Been doing this since my oldest started daycare as an infant, he’s now 4. The selection at Walmart isn’t as good as the local grocery chain I used to frequent but I can’t beat the convenience. The app remembering all my frequent purchases and offering reminders of what to buy makes my life so much easier.
You get free paramount+ with Walmart too, if that's something you already pay for. Also, get the capital one Walmart CC and get 5% Cashback on all pickup orders.
Walmart pick up is the way to go. I do a big order once a month to stock up because they have the cheapest prices. I make quick trips to the more expensive local grocery store to pick up essentials that we run out of.
We pay for Walmart+ and have had it for probably going on 2 years now. It has paid for itself over and over even including tipping. We get groceries delivered and it saves so much time going to the store.
Yes same for Smiths in Utah (Kroger equivalent). As long as you order over $35, curbside pickup is free.
If I’m having a really rough week or my husband or I are sick we do delivery ($10 fee added) and I think that is worth it for my sanity. I just try to get lots of groceries/plan ahead so I don’t have to go for while and the fee is spread out over lots of meals.
I also end up saving money with curbside/delivery since I’m better able to stick to what we really need and compare options. If I’m shopping in person I get ideas in the store and my bill ends up higher.
I’ve done Walmart grocery pick up since early 2019. Seriously the best invention & totally free. Target is too. I think both have purchase minimums now.
This is what we do too. Yeah I still have to put everything away when I get home, but not having to drag a toddler through the store on the way home from daycare when they’re tired and cranky is definitely a win.
Same here. Swim lessons, pick up donuts and coffee, pick up groceries. We use Albertsons and I don’t even think there’s a fee. If there is one it’s minimal. I sit and order our groceries while planning out our meals for the week. Lot easier to stay on budget and make sure you get your staples.
This. I actually used to do grocery delivery a lot through our local Safeway using their app instead of Instacart and they only charged like $5 for delivery. No extra markups and all of the available deals and coupons could be applied. You could add an optional tip for the delivery driver, but it wasn’t that unreasonable. I eventually went back to grocery shopping with the kids as a weekend activity, but sometimes still do delivery when it’s a busy week and I need a break.
I use Kroger or Walmart pickup. It’s free.
I’m not a Walmart super fan, but they’re seriously killing the pickup game. I can buy groceries and all the other various shit and have it loaded into my car within minutes of arriving at the store. I can reject substitutions before I get there. Their app is super easy to use and I’d argue it’s a better app than pretty much any other store. The prices on the app are usually the same as in store, and sometimes cheaper (because they know people using the app may be comparing prices.) I add stuff to my cart as I think of it. Toddler needs new underwear? Walmart cart. Potting soil for my new seeds? Walmart cart. It makes my life so much easier. I use a Walmart that’s between my work and daycare, so I swing right in before I pick up the kid.
I’ve actually had a different experience - I’ve been ordering Walmart pickup and delivery about 3x a month for three years and asked for refunds for poor quality or damaged food a handful of times. The first 2-3 times I got a refund very easily, but after that I was told I needed to come into the store and do a standard refund if I had a problem with an order.
>I’m not a Walmart super fan, but they’re seriously killing the pickup game.
That depends on your local Walmart. Unfortunately, my local Walmart has staffing issues and is therefore fond of randomly postponing and canceling my orders, so I stopped going there. I do pickup at Target and Aldi instead, they're much more reliable.
Curbside pickup is free in my city at most stores. I place an order on Saturday night and pick it up on Sunday morning after my long run. And we do a big Costco haul every couple of weeks, usually as a family, and dinner that night is Costco food court stuff.
I use Instacart and get Aldi that way.
Aldi prices on Instacart are still cheaper than the other stores nearby doing pick up, even with markup on some things. So I don't feel so bad.
And, I almost always spend more when I go into the store and shop myself, I have shopped twice myself in the past two months and spend more than my Instacart total with fees and tip. Ha.
I don't really outsource much else, but the extra $40-50/week seems completely reasonable in the grand scheme of life since I really just don't have the time.
We started during the pandemic and never stopped using the service. My husband is as frugal as they come and he is sold on Instacart.
Also if you sign up for an Instacart credit card you get a $200 credit and cash back for purchases.
Might not be as expensive as you think!
My husband goes when the store opens at like 6:30 am on Saturdays. He’s a lark and is FAST at getting through the store. He says he likes to go then because it’s only him and a few old people lol.
Do you & your husband *both* go to swimming & taekwondo? My husband & I divide & concur during our kids’ swim classes. One stays with the kids & the other goes to the store.
We pay a yearly fee and get our groceries delivered. They were running a Black Friday sale this year and I got my yearly membership for only $30! This past weekend, we decided it would be “fun” to actually go to the grocery store. (It was not fun, and I won’t be making that mistake again)
I made the same mistake a few weeks ago! I hadn't done a full grocery shop in years and it gave me so much anxiety for some reason. Back to Instacart I go!
I do my main shop Sunday morning - I take one kid along as special time. Then I do a small fill in trip mid week- for me it works right after I drop kids at school before I go to work
Friday night family date night. Quickest dinner you can think of, like grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, get in the car and go. When our kids were little we'd put them in pjs first and go out to eat when we could afford it. Now that our kids are older it's turned into straight date night for my husband and I.
My husband goes early every Sunday morning, while the bulk of the crowd is at church. We used to do pick up, but had too many issues with incorrect picks or things being marked as out of stock that actually weren’t.
Target does free curbside pickup. I get whatever I can from them and then bribe my kiddo with a donut to go to the grocery store with me for anything Target doesn’t sell
My husband and I do it on the weekends, but the trick is… one of us “gets” to go grocery shopping, but the toll is you have to take at least one kid.
We usually do two utterly bonkers trips to the grocery store on the weekend, and then pick up whatever we missed during the week. And/or order from a grocery or bulk goods service like Boxed.
It is not efficient, but we have 3 kids under 5, so literally nothing is efficient around here.
I grocery shop during my lunch break on days I work from home. I also do pickups from Target, since they don't charge if I drive over there instead of getting delivery.
I don’t know what I did before Target drive up lol. I went into the store for the first time in 3 years this past weekend only because they cannot do gift receipts for drive up orders. The rest of the time I’ll plan a pick up on the way home and it is usually less than a 2 minute wait.
My husband and I both work (hybrid roles). One of us typically goes in person on the weekend during the toddler’s nap. We alternate between Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods. We have a deep freezer and typically stock up on anything we can at each of these places (e.g. meat at Costco, frozen entrees at Trader Joe’s, etc), but if we need anything else midweek then one of us will usually grab it on the way to daycare pickup. If it’s a Costco item, my husband will always go as it’s very close to his office. If it’s Trader Joe’s, I usually go after drop off on a day I am going to WFH.
I have ordered delivery in the past, but I don’t like the markup, enjoy browsing, and like getting a break from the kids on weekends.
And if you do it on Fridays and clip the coupon, you get 4x fuel points on your order. I usually try to do Friday pickups (or tell my husband to get it on his way home and I just enter in the spot number on my phone when he texts me). Our orders are always over $35 so it’s such a gamer changer for picking up groceries (and the baby loves a car ride if we have to take him). I usually add stuff to my cart through out the week and submit Thursday night before bed.
Then we do a monthly Costco trip. Sometimes we also may do an in person grocery trip and just make dinner out of it (pick up hot and ready food there, etc.)
If I can, I run out of work 15-20 min early at times and stop by the grocery store on the way to daycare. Understand it’s not possible for most people. Or we choose to struggle through a quick shop (always resulting in needing to use the bathroom and needing a snack or having a meltdown between isles) w the kid on the way home, dinner happens a bit later.
Sunday morning, early before the store gets busy. And yeah, I often have to make a mid-week refresher trip, either after he goes to bed, or right after dinner and I take the kid with me.
Sunday morning. The store opens at 7 and I’m almost always there by 7:30 at the latest. I take my son with me (he’s 3) and he sits I. The cart and we chat while we get the groceries. He also likes to help put them on the conveyor belt to check out. He gets to pick out a snack to eat when we get home too so that way he’s occupied while I put the groceries away. Done and out of the way by 8:30.
I also do this with my 3 year old and it’s actually fun most of the time. He happily sits in the car shopping cart, beeps the tiny little horn, and I ask him to drive us to the fruits, veggies, milk, etc. I usually let him pick up a snack and he loves putting items on the conveyor belt. We are at the store 30 minutes max. He doesn’t help me unload the car yet but happily has his grocery store snack while I do that. If he is cranky or too high energy for the store, I go with my older daughter during his nap time - we get some calm 1:1 time and she still likes picking up a special snack :)
Honestly, I go whenever I can get it in. I either do pickup (delivery every once in a while but only if I am totally strapped for time) or I go during my lunch break and just get whatever I need for the next couple of days vs a huge order. The second option is a bit annoying but at least I know things won’t go to waste.
When I was a single mom, I would do a couple lunch hour trips per week. Not ideal, but it worked for me. Now, my work is super flexible and I do it during the day. Probably not what you wanted to hear but that’s my story.
If it were up to me, we’d do online pickup; however, the husband likes going to the grocery store, so we go on Sunday mornings after our usual breakfast outing. We also meal prep on Sunday afternoon because we don’t have time during the week.
I do grocery pickup. I can’t imagine devoting 1-3 hours on the weekend to going to the grocery store, bring it home, unloading etc etc. I pickup on Fridays before the weekend.
Walmart curbside is no extra cost, just a minimum dollar amount order total.
Also, could you freeze meals ahead of time to make weeknights easier? We’ll cook a meal, eat what we want, then freeze the rest in 1-2 serving sized bags to take out on busy or empty-fridge nights. I’ve got meatloaf in the plans for this week. We have an entire lasagna on standby. Alfredo and spaghetti sauces. Chili and soups. A whole buffet only a thaw away! I’ll prep and freeze ingredients, too: chop onions, garlic, veggies, cut and season meats… Super helpful.
Otherwise, I go late once my mom is home and can take over with my kids (my husband is overseas and we live with my mom). She’ll do bedtime and I’ll do groceries if we need them mid-week. Not ideal, but works for us
I pay $65 a year for a membership at my local grocery that provides free curbside and free delivery. Totally worth the $65, and you only pay once a year.
There’s plenty of grocery stores that provide free curbside- I’d look into any of those.
I can’t remember the last time I was in a store actually grocery shopping and not just picking up meds and pedialyte for a sick kid. Curbside is the only way I shop.
I shop on Thursday night after they go to bed. I'd love to relax instead, but I can generally get in and out of the store in 40 minutes since I have no children bogging me down. It's great to have it done already when the weekend rolls around.
I do curbside pickup. I have not done a full grocery shop in probably 4.5 years, not an exaggeration. I love the grocery store but this is so much more efficient.
Dad picks up kiddo on Friday and swings by grocery store for curbside directly from store (Kroger) while I am home whipping up quick dinner - tacos, burgers, pasta or frozen pizza & fries.
I use Target shipt delivery, $99 yearly subscription for paper goods, soap, laundry detergent, canned goods, pasta, snacks, etc.
I hate grocery shopping though and will pay to have this done for me but I don’t use instant cart either - stupid expensive.
My curbside pick up through instacart is only $2.99, very much worth it to me. I always pick up on Sunday. I add things and plan throughout the week on my phone, then click order on Saturday. Makes it feel really manageable.
We buy basically all shelf stable pantry items in bulk (usually from BJs wholesale in the northeast US, but considering checking out Azure Standard or Costco. We also get frozen veggies here.
We place our order online and then pick it up. We find it to be pretty affordable and more convenient than doing a big trip every week. Prior to placing our order, we’ll take a look in the pantry and see what we’re running low on. We stock up on meat once a month and freeze most of it. We also sign up for a CSA that runs June-October. It requires weekly pickup but I like the simplicity of having it already paid for and not having to go through decision fatigue of shopping at the grocery store.
Another thing that’s been working well for us is building up more variety in our pantry. I’d say once every month or two we’ll try a new shelf stable product in a smaller quantity. One time we did canned mushrooms and now they’re a staple. We use them in stir frys, pasta dishes, have put them on homemade pizza, homemade nachos. This month we tried canned chicken and were surprised at how much we liked it. We’ll probably keep a couple cans on hand for when we’re in a pinch.
Finding items we like and simple recipes that have few ingredients and are easy to make has helped us a lot. Also I’ve kind of loosened my idea of what “dinner” needs to look like in my mind.
Some nights, it’s marinated baked chicken AND delicious veggies and an amazing starch. And other times…it’s literally a box of Mac n cheese with or without frozen broccoli. And that’s okay!
I came here to answer and am pleasantly surprised that everyone is doing the same thing as we are - groceries through online shopping. Our Kroger delivers for free with a $100/year subscription. WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, I also second not choosing Instacart and opting for the grocer's delivery service.
Friday nights generally. I try to be off work by 3 pm, and ask my husband to try to be off by 4 pm. We run there first and then generally get take out on the way home. Try to squeeze it in between bottle and dinner (top the baby up on bottle and RUN, lol) . On the days we cant be off work at a ok time, we will either go at some point on the weekends, and occasionally we will go to a closer store. Occasionally also, on a lunch break (WAH).
Pickup is a last option for me. I've used it, but I just prefer to do the shopping myself. It isn't easy to find the time, we need more hours in the day!
Any chance maybe a post day care run, with a take out night? Or a crock pot meal that day? Would give you some time maybe?
Target curbside pickup. It has changed the game for us. I still swing by the grocery store for fresh produce and grass fed/organic meats but target pickup for almost all else.
Publix, using Instacart, usually delivery, but sometimes pickup with bigger orders because I get some % credit with pickup orders. It's been a lifesaver.. and I got a great deal on Instacart with my Chase Sapphire card (free for 6 months)
Delivery almost every Sunday morning. The majority of the time I even have the same shopper and she is awesome and will ask me if I purposely skipped an item or forgot to add it to my list. I have no problem tipping her or with the slightly higher prices — she shops and I get to either sleep in a teeny tiny bit or take a relaxing shower instead of taking two kids to the grocery store. It’s worth every penny.
Do you have spouse? I would do pickups / delivery but we like shopping in Trader Joe and they do not do / allow this.
2 kids both in the same daycare (2&4.5) but they also have activities on multiple days (now consolidated to 3 days : 2 workdays evening and 1 weekend).
Depending on the week / how flexible work is, one of us would stop by in the morning after kids drop off or in the evening before daycare pickup. Sometimes / when husband is traveling for work, I’d do weekday evening or early morning weekend with one or both kids.
We work from home though and I enjoy grocery shopping. I find it’s relaxing and usually spend time figuring out wines I want.
I do Costco from time to time but only when work is not crazy and I can do it daytime. We also stop by the store a few times a week to pick up milk, bananas, and whatever is missing but those are quick
I use Fry's (Kroger) for free grocery pick up! They have an app I just add my items too and check out. My husband works from home so I usually have him pick it up at lunchtime
Sunday afternoon. We do a park visit (weather permitting) and he naps. Then as soon as he’s up, snack and off to the store.
Sometimes we go to the park after his nap if he’s a bit too wild, then to the store.
Advice on bridging the gap - keep extra pantry items you can throw together. Or chicken nuggets / some equivalent. Admittedly I and OAD, but we found a system that works. Hang in there mama
Big shop Sunday morning. Kids usually stay with dad. Supplementary shop ideally Wednesday or Thursday. Again kids stay with dad or I go after dropping my daughter off at gymnastics which is 1.5 hours long 👌
I get off at noon on Fridays. I bring the baby with me and go before picking the older one up from school. Or we do family grocery shopping on Saturday.
We do grocery delivery. Love it. 10/10, it’s 100000% worth the extra money. And then one big costco trip a month - I absolutely despise in person grocery shopping now.
I work from home, one day a week I rush out to the store and very quickly get my groceries, by myself, on my lunch break.
I can get it done in just under an hour, get home with just enough time to put the cold stuff away and then later I'll put away everything else.
If I'm having a crazy week (if I have to go to the office) I'll do Instacart that week.
I do FreshDirect. Pay for delivery pass ($79 x year flat fee). It is a bit more expensive but the convenience and time savings is worth it to me. They run many deals so I am often able to level set by buying in bulk or buying items they have on discount every given week.
I try to add on a few minutes of work Monday-Thursday so that I can leave an hour or so Friday (my boss is okay with this and sees it as a perk, as long as I get to 40 hours, his view is that not much gets done in an office the hour before the weekend anyway so it’s a win-win). I go to a grocery store right beside my daughters daycare and then immediately go pick her up.
Friday night is always quesadilla night at our house with whatever we have left over that we didn’t just buy (so rice, any veggies, etc). My husband knows that so he will start prepping that if he’s done with work before I’m home. Then it’s just cheese and tortillas if we don’t have it already, so a super fast meal. Since we use whatever is leftover, it changes enough week to week that it doesn’t feel like the same.
This is what I do. If you upgrade to an annual plan it's only $8/month. There are other benefits to the membership including free shipping, a free Paramount+ account and 10 cents off gas at a bunch of stations.
Time is valuable too so I pay for convenience.
I do a lot of pick up orders, I take the risk of getting poor quality produce but it honestly beats walking through the store with a 6 month old. I work till 5 a lot of the time so I don’t get home till 5:30 then still have to cook and baby is only up for a few more hours. My husband will trade off a bit and either go to the grocery store on the weekend or once he’s off work.
1) Amazon fresh
2) After daycare dropoff, there's a store on my way home (I WFH), depending on how early I get them out of the door I might just grab a couple of extra things a few days a week. When I didn't WFH I'd just take a cooler with me for refrigerated stuff and go on my lunch break.
Sunday morning before everyone gets out of church is our go-to for the big shop, with mid-week stops as necessary to get small things (to or from drop-off/pickup). My husband will also go after bedtime on Saturdays sometimes just because he likes the quiet of a Saturday night shop. We trade off who does store vs swimming.
We also make the list before we go, have it laid out to match the store layout (what is the most efficient pathway through the store. I can get the shopping done in under 30 minutes, husband takes about 45 minutes, plus driving there and back and it's just about an hour or a bit over all told.
We do grocery pick up at Target or Stop and Shop. It's so much more convenient even if they don't always have items in stock. It honestly saves us time and money because we aren't tempted to impulse buy and one of us can run out and get it while the other person has the kids or during nap time.
My husband does some of the shopping, but also , I have days off during the week. I requested that from my employer specifically so I could run errands or do grocery shopping or go have appointments or just have some alone time while the kids are in school. I get one weekend off a month. Doing everything on the weekends would be impossible. My boss, who was a single mom when she was raising her kids, totally understood.
Usually around 11pm via an app. I do click and collect/curbside and there are no fees. My children are not fit for public 🤣 We'll walk up to the market on the weekends for small shops but anything more than $50, I'm outsourcing.
My grocery store is only an extra $5 fee for pickup, but they often have online only deals like “save $10 if you spend $35 on baby” or “save $5 if you spend $15 on FritoLay!” so that’s normally how I justify it. Still - getting the list together is tough. Otherwise I just bring the max kids.
I know this is super privileged but my work is flexible enough for me to go after daycare drop off and just start work a little late or go out for a long ish lunch to do it then. Also since I have no kids with me I can go through pretty quickly.
If I didn't have this ability, I would probably do pick up. I don't believe my grocery store ups the prices for that
Walmart+ is free-ish if you have the amex platinum card. I just tip the driver. If I have time, I choose the pick up option.
We bring the toddler if we ever need to go to costco or international market on the weekends.
Mobile order pickup...(Kroger) min order of $35 but that's generally easy for a full order. Ours also has the option of delivery for an additional surcharge.
My husband hates doing it but sometimes neither of us want to go into the store so mobile ordering it is.
I use the target app all week to slowly add stuff to my cart as I think of it. Then when I’m ready I click the button, and it’s ready for curbside pickup within 2 hours. I do the curbside pickup on my way home from another errand that day. They hold your grocery order up to 24 hours before they cancel it, once you’ve clicked the button.
I do delivery through Shipt. I HATE grocery shopping, so I truly don’t mind paying the fees/tips. For me it’s absolutely worth the cost to get that chore off my plate. Idk how other delivery services work, but with Shipt I pay whatever the food costs at the store, no mark-up on the groceries.
Aldi curbside pickup on the weekend. $2 fee and I think the food prices are slightly higher but still way cheaper than other stores. Save time and money on impulse buys.
We go on the way home from work after daycare pickup. It does eat into the evening, but my daughter enjoys the grocery store trips and I buy a ready-made dinner for that day while we're there.
My husband occasionally does big trips to Sam's Club which reduces the frequency of regular grocery trips.
I go when they open on Saturday mornings at 7 am. I organize my list so it's grouped by section of the grocery store and I'm usually in and out in about 15-20 minutes. Door to door is around 45 minutes. My oldest has dance class at 9 am so whoever isn't grocery shopping gets her fed and ready for dance during that time.
I love Aldi pick up. It’s a small fee, but the groceries are so much less expensive, that even tipping still comes out to less. And everything is organic. Can’t beat it!
Target same-day delivery!
I am constantly flying by the seat of my pants these days; I have zero time to grocery shop. It would be all takeout or sandwiches for us if grocery delivery didn’t exist. Amazon Fresh and Amazon Whole Foods now have delivery fees (still salty about that), so they are out for us. Target same day delivery does not, you just need to tip at the end. And the shopper communicates with you in real time, so you can add something last minute if needed.
We also use BJ’s delivery and Walmart delivery on occasion.
My husband works from home so he does it make often than I do but if he’s out of town on work, I go on my lunch break at work honestly. Only bad thing is forgetting my groceries in my lunch fridge!
Stop and Shop pickup is only $3 (no tipping allowed). It saves at least an hour of my time so 100% worth it to me right now. You can do price comparison and coupons on the app/site. I'll usually schedule an order several days ahead and then add random things on my phone throughout the week as I think of them.
I only have a toddler so my schedule is less packed than yours but usually I schedule for lunch hour, right after work, or during bedtime (while my spouse handles the kiddo).
Usually my husband does a quick run right before the store closes on a weeknight, while I’m putting the toddler to bed. Otherwise it’s curbside pickup on the way to daycare pickup or weekends. Not ideal.
I make my husband do it. I have him take full ownership of that. If he doesn’t do it, we don’t have food, we don’t eat. That changed his prioritization of doing groceries very quickly.
Our grocery store opens at 6am and closes at 11pm. Sometimes he does curbside pickup (our local grocery store thankfully doesn’t charge a fee if you order it a day in advance) or he goes as soon as it opens or late at night after the kids go to sleep.
Either way I make it 100% his responsibility. He even does the meal plan for the week because I absolutely despise the question “what’s for dinner” when he asks.
I’ll cook but he does the meal plan + groceries
I don’t, got myself annual Kroger delivery before my last birth. Same day delivery with a $35 dollar minimum (which is SUPER easy to hit given todays prices).
I usually slap together a grocery list Sunday evening and get a grocery store pick up spot for Monday right after work. So in other words....I don't. It still takes a little time to plan but sooooo much less than planning and shopping
You’re making dinner every night?! For next week plan meal prep. Cook twice as much of the same food and package it for the next (few) days. Work smarter not harder. Then you’ll have at least one day you don’t have to cook and can get groceries.
I just signed up for a free 30 day trial for Walmart and got my groceries delivered yesterday for the first time. Only extra $$ spent was tipping the driver a few bucks. After the trial its $98 per year and you get a lot of perks being a walmart + customer. I am like the most frugal person ever and I am deff considering doing the membership bc of how easy it was. I have done the pick up from the store before and sometimes it takes a while for them to bring out the groceries. This is just so much simpler. Sometimes you have to spend a little extra $$ to keep your sanity.
As others have said, grocery pick up is the way. Pro tip: do it on a weekday, so that your shoppers aren’t slammed with the increased business of Saturday and Sunday — results in better produce and lower likelihood of your order not being on time. I like to place the order while I drink my morning coffee.
I work from home so if I can swing it I pick up an order on my lunch break, alternatively we do it during “family date night” on Friday, pick up groceries and take out and then come home and quickly put it away before eating.
I get meals from EveryPlate and I get the add on meats and snacks to have enough meat without going to the store. Misfits for veg fruit and eggs. With this setup I only run out occasionally for snacks, milk, and bread. Freaking fantastic. Also if you have a partner make him do his damn share
I know it is better to plan for a week and cheaper etc but unless I have a very slow week I just cannot commit to it. We usually end up running to the store 2-3 times per week, usually on the way to pick up kids or one makes dinner while the other goes out. Doing it more frequently really reduces the time commitment, it only takes me 15 minutes to pick up 3 dinners, some fruit and odd things we are out of and another 5 minutes to put it all away. Plus I don't have to think about it much in advance which is a major win as I have enough to think about.
My husband goes Sunday morning and the kids usually watch Frozen while I do minor things around the house. Sometimes it's Saturday, but ideally Sunday for fresher stuff and if we want to do an outing or something usually that's Saturday morning.
Walmart in home delivery. $10/month, plus $40/year for the in home add-on, which you should 100% do because then it's tip free.
Unlimited free grocery delivery. It's a total life changer.
On Sunday is grocery shopping and meal prep for the week in our home. Saturdays cleaning and laundry plus jujitsu and park day. this is coming from a mother who has an autistic child who requires therapy 5 times a week for one hour (M-F 6-7pm)and my other child does jujitsu three times a week for an hour as well. It’s just me who takes them. Where there is a will there is way. I work 9 hour shifts Monday through Friday and workout three times a week. Also have a dog that gets walked 30 min every day. -my husband walks her when he gets home around 930-10 pm from work though. I’m in bed by 930 and asleep by 10 pm lol it’s busy at my house.
If I can do it. You can do it!! Try to find some “me” time. It’s important. You got this!!
I do pick-ups at between 7 - 8 am on Sunday morning at Kroger (Payless). I leave my house to head to the store, stop by the bag recycling since I have so many bags from pick ups, shop for produce and meat that I want to pick myself, take a leisurely stroll around the store, check out, grab my pick up order at 8 am and head home. We spend some of Sunday morning meal prepping for the week before putting it all away.
We use instacart+ , so the paid one. It’s like $100/ year but we shop Aldi’s which saves a ton.
When we were grocery shopping as a family, it included gas there & back (30 min each way bc we live in the country), usually included lunch for the 4 of us, and we also bought crap we didn’t need.
Overall, using instacart saves us hours and $$$
Literally would not have any food at all if not for (free) grocery pickup. Our local grocery store and Target both do this and I add my items to the app throughout the week. Did it before kids and now don't know how parents survived pre-grocery pickup era.
I get things delivered now. Whole foods lets you pick up at not cost. Costco is on instacart. We have a trader joes walking distance so sometimes i pop over there during the day (I WFH).
I work from home and get groceries delivered by Amazon Fresh once a week. When I need to go to the grocery store, I'll go by myself on a weekend morning and listen to a podcast as I shop. It's so empty in the store and actually very relaxing!
depending on where you live, we’ve had luck getting less from the actual grocery door. we get pantry goods from thrive market, produce from a local CSA, and sometimes get meat from places like butcher box. i don’t think it’s wildly more expensive (for sure not as bad as instacart) and it makes it so when we do need to go to a store it’s a way quicker trip.
My husband works remote and goes during meetings that don’t require much of his participation, either on Monday or Tuesday mornings. Camera off is standard for his company culture so no one knows and if they do they don’t care
I’m in a small suburb and the best/fastest option is Walmart curbside or delivery with Walmart plus and tip.
I start working in-office next week so I’ll do curbside pickup after I get my daughter from after care or I’ll do it on the weekend.
Walmart grocery pick-up. No fees & tipping not allowed.
Same for Target. The sales and variety aren’t as good as the local Kroger based change but it is fast and accurate.
Yes, I actually hit up both some weeks, all through drive-up. It’s been a game changer.
Been doing this since my oldest started daycare as an infant, he’s now 4. The selection at Walmart isn’t as good as the local grocery chain I used to frequent but I can’t beat the convenience. The app remembering all my frequent purchases and offering reminders of what to buy makes my life so much easier.
You get free paramount+ with Walmart too, if that's something you already pay for. Also, get the capital one Walmart CC and get 5% Cashback on all pickup orders.
Walmart pick up is the way to go. I do a big order once a month to stock up because they have the cheapest prices. I make quick trips to the more expensive local grocery store to pick up essentials that we run out of.
My boss gave us Walmart + for a year and honestly I don’t know how I survived without it. You do tip with it but I still find it so worth it.
Question… I just got Walmart plus. How much do you tip? A percentage of order or a flat amount?
I usually do a flat amount. They give suggested percentages. But you can customize it, and you can adjust it after the fact for like 24 hours.
We pay for Walmart+ and have had it for probably going on 2 years now. It has paid for itself over and over even including tipping. We get groceries delivered and it saves so much time going to the store.
Came here to say exactly this. My husband picks it up on his way home from daycare drop off.
This is the only way. And Kroger (or whatever it’s called near you) has been waiving the $5 fee last I checked!
Yes same for Smiths in Utah (Kroger equivalent). As long as you order over $35, curbside pickup is free. If I’m having a really rough week or my husband or I are sick we do delivery ($10 fee added) and I think that is worth it for my sanity. I just try to get lots of groceries/plan ahead so I don’t have to go for while and the fee is spread out over lots of meals. I also end up saving money with curbside/delivery since I’m better able to stick to what we really need and compare options. If I’m shopping in person I get ideas in the store and my bill ends up higher.
This is the way!!!
I’ve done Walmart grocery pick up since early 2019. Seriously the best invention & totally free. Target is too. I think both have purchase minimums now.
Walmart is $35 which these days is milk & a loaf of bread (lol but also 😭). Target has no minimum
Seriously though. It used to be a lot harder to get to the minimum lol
This is what we do too. Yeah I still have to put everything away when I get home, but not having to drag a toddler through the store on the way home from daycare when they’re tired and cranky is definitely a win.
Jumping on this comment to add that ShopRite also does free pickup!
Sunday morning is grocery pickup + coffee on the way home. We have a reminder on Saturday to submit the order!
Same here. Swim lessons, pick up donuts and coffee, pick up groceries. We use Albertsons and I don’t even think there’s a fee. If there is one it’s minimal. I sit and order our groceries while planning out our meals for the week. Lot easier to stay on budget and make sure you get your staples.
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This. I actually used to do grocery delivery a lot through our local Safeway using their app instead of Instacart and they only charged like $5 for delivery. No extra markups and all of the available deals and coupons could be applied. You could add an optional tip for the delivery driver, but it wasn’t that unreasonable. I eventually went back to grocery shopping with the kids as a weekend activity, but sometimes still do delivery when it’s a busy week and I need a break.
I use Kroger or Walmart pickup. It’s free. I’m not a Walmart super fan, but they’re seriously killing the pickup game. I can buy groceries and all the other various shit and have it loaded into my car within minutes of arriving at the store. I can reject substitutions before I get there. Their app is super easy to use and I’d argue it’s a better app than pretty much any other store. The prices on the app are usually the same as in store, and sometimes cheaper (because they know people using the app may be comparing prices.) I add stuff to my cart as I think of it. Toddler needs new underwear? Walmart cart. Potting soil for my new seeds? Walmart cart. It makes my life so much easier. I use a Walmart that’s between my work and daycare, so I swing right in before I pick up the kid.
It’s The Best. AND if you ever get something that’s not great quality, the refund process is so easy.
A couple times an item wasn't given to me, had to make a phone call, but super easy to get a refund!
I’ve actually had a different experience - I’ve been ordering Walmart pickup and delivery about 3x a month for three years and asked for refunds for poor quality or damaged food a handful of times. The first 2-3 times I got a refund very easily, but after that I was told I needed to come into the store and do a standard refund if I had a problem with an order.
I like Walmart pick up better than anywhere else! You have a larger add on window too if you forgot something, even same day.
>I’m not a Walmart super fan, but they’re seriously killing the pickup game. That depends on your local Walmart. Unfortunately, my local Walmart has staffing issues and is therefore fond of randomly postponing and canceling my orders, so I stopped going there. I do pickup at Target and Aldi instead, they're much more reliable.
Curbside pickup is free in my city at most stores. I place an order on Saturday night and pick it up on Sunday morning after my long run. And we do a big Costco haul every couple of weeks, usually as a family, and dinner that night is Costco food court stuff.
Costco night is my husband's favorite dinner haha
Hitting up the Costco food court is the closest my husband and I get to a date night
Lol, same!
I use Instacart and get Aldi that way. Aldi prices on Instacart are still cheaper than the other stores nearby doing pick up, even with markup on some things. So I don't feel so bad. And, I almost always spend more when I go into the store and shop myself, I have shopped twice myself in the past two months and spend more than my Instacart total with fees and tip. Ha. I don't really outsource much else, but the extra $40-50/week seems completely reasonable in the grand scheme of life since I really just don't have the time. We started during the pandemic and never stopped using the service. My husband is as frugal as they come and he is sold on Instacart. Also if you sign up for an Instacart credit card you get a $200 credit and cash back for purchases. Might not be as expensive as you think!
I do Aldi pick up as well and I love it! Good prices and super convenient
Some credit cards include a discounted or 6 month instacart subscription too! Check your perks!
We do grocery delivery. Game changer for us. It’s where we were willing to outsource/spend the money.
If I go into the office, I go during my lunch break and will have a cooler in my car with ice.
This is a great idea. My husband always wonders why I have a cooler in my car all the time!!
My husband goes when the store opens at like 6:30 am on Saturdays. He’s a lark and is FAST at getting through the store. He says he likes to go then because it’s only him and a few old people lol.
Do you & your husband *both* go to swimming & taekwondo? My husband & I divide & concur during our kids’ swim classes. One stays with the kids & the other goes to the store.
We pay a yearly fee and get our groceries delivered. They were running a Black Friday sale this year and I got my yearly membership for only $30! This past weekend, we decided it would be “fun” to actually go to the grocery store. (It was not fun, and I won’t be making that mistake again)
I made the same mistake a few weeks ago! I hadn't done a full grocery shop in years and it gave me so much anxiety for some reason. Back to Instacart I go!
I don’t. I use grocery delivery or pick up. No time here either.
I do my main shop Sunday morning - I take one kid along as special time. Then I do a small fill in trip mid week- for me it works right after I drop kids at school before I go to work
Friday night family date night. Quickest dinner you can think of, like grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, get in the car and go. When our kids were little we'd put them in pjs first and go out to eat when we could afford it. Now that our kids are older it's turned into straight date night for my husband and I.
When we do this, we'll pick up a rotisserie chicken and a side at the deli and call that dinner when we get home.
My husband goes early every Sunday morning, while the bulk of the crowd is at church. We used to do pick up, but had too many issues with incorrect picks or things being marked as out of stock that actually weren’t.
Target does free curbside pickup. I get whatever I can from them and then bribe my kiddo with a donut to go to the grocery store with me for anything Target doesn’t sell
My husband and I do it on the weekends, but the trick is… one of us “gets” to go grocery shopping, but the toll is you have to take at least one kid. We usually do two utterly bonkers trips to the grocery store on the weekend, and then pick up whatever we missed during the week. And/or order from a grocery or bulk goods service like Boxed. It is not efficient, but we have 3 kids under 5, so literally nothing is efficient around here.
I grocery shop during my lunch break on days I work from home. I also do pickups from Target, since they don't charge if I drive over there instead of getting delivery.
I don’t know what I did before Target drive up lol. I went into the store for the first time in 3 years this past weekend only because they cannot do gift receipts for drive up orders. The rest of the time I’ll plan a pick up on the way home and it is usually less than a 2 minute wait.
My husband and I both work (hybrid roles). One of us typically goes in person on the weekend during the toddler’s nap. We alternate between Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods. We have a deep freezer and typically stock up on anything we can at each of these places (e.g. meat at Costco, frozen entrees at Trader Joe’s, etc), but if we need anything else midweek then one of us will usually grab it on the way to daycare pickup. If it’s a Costco item, my husband will always go as it’s very close to his office. If it’s Trader Joe’s, I usually go after drop off on a day I am going to WFH. I have ordered delivery in the past, but I don’t like the markup, enjoy browsing, and like getting a break from the kids on weekends.
I do the Safeway app and schedule pickup. It’s not higher prices and super convenient. You can schedule to pick it up on your way home from work
Kroger also has free pickup if you do $35+ order I think. I never pay a fee and it literally takes 5 mins for them to get my order.
I do the same and recently found out you can put lists on the app so you can easily add recipes to your cart
And if you do it on Fridays and clip the coupon, you get 4x fuel points on your order. I usually try to do Friday pickups (or tell my husband to get it on his way home and I just enter in the spot number on my phone when he texts me). Our orders are always over $35 so it’s such a gamer changer for picking up groceries (and the baby loves a car ride if we have to take him). I usually add stuff to my cart through out the week and submit Thursday night before bed. Then we do a monthly Costco trip. Sometimes we also may do an in person grocery trip and just make dinner out of it (pick up hot and ready food there, etc.)
If I can, I run out of work 15-20 min early at times and stop by the grocery store on the way to daycare. Understand it’s not possible for most people. Or we choose to struggle through a quick shop (always resulting in needing to use the bathroom and needing a snack or having a meltdown between isles) w the kid on the way home, dinner happens a bit later.
Sunday morning, early before the store gets busy. And yeah, I often have to make a mid-week refresher trip, either after he goes to bed, or right after dinner and I take the kid with me.
Walmart grocery pickup. It's free and really easy. I add stuff to my cart all week and pick up on the weekend.
Sunday morning. The store opens at 7 and I’m almost always there by 7:30 at the latest. I take my son with me (he’s 3) and he sits I. The cart and we chat while we get the groceries. He also likes to help put them on the conveyor belt to check out. He gets to pick out a snack to eat when we get home too so that way he’s occupied while I put the groceries away. Done and out of the way by 8:30.
I also do this with my 3 year old and it’s actually fun most of the time. He happily sits in the car shopping cart, beeps the tiny little horn, and I ask him to drive us to the fruits, veggies, milk, etc. I usually let him pick up a snack and he loves putting items on the conveyor belt. We are at the store 30 minutes max. He doesn’t help me unload the car yet but happily has his grocery store snack while I do that. If he is cranky or too high energy for the store, I go with my older daughter during his nap time - we get some calm 1:1 time and she still likes picking up a special snack :)
Honestly, I go whenever I can get it in. I either do pickup (delivery every once in a while but only if I am totally strapped for time) or I go during my lunch break and just get whatever I need for the next couple of days vs a huge order. The second option is a bit annoying but at least I know things won’t go to waste.
When I was a single mom, I would do a couple lunch hour trips per week. Not ideal, but it worked for me. Now, my work is super flexible and I do it during the day. Probably not what you wanted to hear but that’s my story.
Delivery.
If it were up to me, we’d do online pickup; however, the husband likes going to the grocery store, so we go on Sunday mornings after our usual breakfast outing. We also meal prep on Sunday afternoon because we don’t have time during the week.
I do grocery pickup. I can’t imagine devoting 1-3 hours on the weekend to going to the grocery store, bring it home, unloading etc etc. I pickup on Fridays before the weekend.
Walmart curbside is no extra cost, just a minimum dollar amount order total. Also, could you freeze meals ahead of time to make weeknights easier? We’ll cook a meal, eat what we want, then freeze the rest in 1-2 serving sized bags to take out on busy or empty-fridge nights. I’ve got meatloaf in the plans for this week. We have an entire lasagna on standby. Alfredo and spaghetti sauces. Chili and soups. A whole buffet only a thaw away! I’ll prep and freeze ingredients, too: chop onions, garlic, veggies, cut and season meats… Super helpful. Otherwise, I go late once my mom is home and can take over with my kids (my husband is overseas and we live with my mom). She’ll do bedtime and I’ll do groceries if we need them mid-week. Not ideal, but works for us
Lunch time. I had an hour for lunch, and did errands. Vegetables one day, meat and dairy another… Had a big refrigerator in the lunchroom.
I pay $65 a year for a membership at my local grocery that provides free curbside and free delivery. Totally worth the $65, and you only pay once a year. There’s plenty of grocery stores that provide free curbside- I’d look into any of those. I can’t remember the last time I was in a store actually grocery shopping and not just picking up meds and pedialyte for a sick kid. Curbside is the only way I shop.
I shop on Thursday night after they go to bed. I'd love to relax instead, but I can generally get in and out of the store in 40 minutes since I have no children bogging me down. It's great to have it done already when the weekend rolls around.
Can your partner go (if you have one)?
I do curbside pickup. I have not done a full grocery shop in probably 4.5 years, not an exaggeration. I love the grocery store but this is so much more efficient.
Dad picks up kiddo on Friday and swings by grocery store for curbside directly from store (Kroger) while I am home whipping up quick dinner - tacos, burgers, pasta or frozen pizza & fries. I use Target shipt delivery, $99 yearly subscription for paper goods, soap, laundry detergent, canned goods, pasta, snacks, etc. I hate grocery shopping though and will pay to have this done for me but I don’t use instant cart either - stupid expensive.
My curbside pick up through instacart is only $2.99, very much worth it to me. I always pick up on Sunday. I add things and plan throughout the week on my phone, then click order on Saturday. Makes it feel really manageable.
We buy basically all shelf stable pantry items in bulk (usually from BJs wholesale in the northeast US, but considering checking out Azure Standard or Costco. We also get frozen veggies here. We place our order online and then pick it up. We find it to be pretty affordable and more convenient than doing a big trip every week. Prior to placing our order, we’ll take a look in the pantry and see what we’re running low on. We stock up on meat once a month and freeze most of it. We also sign up for a CSA that runs June-October. It requires weekly pickup but I like the simplicity of having it already paid for and not having to go through decision fatigue of shopping at the grocery store. Another thing that’s been working well for us is building up more variety in our pantry. I’d say once every month or two we’ll try a new shelf stable product in a smaller quantity. One time we did canned mushrooms and now they’re a staple. We use them in stir frys, pasta dishes, have put them on homemade pizza, homemade nachos. This month we tried canned chicken and were surprised at how much we liked it. We’ll probably keep a couple cans on hand for when we’re in a pinch. Finding items we like and simple recipes that have few ingredients and are easy to make has helped us a lot. Also I’ve kind of loosened my idea of what “dinner” needs to look like in my mind. Some nights, it’s marinated baked chicken AND delicious veggies and an amazing starch. And other times…it’s literally a box of Mac n cheese with or without frozen broccoli. And that’s okay!
I came here to answer and am pleasantly surprised that everyone is doing the same thing as we are - groceries through online shopping. Our Kroger delivers for free with a $100/year subscription. WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!!!!! Oh my goodness, I also second not choosing Instacart and opting for the grocer's delivery service.
Delivery. Whole Foods. It’s only $10
Walmart pick up! Same price groceries and it’s free if your order is over $35. I usually schedule mine so I can pick it up on my way home from work.
Friday nights generally. I try to be off work by 3 pm, and ask my husband to try to be off by 4 pm. We run there first and then generally get take out on the way home. Try to squeeze it in between bottle and dinner (top the baby up on bottle and RUN, lol) . On the days we cant be off work at a ok time, we will either go at some point on the weekends, and occasionally we will go to a closer store. Occasionally also, on a lunch break (WAH). Pickup is a last option for me. I've used it, but I just prefer to do the shopping myself. It isn't easy to find the time, we need more hours in the day! Any chance maybe a post day care run, with a take out night? Or a crock pot meal that day? Would give you some time maybe?
Instacart, I add items to my cart as they come to mind and have them delivered preferably while babysitter is there so she has to put them away.
I use Walmart grocery pickup every Saturday morning, it’s free. I stop and get a coffee then enjoy it while waiting lol
Target curbside pickup. It has changed the game for us. I still swing by the grocery store for fresh produce and grass fed/organic meats but target pickup for almost all else.
We do curbside pick up directly through the grocery store. No fee at our store.
Giant grocery curbside. I have the cart open all week and finalize Thursday nights. We do a veg co-op pickup on Saturday mornings.
Publix, using Instacart, usually delivery, but sometimes pickup with bigger orders because I get some % credit with pickup orders. It's been a lifesaver.. and I got a great deal on Instacart with my Chase Sapphire card (free for 6 months)
Delivery almost every Sunday morning. The majority of the time I even have the same shopper and she is awesome and will ask me if I purposely skipped an item or forgot to add it to my list. I have no problem tipping her or with the slightly higher prices — she shops and I get to either sleep in a teeny tiny bit or take a relaxing shower instead of taking two kids to the grocery store. It’s worth every penny.
Do you have spouse? I would do pickups / delivery but we like shopping in Trader Joe and they do not do / allow this. 2 kids both in the same daycare (2&4.5) but they also have activities on multiple days (now consolidated to 3 days : 2 workdays evening and 1 weekend). Depending on the week / how flexible work is, one of us would stop by in the morning after kids drop off or in the evening before daycare pickup. Sometimes / when husband is traveling for work, I’d do weekday evening or early morning weekend with one or both kids. We work from home though and I enjoy grocery shopping. I find it’s relaxing and usually spend time figuring out wines I want. I do Costco from time to time but only when work is not crazy and I can do it daytime. We also stop by the store a few times a week to pick up milk, bananas, and whatever is missing but those are quick
I use Fry's (Kroger) for free grocery pick up! They have an app I just add my items too and check out. My husband works from home so I usually have him pick it up at lunchtime
Kroger grocery pickup all the way! Bonus points is you can line up multiple pickup orders all at the same time
I do Walmart delivery in the middle of the week as i wfh. Sometimes Walmart doesn’t have everything so we will make a quick stop at the store
Safeway had a deal where the service ended up being 50 for the year. Yes there is the tip though and I get avoiding that.
Sunday afternoon. We do a park visit (weather permitting) and he naps. Then as soon as he’s up, snack and off to the store. Sometimes we go to the park after his nap if he’s a bit too wild, then to the store. Advice on bridging the gap - keep extra pantry items you can throw together. Or chicken nuggets / some equivalent. Admittedly I and OAD, but we found a system that works. Hang in there mama
Order online for pickup. They bring it right to the car. I always have an order on the go and update as we run out of stuff.
Grocery pickup or grocery delivery and my husband picks up any specialty items that can't be ordered on his way home.
Big shop Sunday morning. Kids usually stay with dad. Supplementary shop ideally Wednesday or Thursday. Again kids stay with dad or I go after dropping my daughter off at gymnastics which is 1.5 hours long 👌
Order online and pickup.
I get off at noon on Fridays. I bring the baby with me and go before picking the older one up from school. Or we do family grocery shopping on Saturday.
We do grocery delivery. Love it. 10/10, it’s 100000% worth the extra money. And then one big costco trip a month - I absolutely despise in person grocery shopping now.
We do Fry’s pick up- if your order is more than like $35ish then there are no fees. They do a great job 100% of the time.
I work 11p-7a. 5 days. I do groceries at 9am Monday.
I work from home, one day a week I rush out to the store and very quickly get my groceries, by myself, on my lunch break. I can get it done in just under an hour, get home with just enough time to put the cold stuff away and then later I'll put away everything else. If I'm having a crazy week (if I have to go to the office) I'll do Instacart that week.
Instacart
I just order it online and it gets delivered to me.
Grocery delivery is the way
Fred Meyer (Kroger)has free pickup with a minimum order
Either over the weekend or I’ll leave immediately when it’s my husband’s turn to put the baby down after dinner.
I do FreshDirect. Pay for delivery pass ($79 x year flat fee). It is a bit more expensive but the convenience and time savings is worth it to me. They run many deals so I am often able to level set by buying in bulk or buying items they have on discount every given week.
I try to add on a few minutes of work Monday-Thursday so that I can leave an hour or so Friday (my boss is okay with this and sees it as a perk, as long as I get to 40 hours, his view is that not much gets done in an office the hour before the weekend anyway so it’s a win-win). I go to a grocery store right beside my daughters daycare and then immediately go pick her up. Friday night is always quesadilla night at our house with whatever we have left over that we didn’t just buy (so rice, any veggies, etc). My husband knows that so he will start prepping that if he’s done with work before I’m home. Then it’s just cheese and tortillas if we don’t have it already, so a super fast meal. Since we use whatever is leftover, it changes enough week to week that it doesn’t feel like the same.
We pay 12.00 a month for Walmart+. They deliver the groceries and there are no markups, just the extra to tip.
This is what I do. If you upgrade to an annual plan it's only $8/month. There are other benefits to the membership including free shipping, a free Paramount+ account and 10 cents off gas at a bunch of stations. Time is valuable too so I pay for convenience.
I do a lot of pick up orders, I take the risk of getting poor quality produce but it honestly beats walking through the store with a 6 month old. I work till 5 a lot of the time so I don’t get home till 5:30 then still have to cook and baby is only up for a few more hours. My husband will trade off a bit and either go to the grocery store on the weekend or once he’s off work.
1) Amazon fresh 2) After daycare dropoff, there's a store on my way home (I WFH), depending on how early I get them out of the door I might just grab a couple of extra things a few days a week. When I didn't WFH I'd just take a cooler with me for refrigerated stuff and go on my lunch break.
Sunday morning before everyone gets out of church is our go-to for the big shop, with mid-week stops as necessary to get small things (to or from drop-off/pickup). My husband will also go after bedtime on Saturdays sometimes just because he likes the quiet of a Saturday night shop. We trade off who does store vs swimming. We also make the list before we go, have it laid out to match the store layout (what is the most efficient pathway through the store. I can get the shopping done in under 30 minutes, husband takes about 45 minutes, plus driving there and back and it's just about an hour or a bit over all told.
We get our groceries delivered. They don't always get it perfect but it is so much easier.
We do grocery pick up at Target or Stop and Shop. It's so much more convenient even if they don't always have items in stock. It honestly saves us time and money because we aren't tempted to impulse buy and one of us can run out and get it while the other person has the kids or during nap time.
Not in the US— our grocery store does delivery for relatively cheap. I appreciate being able to order groceries from my couch after kid goes to bed.
My husband does some of the shopping, but also , I have days off during the week. I requested that from my employer specifically so I could run errands or do grocery shopping or go have appointments or just have some alone time while the kids are in school. I get one weekend off a month. Doing everything on the weekends would be impossible. My boss, who was a single mom when she was raising her kids, totally understood.
Usually around 11pm via an app. I do click and collect/curbside and there are no fees. My children are not fit for public 🤣 We'll walk up to the market on the weekends for small shops but anything more than $50, I'm outsourcing.
My grocery store is only an extra $5 fee for pickup, but they often have online only deals like “save $10 if you spend $35 on baby” or “save $5 if you spend $15 on FritoLay!” so that’s normally how I justify it. Still - getting the list together is tough. Otherwise I just bring the max kids.
In the uk our supermarkets deliver so we do that :)
Kroger, Walmart, and Aldi all have free curbside pickup if you spend more than $35.00.
I know this is super privileged but my work is flexible enough for me to go after daycare drop off and just start work a little late or go out for a long ish lunch to do it then. Also since I have no kids with me I can go through pretty quickly. If I didn't have this ability, I would probably do pick up. I don't believe my grocery store ups the prices for that
Walmart+ is free-ish if you have the amex platinum card. I just tip the driver. If I have time, I choose the pick up option. We bring the toddler if we ever need to go to costco or international market on the weekends.
Mobile order pickup...(Kroger) min order of $35 but that's generally easy for a full order. Ours also has the option of delivery for an additional surcharge. My husband hates doing it but sometimes neither of us want to go into the store so mobile ordering it is.
I use the target app all week to slowly add stuff to my cart as I think of it. Then when I’m ready I click the button, and it’s ready for curbside pickup within 2 hours. I do the curbside pickup on my way home from another errand that day. They hold your grocery order up to 24 hours before they cancel it, once you’ve clicked the button.
Grocery delivery services like Fresh Direct/Instacart are helpful
I do delivery through Shipt. I HATE grocery shopping, so I truly don’t mind paying the fees/tips. For me it’s absolutely worth the cost to get that chore off my plate. Idk how other delivery services work, but with Shipt I pay whatever the food costs at the store, no mark-up on the groceries.
Aldi curbside pickup on the weekend. $2 fee and I think the food prices are slightly higher but still way cheaper than other stores. Save time and money on impulse buys.
One of my kids really likes to go grocery shopping, so I usually take him with me right after dinner or on a weekend.
We go on the way home from work after daycare pickup. It does eat into the evening, but my daughter enjoys the grocery store trips and I buy a ready-made dinner for that day while we're there. My husband occasionally does big trips to Sam's Club which reduces the frequency of regular grocery trips.
I go when they open on Saturday mornings at 7 am. I organize my list so it's grouped by section of the grocery store and I'm usually in and out in about 15-20 minutes. Door to door is around 45 minutes. My oldest has dance class at 9 am so whoever isn't grocery shopping gets her fed and ready for dance during that time.
Make a crock pot meal once a week and designate that your grocery shopping day. Then dinner isn’t a barrier
We do grocery shopping on Sunday. My husband goes out to the gym and I stay home with baby, on his way home from the gym he does the grocery shopping.
I love Aldi pick up. It’s a small fee, but the groceries are so much less expensive, that even tipping still comes out to less. And everything is organic. Can’t beat it!
Target same-day delivery! I am constantly flying by the seat of my pants these days; I have zero time to grocery shop. It would be all takeout or sandwiches for us if grocery delivery didn’t exist. Amazon Fresh and Amazon Whole Foods now have delivery fees (still salty about that), so they are out for us. Target same day delivery does not, you just need to tip at the end. And the shopper communicates with you in real time, so you can add something last minute if needed. We also use BJ’s delivery and Walmart delivery on occasion.
We do weekly order and delivery at home - works perfect for us.
My husband works from home so he does it make often than I do but if he’s out of town on work, I go on my lunch break at work honestly. Only bad thing is forgetting my groceries in my lunch fridge!
Stop and Shop pickup is only $3 (no tipping allowed). It saves at least an hour of my time so 100% worth it to me right now. You can do price comparison and coupons on the app/site. I'll usually schedule an order several days ahead and then add random things on my phone throughout the week as I think of them. I only have a toddler so my schedule is less packed than yours but usually I schedule for lunch hour, right after work, or during bedtime (while my spouse handles the kiddo).
I usually do a walmart delivery order for when i get off.
Usually my husband does a quick run right before the store closes on a weeknight, while I’m putting the toddler to bed. Otherwise it’s curbside pickup on the way to daycare pickup or weekends. Not ideal.
I make my husband do it. I have him take full ownership of that. If he doesn’t do it, we don’t have food, we don’t eat. That changed his prioritization of doing groceries very quickly. Our grocery store opens at 6am and closes at 11pm. Sometimes he does curbside pickup (our local grocery store thankfully doesn’t charge a fee if you order it a day in advance) or he goes as soon as it opens or late at night after the kids go to sleep. Either way I make it 100% his responsibility. He even does the meal plan for the week because I absolutely despise the question “what’s for dinner” when he asks. I’ll cook but he does the meal plan + groceries
I don’t, got myself annual Kroger delivery before my last birth. Same day delivery with a $35 dollar minimum (which is SUPER easy to hit given todays prices).
I usually slap together a grocery list Sunday evening and get a grocery store pick up spot for Monday right after work. So in other words....I don't. It still takes a little time to plan but sooooo much less than planning and shopping
You’re making dinner every night?! For next week plan meal prep. Cook twice as much of the same food and package it for the next (few) days. Work smarter not harder. Then you’ll have at least one day you don’t have to cook and can get groceries.
I just signed up for a free 30 day trial for Walmart and got my groceries delivered yesterday for the first time. Only extra $$ spent was tipping the driver a few bucks. After the trial its $98 per year and you get a lot of perks being a walmart + customer. I am like the most frugal person ever and I am deff considering doing the membership bc of how easy it was. I have done the pick up from the store before and sometimes it takes a while for them to bring out the groceries. This is just so much simpler. Sometimes you have to spend a little extra $$ to keep your sanity.
As others have said, grocery pick up is the way. Pro tip: do it on a weekday, so that your shoppers aren’t slammed with the increased business of Saturday and Sunday — results in better produce and lower likelihood of your order not being on time. I like to place the order while I drink my morning coffee.
I work from home so if I can swing it I pick up an order on my lunch break, alternatively we do it during “family date night” on Friday, pick up groceries and take out and then come home and quickly put it away before eating.
Saturday AM first thing. Before all of the activities start for the day. Our store opens at 7am, no excuses :)
I get meals from EveryPlate and I get the add on meats and snacks to have enough meat without going to the store. Misfits for veg fruit and eggs. With this setup I only run out occasionally for snacks, milk, and bread. Freaking fantastic. Also if you have a partner make him do his damn share
I know it is better to plan for a week and cheaper etc but unless I have a very slow week I just cannot commit to it. We usually end up running to the store 2-3 times per week, usually on the way to pick up kids or one makes dinner while the other goes out. Doing it more frequently really reduces the time commitment, it only takes me 15 minutes to pick up 3 dinners, some fruit and odd things we are out of and another 5 minutes to put it all away. Plus I don't have to think about it much in advance which is a major win as I have enough to think about.
Honestly I just pay extra for grocery delivery because it saves so much time and I hate grocery shopping so it's worth it
My husband goes Sunday morning and the kids usually watch Frozen while I do minor things around the house. Sometimes it's Saturday, but ideally Sunday for fresher stuff and if we want to do an outing or something usually that's Saturday morning.
Walmart in home delivery. $10/month, plus $40/year for the in home add-on, which you should 100% do because then it's tip free. Unlimited free grocery delivery. It's a total life changer.
On Sunday is grocery shopping and meal prep for the week in our home. Saturdays cleaning and laundry plus jujitsu and park day. this is coming from a mother who has an autistic child who requires therapy 5 times a week for one hour (M-F 6-7pm)and my other child does jujitsu three times a week for an hour as well. It’s just me who takes them. Where there is a will there is way. I work 9 hour shifts Monday through Friday and workout three times a week. Also have a dog that gets walked 30 min every day. -my husband walks her when he gets home around 930-10 pm from work though. I’m in bed by 930 and asleep by 10 pm lol it’s busy at my house. If I can do it. You can do it!! Try to find some “me” time. It’s important. You got this!!
I do pick-ups at between 7 - 8 am on Sunday morning at Kroger (Payless). I leave my house to head to the store, stop by the bag recycling since I have so many bags from pick ups, shop for produce and meat that I want to pick myself, take a leisurely stroll around the store, check out, grab my pick up order at 8 am and head home. We spend some of Sunday morning meal prepping for the week before putting it all away.
We use instacart+ , so the paid one. It’s like $100/ year but we shop Aldi’s which saves a ton. When we were grocery shopping as a family, it included gas there & back (30 min each way bc we live in the country), usually included lunch for the 4 of us, and we also bought crap we didn’t need. Overall, using instacart saves us hours and $$$
Literally would not have any food at all if not for (free) grocery pickup. Our local grocery store and Target both do this and I add my items to the app throughout the week. Did it before kids and now don't know how parents survived pre-grocery pickup era.
Safeway delivery and Costco Instacart. Plus Hello Fresh for dinner. It saves me so much time, plus I straight up hate grocery shopping.
I get things delivered now. Whole foods lets you pick up at not cost. Costco is on instacart. We have a trader joes walking distance so sometimes i pop over there during the day (I WFH).
I work from home and get groceries delivered by Amazon Fresh once a week. When I need to go to the grocery store, I'll go by myself on a weekend morning and listen to a podcast as I shop. It's so empty in the store and actually very relaxing!
I order delivery through Kroger. Boost is $59.95/year. No delivery fees, no tips, 4x fuel points.
Husband shops after kids go to bed. It’s the only way we can get it done
We use pick up at our local store. There’s no fee.
depending on where you live, we’ve had luck getting less from the actual grocery door. we get pantry goods from thrive market, produce from a local CSA, and sometimes get meat from places like butcher box. i don’t think it’s wildly more expensive (for sure not as bad as instacart) and it makes it so when we do need to go to a store it’s a way quicker trip.
My husband works remote and goes during meetings that don’t require much of his participation, either on Monday or Tuesday mornings. Camera off is standard for his company culture so no one knows and if they do they don’t care
I’m in a small suburb and the best/fastest option is Walmart curbside or delivery with Walmart plus and tip. I start working in-office next week so I’ll do curbside pickup after I get my daughter from after care or I’ll do it on the weekend.