have things I normally can’t find in my normal grocery store, such as Halvah (a sesame confection). There are many international foods listed, also health foods. You can find specialty items like flax seed, ghee (Indian clarified butter), German Stollen (rich Christmas bread), all with a few clicks of the mouse.
Choose what you buy carefully, and be careful about buying things you’ve never tried before. Make sure you like the item, by buying questionable items in the store individually, before investing in a whole case. One time, I bought a whole case of granola bars that I thought would be wonderful. A big box of them came, and the packaging made them look really good. Unfortunately, they tasted like overly sweetened cardboard with frosting! Yuck. My friends and family were more than happy to take them off my hands. The next time, I bought another type that I knew was good, and those were fine.
For those with back problems or other physical limitations, buying heavy items online and letting them be delivered to you is incredibly helpful. During recuperation from a herniated disk in my back, I learned first-hand how hard it can be to be mobile. Not being able to walk, I began to order cat litter and other bulky items online. There are many online pet stores for pet food and supplies, such as Petsmart.com. Compare sites and the shipping charges on each of them, to get more bang for your buck.
By getting the basic food items through the internet, I save going to the store for buying perishables, and other items not found on the web. My gasoline usage has gone way down, and my budget has been boosted. During hard financial times, saving money is where it’s at. Once you place an order and see how the online grocery companies work, soon, you’ll find places you prefer to shop at, just like shopping locally. It’s convenient and worth a try, so give online shopping a go, and see how you like it. Chances are, you’ll be glad that you did when you see that your gasoline usage has gone down. Every little bit helps.
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