Does this sound like your house? You’ve just had a long, hard day. You finally get home. You sit down to relax and, without fail, someone asks the question:

What’s for dinner?

And you forgot to get groceries. So you spend too much on takeout. Again. And think that you really have to get this whole meal planning thing in gear next week.

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. I’ve been right there with you. That’s why I want to talk a little today about something that has totally saved my sanity and taken my meal planning and budgeting game to a whole other level. Online grocery shopping.

This is seriously the greatest thing ever created. Sitting at home. In my sweatpants. Ordering my groceries for the week. And then a nice, friendly delivery man brings them to my door at the specified time.

No more spending an hour at the store. Loading and unloading my groceries. Cursing the extra “impulse buys” the kids and I just had to have. This service has saved me time and money. It allows me to be intentional with my purchases and also free up the time I used to put into the grocery shopping process.

I’m going to talk a little about my top tips shopping online with the grocery store that I use. Hy-Vee. I’m know there are others, but this is my local grocery store, and the one I have experience with. If you have been on the fence about trying Hy-Vee’s delivery service, hopefully this post will give you some insight as to what to expect.

• Order 24 Hours in Advance
  You cannot order and expect delivery an hour later. Make sure you plan ahead. I’ve never had any issue scheduling a time when I schedule 24 hours in advance.
• Don’t be afraid to select “No Substitutions”
  Hy-Vee offers you the option to allow or not allow substitutions. I’ve tried both. Since I am picky about my groceries, I’ve come to appreciate the “no substitutions” option. I do add a note that I am open to most substitutions and to please call with questions. They never hesitate to call and we can work out on the phone a suitable substitution that I am happy with.
• Delivery is FREE on orders over $100
  Know if there is a delivery fee. Hy-Vee offers free delivery for orders over $100. I order once a week for a family of five. I am able to get free delivery and stay within my weekly grocery budget.
• I do tip my delivery person
  When I’ve talked to people in person about this service, one of the most common questions I get is if I tip the delivery person. I do. They are always kind, friendly, and carry my groceries into my house and put them on my kitchen table for me. I feel that deserves a couple extra dollars for their effort.
• Check Your Expiration Dates
  This is something we usually do in the store ourself, so when someone else is shopping for you, make sure you check those expiration dates when you put away your groceries. If you are frequently getting expiration dates that are sooner than you think is normal, call your local store and let them know.

For me, the option to order my groceries online and have them delivered to my door has been amazing. It has given me back both time and sanity that I lost spending hours wandering the aisles of the grocery store (many times with all three kids). If you are on the fence about trying a service like this, I would recommend giving it a go. It may end up being a game changer for you too.

Have you tried online grocery delivery? Leave me a comment and let me know!