“Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We’ve been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.”

Seneca

In the silence of COVID (and the events of Year Zero) did I have time to sit and think about where I wanted to be and where I was going. Inertia being everything that stopped because of COVID 19 and how new habits have to changed.

Inertia like transportation and commenting to work by owning a car, etc.

And being done with something refers to how those new habits change things. For example, getting the iPhone 12 due to Year Zero but the iPhone/cell phone category is now DONE. I don’t need to upgrade to the next few iPhones unless another catalyst changes that (like my phone is lost or broken).

Instacart vs Grocery Shopping

During COVID, I finally tried out Instacart. This was a fitting time since I didn’t have a car and second, I was recovering from all the hospital things related to Year Zero.

And as a quick summary, I really enjoy it and don’t see myself going back to the “normal” method of grocery shopping.

For those who don’t know, Instacart is a grocery deliver service where someone goes to the grocery store on your behalf, buys the products you specify and then deliver those products to your house within a few hours.

Think of it as “Uber for Groceries”.

The beauty of this system for me is that I could use it while working remotely at home because I couldn’t get up and travel.

How does Instacart work?

Instacart is really simple. You can log into the website or the mobile app. You go to a participating store (I prefer Aldi’s) and then add items to your cart like normal.

You can make this list at anytime and from anywhere then order it when you are ready.

You can then order your groceries for delivery (or even pickup if you can get to the store).

I choose delivery of course and after the order is placed, you will get a notification when someone is on their way to get your order.

The benefits of Instacart that I like is that as someone is shopping and they are out of an product or something, you are notified in the app/website in real time so you can suggest a replacement or just refund your money.

Nothing like handling grocery shopping while in a 3 hour meeting for work.

The best thing is that you get a notice when your shopper is done and on their way to deliver your groceries. And their face shows up on the map on Instacart so you can gauge how close they are and prepare accordingly.

For example, I don’t leave my groceries at the door (that’s an option) so I prefer to be home to get the order and save my ice cream 😀

After delivery, you can rate your order and the personal shopper and add another tip or fix any issues.

What Is The Price of Instacart?

The price of Instacart is fair in my opinion for my use case. You pay a premium but someone is going to get the groceries AND bring them home to YOU.

However let it be known that some stores charge different prices on Instacart versus the in store price. Aldi is one of those stores.

For example these cookies are roughly $0.85 in Aldi’s store but $1.05 on Instacart.

For me, I figure some things are a few cents to a few dollars more (in regards to Aldi specifically).

In one of my orders, the guy left the original Aldi’s receipt in my groceries bag so I was able to see how much more I was paying Instacart for my groceries.

You can see the price isn’t that crazy for what was essentially having someone else shop on my behalf and bring the groceries (17 different products, but 38 TOTAL items) to my door.

The reason for that item discrepancy is simple: I buy multiple of the same products. For example I buy 6 half gallon orange juices from Aldi’s. So it is 1 product but 6 separate items of course.

Doing the math, Aldi’s charged $7.37 for Instacart pricing over buying in the store.

Overall, I spent $45 over the sticker price to get my groceries to picked out and delivered to me. And don’t forget that $45 includes the $21 tip I give to my Instacart personal shopper.

Would you spend an extra $45 to have someone shop AND delivery groceries on your behalf? I would and have…many times.

My Review of Instacart

To me Instacart is worth it. I think so far I saved like 48 hours of shopping over 20 separate orders dating back to October 2020.

The fact I didn’t have to drive, park and walk through a grocery store for a few hours every 2 weeks allowed me time to do other things.

I joke with my mom when called me one day that I was grocery shopping (which I was) but she confused since I was clearly home.

Instacart baby!

I have used Instacart while working out, in long meetings at work, out for my daily walk, baby sitting, and many other things where normally that time is just lost.

I haven’t had any major issues with Instacart. If any item was missed, Instacart credits my card and/or gives me shopping credits for the next time.

I suggest giving a try and to give a GOOD tip to the people working hard out here for us.

Sign up for Instacart and get $10 and free delivery on your first order!

Don’t fuck this up for me 😁