How Instacart Saves Me a Ton of Time & Money

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Have you ever ordered groceries with Instacart? It is so convenient and easy! I love it and wanted to share with you how Instacart saves me a ton of time and money!

Something has happened to me over the last several months, I’ve started to dread grocery shopping.

I know, total first world problem.

I don’t know what happened, I used to like grocery shopping but for some reason recently I just really don’ t want to go.

I think it is because I often try to fit it in at a time when I’m already out, after one of the kid’s activities, or with other errands. I often feel like I’m rushing to get it done so we can get home and make dinner.

Whatever the reason, maybe that I’ve been grocery shopping once a week for 22 years, I’ve reached grocery shopping burnout.

I firmly believe if there is something in your life that you can make easier and less stressful you should. So when Instacart came to our area, I decided I needed to try it!

How does Instacart work exactly?

Since I started sharing my love of grocery delivery with my friends I’ve gotten 2 big questions, “how does it work?” and, “Is it expensive?”

So, let’s answer those questions shall we?

Instacart has partnered with several grocery chains so that you can order from your favorite store! In my area, we have delivery from Aldi, but in larger areas (I live in a tiny town) they have a huge selection of stores to shop from! You can shop with grocery stores, drug stores, even warehouse stores! You can just hop over to the Instacart website and put in your zip code to see what stores are available in your area.

Once you’ve selected the store that you want to shop it is as simple as putting items in your cart and checking out!

When you’re checking out you’ll choose a time slot for when you want your groceries delivered. You pick a window that works for you!

You’ll get a notification when your shopper begins shopping. If something that you want is out of stock they will contact you with replacement options and you can ok them or ask for something else. Once the shopping is finished you’ll get a notification that your shopper is on their way.

When your shopper arrives they’ll carry all your bags in and boom! Your shopping is done!

How much does Instacart cost?

When I heard of Instacart I thought that it would send my grocery budget through the roof.

However, that’s just not the case!

There is a delivery charge that varies depending on the time of day. Mine has been $3.99 every time I’ve ordered. You also have the option to tip your shopper, 5% is the default amount but you can adjust it to be any amount you’d like.

If you use Instacart a lot you have the option of purchasing Instacart Express. For the flat fee of $99 a year, your delivery fee is $0!  If you order once a week that’s a savings of over $100 a year! If you order multiple times a week the savings are even more!

You can try Express for 2 weeks for free to see if it works for you!

The other cost variable with Instacart is dependent on which store you are shopping from. Some store pricing is the same as in-store others have different pricing to cover the cost of personal shopping.  You can check the store page to find specifics on the store you want to shop from.

Aldi’s pricing does vary from in-store but it isn’t a huge amount, I’ve noticed a price difference of 10-20 cents on most items.

Why I like Instacart better than grocery store pick up

When I started feeling my grocery store burnout I started using grocery pick up from our local grocery chain, which is a service that I love.

However I like Instacart’s service better. First of all I have shopped Aldi for years and there are several of their products that my family loves, so the ability to have Aldi products delivered is awesome!

I also love that if there is something that is not in stock I have the ability to choose the replacement.  The real-time communication with your shopper is great to make sure that you get all of the items that you need.

How Instacart saves me time

So obviously having groceries delivered is a huge time saver, but the delivery is only part of how Instacart saves me a ton of time.

By doing my shopping at home I can check on what we need so that I can make sure I don’t forget anything.

So often I miss putting something on the list or miss it while I’m shopping and I have to run out later in the week to pick it up. I find that making my list at home and double-checking it when I’m done keeps me from missing items. And the personal shoppers make sure to get everything on your list so there is no overlooking something at the store.

You can also fill your cart throughout the week, as you run out of things or think of something you want to get just pop it in your cart and then it’s there when you’re ready to check out and schedule your delivery!

How Instacart saves me money

So if you did the math when it comes to how much Instacart costs you probably didn’t think that it could save money too, but it does!

Of course the ability to shop Aldi factors in here too, their prices are so affordable and so that helps keep costs down.

There is also no impulse buying. When you sit down to make your list that is what you order, there is no cruising the aisles grabbing things  you really don’t need but that look delicious… or shopping hungry when you want to buy ALL THE THINGS!

Also if you have kids there is no, “Mommy can we get this?” that adds up to you saying no a gazillion times or spending extra money on the things you say yes to.

There is also the option to share your personal referral link with friends and family. When you do they’ll get $10 off and you’ll get $10 off too! You can get up to $50 off your order!

There are also ecoupons available on Instacart to save money and special buys that come with offers like free delivery. There are a lot of ways to save!

All in all, I highly recommend trying Instacart!

If you are suffering grocery shopping burnout like me, if you are low on time, have an infant, are sick… the list of reasons to give it a try is as long as my shopping list with three hungry boys to feed!!

If you give it a try come back and let me know how much you love it! If you are already an Instacart user what do you love the most?

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