Two Easy Ways I Saved My Time, Sanity and $200 Grocery Shopping
Want to know two easy ways I saved my time, sanity and $200 on grocery shopping this month and how you can too? Then keep reading!
It all began with a grocery store parking lot melt-down. I had just gotten off of work and picked up my two year old. I figured I had time to spare before picking up my oldest son from school, so I might as well go grocery shopping. I pulled into Walmart and parked next to where people return their carts. Having a young child, you know this is prime real estate because you can quickly grab a basket and have them situated and strapped down before going inside the store.
Well, as I went to get my son out of the car seat, he was not having it. What was wrong with my sweet baby? No worries, I had snacks and juice in my purse. I’m ready for anything. HA!
He proceeds to go limp. Kicks, screams, hollers. I can’t even get one leg in the basket. But remember, I’m a mommy maverick, so I try to hand him some snacks. He throws the snacks, continues to scream, blows snot. At this point, I’m ready ? to ? go ?. I never thought I’d be THAT mom with a child having a complete meltdown. I’m also not the type of mom to make the whole world witness the tantrum of the century. We leave without ever stepping into the store. It is at this moment I vow never to take him shopping with me again.
Thankfully, because of this ordeal, I found two easy ways to save my time, sanity and money grocery shopping and doesn’t involve clipping coupons.
2 Ways to Save Time, Sanity and Money Grocery Shopping
1. Meal Planning
Planning our weekly meals definitely is a huge stress reliever and money saving task. That dreaded “What’s for dinner?” can quickly lead to “Let’s get Chinese” or “Let’s order a pizza” if you’re not prepared. Not only does planning our family meals lead to less stress about worrying what to cook, it also saves money by having a focused shopping list. You’ll only buy the ingredients you know you’ll need and use for the week. Using this free meal planner is a great way for you to plan out your meals and shopping list.
It’s a shame how much produce I’ve thrown out over the years because I forgot about the lettuce, bell peppers and tomatoes at the bottom of the fridge. Not any more!
2. Walmart Grocery Pickup
After you’ve planned your meal for the week, now you have to go grocery shopping. What if I said you can be in and out of Walmart in 2 minutes without having to get out of your car? If you haven’t tried Walmart Grocery Pickup, what are you waiting for? Walmart Grocery Pickup turns a usually dreaded hour long shopping trip into a 2-3 minute stress-free, budget friendly, time-saving relaxed moment for this mommy.
How does Walmart Grocery Pick up work?
Shop online and add your groceries & personals to the cart
You can also shop using the app. The website is sectioned off based on department. It will show produce, dairy, condiments, etc. You can even add a favorites section that will show recent purchases so you can quickly add it to your cart. You can also use the search bar to find a specific brand or product. While this is typically for groceries, non-food items are available for purchase as well. My husband is super happy because **TMI moment** I usually make him buy my personal products, now neither one of us has to do it because I can just add it to the cart and have my personal shopper make tampon runs for me. ???
Select store location, pickup date and time
Usually the earliest you can pick up your groceries is five hours. I find ordering Friday night and picking up Saturday morning works best for us. They provide one hour windows and you can select the day you want to pick up. You can order up to 7 days in advance. Earliest pick up time window is 8am-9am and the latest pickup window is 7pm-8pm.
Specify if you’re okay with substitutions.
If Walmart is out of the 16 oz creamer you need for your coffee, is it okay that they give you something similar? This is more of a personal choice. If you’re picky, you should probably say no. The default is yes, so UNCHECK the box. However, in my experience, I LOVE my substitutions because they usually UPGRADE the item. So for example, the 16oz creamer they were out of was substituted with the 64oz in stock and I did not have to pay extra for it.
Check out
No more guessing and wondering if you’ll overspend. You can edit your cart as needed to ensure you stay within your budget. It is important to note that rebate apps (such as ibotta), coupons and gift cards can not be used with this service, only debit and credit cards. Also, only a few select stores currently accept EBT cards, click here for that list. But if it’s your first time using Walmart Grocery Pickup, click here for $10 off your first order!
Check In
You will be notified when your order is ready. I personally recommend you get the Walmart grocery app on your phone. There are two ways of checking in to let Walmart know to bring your groceries out. First, look for reserved parking for pick-up orders, you can’t miss the side of the building painted orange. Park in one of the designated spaces and call the number on the sign at the pickup location when you arrive. Simply provide your name and they’ll bring it out. But to save even more time, I check in using the app when I’m walking out the door and on my way. The app will let the store know exactly where you are, how far away you are and when you’ve arrived (must have GPS enabled on your phone). Calling when you get there had a 5 minute wait time. Checking in on the Walmart Grocery app had an 11 second wait time.
Relax
If it’s your first trip, you should expect a nice little goodie bag filled with treats, samples and coupons. When the associate comes to the car, they will go over any substitutions they had to make or anything they were unable to get. Your payment will never be more than what was shown when you checked out, but it may be less. After they’ve gone over your receipt and you sign off, relax as they load the groceries into your trunk. After the nice, friendly and helpful service you’ve received (Thanks, Justin and Tray!), you might feel obliged to tip. NOPE, they can not accept tips. Simply smile and thank them. You’ll also get some looks from customers wondering who this VIP person is with their own personal shopper. Well, IT’S YOU!
So there you have it! With meal planning and Walmart Grocery Pickup, I’m saving time, my sanity and money. NO MORE GROCERY STORE MELT-DOWNS FOR ME!
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**Want to know why the kid had the melt down in the first place? Turns out my husband left a small boxing speed bag in the backseat and my son wanted to bring it inside. I figured it out when we got home and he was pointing to it. He immediately stopped crying and asked for “juice-juice”. Go figure.**
?. I think this sounds too good to be true!! I read it to my boys – all of us have had… shall we say, less than sub par experiences at Walmart? They are a little skeptical that the order will be done right. ?. But who knows? Maybe it’s a mom’s dream come true!!
Believe me, I was skeptical at first, but our 4 experiences so far have been fantastic! The only suggestion, if you don’t want them to substitute, simply uncheck the box. Seriously, they’re better at getting my stuff than my husband with a list and me texting him pictures of what I need.