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Are Grocery Delivery Services Worth It?

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grocery delivery service
As the gig economy continues to grow, more and more services are being offered to provide you with the opportunity to never leave your house. One of the delivery services that continues to grow and is being provided by more and more companies is grocery delivery. Some of the top companies are Instacart, Shipt, and Walmart.  Thrive Market is a great organic option.

But the big question on our minds is – is it worth it?

Does Grocery Delivery Service Save Time?

Yes, it does.

Consider the time it takes to drive to the grocery store, plus park, grab a shopping cart, and walk up and down the aisles. Depending on the time you visit the store, you may have to stand in line, then walk back to the car, load up your groceries, and drive home.

With grocery delivery service, you need to spend a few minutes with your computer, selecting your items and putting them in your virtual cart. Thus, the time doesn’t decrease from 60 minutes to 0, but the savings are tremendous.

Does it Save Money?

The short answer is it depends. Considering it saves time, then yes, because time is money.

Yes, if you’re an impulse shopper. Having your groceries delivered can bring savings to your budget. Consider how often you’re going down the aisle and toss a few things in your cart. Each time you deviate from your list of groceries, you hike up the total cost — usually resulting in exceeding your food budget.

Where I believe a grocery delivery service does not save money is if you are NOT an impulse buyer and are good at spotting deals, shopping from the discount aisle (especially meat). Or, if you’ve got the time and the desire to shop multiple stores.

Also, any fees you pay for the service and any tips you give to your shopper will eat into your savings and possibly cost you more. In this case, it will be your decision whether the time savings, avoidance of crowds, and convenience factors make it worth it. At this point, it becomes a personal preference.

Because personal finance is personal.

An Alternative to Grocery Delivery Services:

If you love the convenience of grocery delivery services, but don’t want to pay the fee, or the tip, consider something similar – grocery pick-up services. Walmart, Target, and Harris Teeter all offer grocery pick-up service. Walmart and Target are free; Harris Teeter charges a nominal fee.

It follows the same concept as a delivery service – you order your items online and schedule a time for pick-up.

Pick-up is my personal preference as I’m an impulse shopper. Ordering online allows me to avoid purchasing things I don’t need, yet I still save time. I pick up my groceries while I’m in the area. Often there is a longer wait than I prefer, but I use that time to read a book or get some work done.

Do you use a grocery delivery service? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Average Grocery Bill for a Family of Four (and How to Save on Yours)

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The Average Grocery Bill for a Family of Four (and How to Save on Yours)

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average grocery bill

Do you ever read those outrageous headlines that read, “How I Feed My Family of Seven on $75 a Month” or something similar? They always manage to make me feel like I’m missing something. The grocery bill for my family (of four) would never come close to being that small for one month. Therefore, it got me thinking.

What is the average grocery bill for a family of four?  

The Food and Nutrition Service of the US Department of Agriculture provides guidelines based on “a nutritious diet where all meals and snacks are prepared at home.” The guidelines are based on four levels of spending: thrifty, low-cost, moderate, and liberal. Furthermore, they are divided by age and gender.

According to the FNS, a four-person family made of one female age 35, one male age 37, one boy aged five, and one girl aged eight would have an average monthly grocery bill between $612 and $1,707. By comparison, the break-down between plans is $612 on the thrifty plan, $792 for the low-cost plan, $989 under the moderate plan, and $1,207 under the liberal plan.  

Admittedly, $1,000 on a moderate budget for a family of four eating solely at home seems high to me.

However, if you factor in organic food and the cost of living in highly populated cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and NYC, this seems more reasonable.

Three tips to decrease your grocery bill

Each year, the cost of food rises. Typically with the cost of inflation, but often more due to the state of the economy and other factors such as natural disasters and other weather-related incidents. However, when trying to cut expenses in our budgets, groceries are one of the first places we look.

If you find yourself on the high end of the averages listed, here are three tips to help offset some of the rising costs and/or bring down your grocery bill.

1. Meal Plan

Meal planning is one of the best things you can do to eliminate food waste and to spend your grocery dollars with intention. Try planning one week at a time, including multiple meals with the same type of protein, which allows you to buy the most expensive item on your meal plan in bulk.



2. Use Money Saving Apps

Couponing has gone digital. Specifically, Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, and Checkout51 are a few of my favorite money-saving apps. Sit down with the meal plan you created above and add any items on your list directly through the app. Scan your receipt after you shop and instantly save. After you’ve accumulated so much in savings, you can transfer it in the form of PayPal or gift cards. It takes some time to get used to, but I’ve found them to be worthwhile.

3. Shop Your Pantry

Before you sit down to meal plan, take a look around your refrigerator, your freezer, and your pantry. I guarantee you have enough for one meal. You may have to get creative and hodgepodge a few items together, but you’ll be surprised how much you already have on hand. Not only is it a great way to reduce your grocery bill, but also be a good steward of the environment.

 

How much is your average grocery bill in your family? Let us know in the comments below.

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Meal Planning For A Family On A Budget

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Four Legitimate Work From Home Jobs For Moms

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Work From Home Jobs For Moms

Last week I talked about three ways moms can make extra money. Today I want to continue the discussion with additional jobs to make money, specifically work-from-home jobs.

Four Legitimate Work-From-Home Jobs For Moms

1. Court Transcript Proofreader

They’re, their, there – if you know the difference between these three words and have an eye for detail, proofreading court transcripts may be just the thing for you. Court testimony is often transcribed word-for-word for future reference. A court reporter captures the live conversation with a stenotype. Because the reporter is simultaneously typing and listening, there is room for error. That’s where a proofreader adds value to the process.

Your primary tool will be an iPad and your eagle eye for grammatical errors. English teachers are great candidates for this side gig, as are you if you’re the kind that scours social media comments looking for the wrong use of the word “affect”.

If this is something that interests you, check out Proofread Anywhere. Caitlyn Pyle s a former court transcript proofreader who created a course to teach you to do the same. Included in the course is how to find clients. There is a free quiz to see if it’s something you have an aptitude for and might enjoy.

If court transcription proofreading doesn’t thrill you, you can also provide proofreading services to blogs, books, and website copy. These avenues are often less technical than court transcription proofreading.

As a mom, you can do this job from anywhere – your couch, the car while your son is at soccer practice, or on the plane to Disney World.

2. Life Coach

Do your friends and family come to you for advice? Do you like to serve and help people? Are you big on self-improvement? If you answer yes to each of these questions, you may want to consider becoming a life coach. A life coach is someone who helps others with struggles in their life and/or provides guidance and direction to lead them towards their personal goals. 

A life coach may be a generalist or may specialize in weight, business, or even organization. It’s different from therapy but can serve as a partner to a mental health professional. Life coaching is an up and coming profession. Brooke Castillo likens it to the rise of the gym. In the 70s, no one had gym memberships. As health and personal care started to rise in the 80s and 90s, a gym membership became the norm. Think of life coaching as the present-day equivalent of a gym membership. In a decade or so, everyone will have a life coach.

There are many avenues available to become a life coach. Tony Robbins has a program, as does Martha Beck. Brooke Castillo has one of the best programs, and I’m a big fan of her podcast. A great example of a successful life coach who makes seven figures working from home three days a week on her business, while a full-time mom of four is Jody Moore. She is a student of Brooke’s and is evidence a life coach is an excellent work-from-home option for moms.

3. Pinterest Virtual Assistant

Do you love social media? Do you spend your free time scrolling Pinterest for your next recipe? You can earn an income off your love of Pinterest. Along with the rise of internet businesses and blogs, social media has taken in growth as a marketing tool. Pinterest continues to rise and is a popular search engine alternative to Google. 

Online entrepreneurs recognize the value of Pinterest to their bottom line, but don’t want to spend the time building their Pinterest presence. As a result, you can capitalize on this need by creating Pinterest graphics. You don’t need a graphic design degree. You can create professional-looking graphics using free tools such as PicMonkey, Canva or Instasize.

As a Pinterest VA, you’ll create and upload pins for blog articles or merchandise for sale. You’ll create pin descriptions using appropriate keywords and possibly optimize your client’s Pinterest profile.  A VA can work from anywhere and anytime, so makes a perfect option for moms to generate extra money. 

Interested in learning more? Gina Horkey and Kristin Larsen have a great class called Pinterest VA. Furthermore, as a VA you can offer virtual assistant services for just about any social media platform, such as Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.  

4. Capitalize on your 9-to-5 skills

Do you have a college degree? Did you work a traditional job before becoming a SAHM? You likely have a set of marketable skills that can be done from home. You probably also have a built-in client base and network you aren’t even aware of.

Let’s say you were a journalist in your working days. You can reach out to your former boss and request some freelance writing work. Perhaps you were an accountant and know your former employer needs some part-time help during tax season. Put a proposal together to offer your services as an independent contractor. In your proposal, note you already have a working space (because your dining table counts) and high-speed internet that would allow you to work from home.

You can also market your skills to the general public. If you were a chef pre-kids, and want to share your love of vegetarian cooking, create a blog and sell an online course for a stream of passive income.  Market to other moms who are trying to teach their picky children the value of a vegetarian diet.

The opportunities are endless with your current skillset. Brainstorm your skill sets and find one that you can offer from home, then market it. You may have to think outside the box, but the rewards are worth it.

 

Do you work from home as a mom? Share what you do and how you got started in the comments below.

Read more:

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3 Unexpected Options for Stay At Home Moms to Make Extra Money

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side hustles for moms

Perhaps you were a career girl before you had babies. Or you were a young mom and never had a chance to build a working network. Either way, you decided there was nothing more valuable than staying at home to raise your family. Admittedly, however, you’re a little bored or strapped for cash. If you’re wondering how you can make extra money as a stay-at-home, I’ve got three possibilities that aren’t the usual options you’ll find in your Pinterest search. Don’t expect to find blogging on this list.

Bookkeeping

If you think a degree is required to be a bookkeeper, think again. Bookkeeping is a learnable skill if you have an eye for detail. The bookkeeping field has started to change as software (Quickbooks and Xero) has emerged to make it simpler for the small business owner.

However, while the software lends a helping hand, many business owners don’t a) have the desire, b) have the time, and c) want more understanding of what they’re looking at. As a result, you’ll send the bookkeeping field start to shift to a flat fee work from home field, rather than a low paid hourly rate brick and mortar store. This provides you with the flexibility to work from home and stay in control of your schedule. Both essential requirements for stay-at-home moms.

I recommend investing in a course to learn the basics of bookkeeping, as well as learn how to build an online business and find clients. It can be pricey, but certainly not to the level of a semester of college. Bookkeeper Business Launch is a course you should consider. They’ve got a great support community and it’s an overall amazing program. I’ve personally taken it, and as a former CPA, I can recognize it’s value. I highly recommend it if you’re interested in exploring this as an opportunity to build your own business.

Sell Your Own Product

Have you ever dreamed of selling your own product? You can! You can sell anything from wine to supplements to shower curtains with your very own label, all from the comforts of home. This is done via the private label industry.

Private label is the process of working with a manufacturer to produce a product to sell based on your specifications. You add a label on it and sell it directly to the public. You’ll want to stick to basic items that sell well on platforms such as Amazon and eBay. They should be light in weight and not fragile to ensure they ship well.

Once you decide on your product, find a manufacturer. Alibaba is a great place to start. You’ll also want to design a logo, label, and packaging. Finally, you’ll need a platform to sell. Amazon FBA is a popular and simple option. Or you can go all-in and sell through your own website.

Rent Baby Gear

As a stay-at-home mom, you likely have some baby gear at your disposal. You can sell it on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, but there’s another option you may not have heard of. While not exactly an option that will allow you to stay at home, and requires a bit more flexibility – you can bring your children along.

BabyQuip is a baby rental company set up very much like Uber and Lyft. You provide the baby gear, and they provide the website and marketing. A tourist visiting your town that isn’t interested in hauling a crib, a car seat, and toys on their vacation can go to the website and rent the gear. You deliver the gear based on the hours you’ve set and receive 80% of the rental fee plus a delivery charge.

There’s minimal risk with this business model as the customer pays their order upfront which you can use to purchase any items you don’t have. If and when you decide to quit renting, you can sell your inventory, possibly at break-even. I was a BabyQuip quality partner for a little over a year. During my busiest month, I netted a $700 profit with minimal time investment.

P.s. if you are reading this because you want to find a way for your children to make money, consider reading 49 Easy Ways For Kids To Make Money over at CompoundingPennies.

Have you tried any of these side hustles to make extra money? How did you like it? Let us know in the comments below.

Read more:

7 of the Best Ways to Make Money on the Side With a Full Time Job

How A Side Hustle Can Save Your Family’s Budget

Get Some Extra Cash: 9 of the Best Ways to Make Money From Home