Money | Saving | Budget | Lifestyle
Save Money by Grocery Shopping Online
It’s quicker, less stressful and you can see exactly what you are spending
I always thought online grocery shopping was for posh people too lazy and entitled to get out and grub around in the vegetables with the rest of us — no dirty potato hands or scrabbling for the last ripe avocado for them.
Too posh to push, like the women who insist on elective cesareans. Too posh to push a supermarket trolley.
Then I discovered that a few women at work did online shopping. What was I missing? These weren’t posh snobby women. They were ordinary, like me.
Given that food is usually the biggest bill after mortgage or rent, it’s reasonable to try and keep it down.
But I decided to have a go, and to my surprise, shopping at Countdown, the only NZ grocery store to do online shopping at the time, is cheaper than shopping at a budget supermarket.
How could it be cheaper with a delivery fee? It didn’t make sense.
No extras in the trolley: When shopping in person, despite my list, I put a lot of extras in the trolley. If I see Brie cheese, crisps, fruit I fancy, biscuits I like the look of, in it goes.
It doesn’t matter what is on the list; as I shop, my arm reaches out and, on auto-pilot, slings a lot of things I don’t need into the trolley.
At the checkout I reward myself with a magazine and a Twix (one of the only chocolate bars I can eat as I have a fatal nut allergy).
It’s clear how much the out of season fruit and veg cost: Shopping online, it’s obvious when I choose fruit and vegetables out of season. I look at my order and see that 1kg of tomatoes is twelve dollars. That’s about two dollars per tomato! Delete. Off the list they come.
I realized that I had no idea about fruit and vegetable prices. I just put whatever I want in the trolley with the naive assumption that it wouldn’t cost very much because it’s fruit and veg.
Price comparisons are easier: Another advantage of online shopping is it’s easier to compare prices online than at the supermarket. Everything is marked so that you can see how much per kg or 100g the product costs. This makes comparisons easier.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy two small pots of mayonnaise than one large one. Sometimes the bagged vegetables are less expensive than the loose ones. If the vegetable is a carrot, why pay more? Surely a carrot is a carrot?
I always found it quite hard to compare prices amidst the noise and hurly-burly of other shoppers. My brain can’t cope with math while people reach over me to get a can of tuna or push past me.
It’s simple to keep to a budget: I always shop within my budget, but I find it far easier when shopping online. Why? Because before you pay, you get a total. If that total is more than the weekly budget, you can review the list and remove items until the total is within budget.
Maybe the washing powder will last until next week. Perhaps an expensive meal can be swapped out for something a bit cheaper.
Since I’ve been living with my partner, I’ve introduced him to the joys of online shopping. Initially, he was very suspicious, especially as my idea of a reasonable weekly food budget is a lot less than his.
He enjoys supermarket shopping while I hate it and find it stressful. He has recently come to enjoy the decadent pleasure of ordering shopping online and having it delivered the same or next day. It’s great when having parties or ordering heavy or bulky items.
It’s easy to see what is reduced: My partner has also discovered another way of saving. I always shop sitting on the sofa using the app on my phone. My partner sits at his computer and uses the supermarket website. He discovered that you are shown all your previously purchased items and a list of reduced items this way. Now, most items we buy are reduced in price.
I buy things I don’t usually get at the supermarket: Ordering online, I have a good look at the cleansers, moisturizers, and cosmetics too. It’s cheaper than department stores and super affordable when on sale. In-person, I never looked at these items as I was in a hurry to get it all over with and get home.
Countdown also gives us vouchers when we spend a certain amount, which we can use online. We are also getting points to put towards glass food containers, which we’re pleased are of high quality.
Other supermarkets have offers too; however, I forget to use the voucher. The supermarket doesn’t have the items I’ve saved up my points for, and I give up. Online, it’s all done from the comfort of home, no stress.
As well as saving money, online shopping saves time and my sanity. We only have to handle shopping once, instead of multiple times.
My partner took over all the shopping and cooking when he moved in (lucky me!). Now he is entirely onboard with both the food budget and online grocery shopping.. We are online shopping exclusively for groceries now.
Summary
Despite thinking that online shopping was terribly decadent, I came to realize that it saved money because:
- I don’t pick up random items I don’t need
- I can see exactly how much I am getting per kg for fruit and vegetables
- It’s easier to compare prices
- If the total is more than my budget, I can take things off
- I can adjust my shopping to buy items only when on special
- I buy cosmetics and other things I wouldn’t normally buy at a supermarket and for a cheaper price
- I get vouchers and points towards home wares — OK, this is a bit of a stretch but it excites me!
This article covers New Zealand supermarkets but the basic premise may still apply in other countries. You don’t know until you try!
Happy shopping, everyone!
Here are some of my other non-grocery related articles: