Online Grocery Shopping: A Review

I feel kind of lame writing a post about grocery shopping, but that's just where my life is at right now so I am going to embrace it.

BACKGROUND
Before I review the process of ordering groceries online, let me start by explaining my current process. For as random and unorganized as I am in general, I actually have this area of my life down to a predictable routine. I typically plan meals for one week at a time. I'll sit down on Sunday morning or afternoon and make a list of what we're going to have each night and what I need to buy. Then I'll circle everything I need to get at Walmart (basically whatever Aldi doesn't carry), head there, then finish out the trip by going to Aldi, then home. I go on Sundays so I can go without children.

A $1 steno pad, cut in half. The groceries go on the left, the meal plan goes on the right. Yes, that says "Tim yogurt".  

I like meal planning and getting it all over with in one day. I forget things sometimes but for the most part I feel pretty prepared. Some weeks I struggle to figure out what we should eat, and sometimes nothing sounds good so it takes longer.

For the past several weeks, I've been receiving emails from Walmart saying that they have a new online grocery shopping deal and that I should try it out. The emails have included a coupon for $10 off, and the service is free. I just have to pick up the food. I have been exhausted this week with all the house stuff, going out of town, and a poorly-timed cold, so I decided to finally give it a try.


THE "SHOPPING"
I sat down last night around 10pm and started adding things to my cart. I'd started a partial paper list so I added those items first. I've used Walmart's Savings Catcher program for a while now and because of that, they already had a small list of items I typically buy started for me, which I thought was very cool. I found the shopping experience to be very easy. I was able to create a list of favorite items, which was useful. I had the option of shopping by department or searching specific items. I mostly searched and it didn't take too long.

I liked how it kept a running total of how much I had spent. I try to do this as I am shopping, but I am not very good at mental math and it's hard to juggle a calculator and a grocery list while pushing a cart. I have a ballpark of how much I want to spend each week and I liked being able to tell how close I was while I was shopping. I was also happy to learn that I could add items like cat litter and vitamins to the list too.

When I finished, it was time to pay and schedule a time for pick up. Before I paid, it asked if there was anything else I wanted and showed a few items that I've bought in the past. I decided that yes, it would be good to have a couple of these things, so I added them as well. Then I paid with my debit card and scheduled a pick up time. I was a little confused about this initially because it was a one hour slot, but further reading showed me that my food would be ready by the start of the pick up time (in my case, 10am) and would be ready until the end of the window (11am) after which it would be put away. I was told I'd receive a call when it was ready. I went to bed kind of excited that I had finished my shopping from, well, my bed.


THE PICK UP
So this morning around 9:25, I received a call that my groceries were ready. I was surprised because it was 35 minutes before my pick up window. Luckily that wasn't a problem. I told them I would be there in about 15 minutes. Unfortunately for me, I went to the wrong Walmart (I'm special like that) and then I had to call them and let them know I'd be late. The lady laughed and told me it had happened before and that she would wheel my food back into the refrigerator. The correct location was quite a ways from my house, but it is very close to our church so if I want to try this again, I could schedule a pick up time for right after church so we could pick our food up on the way home.

When we finally got there, I parked in a reserved spot and called to let her know I was there. She came right out with my food and I helped her load it into the trunk. She told me that two items were not available so I had not been charged for them. It wasn't a big deal, but it would have been cool to have been able to substitute. One of the items was a package of blueberry yogurt and I would have been happy to sub in a different flavor, if that were an option. She presented me with a goody bag full of random sample items that we probably won't ever use, and I was on my way. I wasn't given a printed out receipt, which would have been handy for checking things over, but I do have a receipt in my email and could have done that.

The Freebies were pretty lame, but this little bag is cute. 

Lexi and I unloaded everything and it seems that everything was there. We noticed that they used a TON of bags, but I can see that some people would be picky about loading things separately. We Franzens are pretty simple creatures who like to make the fewest possible trips from the car to the kitchen so we tend to cram as much as possible into each bag. It's not a big deal because I will use the bags for cleaning out the litter box.

Holy bags, Batman!

PROS
+ Shopping from my bed! When I felt like it!
+ No herding children through the stores
+ Easy!
+ Free pick up
+ Can potentially free up 1-2 hours of my Sunday afternoons
+ Favorites list makes shopping quick
+ It was easy to compare prices between generics and name brands
+ Got $10 off my first order


CONS
- It's kind of a trek from my house unless I plan strategically
- Website was a little slow
- Substitutions? The FAQ says there is a way to substitute but I can't figure it out.  Before checking out, you can select whether or not you want to allow substitutions for each item, HOWEVER, it seems these substitutions are more about size/quantity of a specific item rather than flavors.
- Have to buy everything at Walmart
- Doesn't work with Savings Catcher  It DOES work with Savings Catcher! They provide a code to enter into the app.
- Timing. Picking up early wasn't a problem today but could be in the future.


THE VERDICT
Overall, I was very pleased with this process! I was really not looking forward to shopping this week and this certainly made it easier on me and the kids. I could see myself working on the list throughout the week which would streamline things even more. I'm not sure if I can give up shopping at Aldi altogether, but for busy weeks like the ones we've been having, this could be a real time saver, especially if I strategically schedule the pick up for a time when I'm near the store. I think I'll try it again.

This post was brought to you by a helpful cat. 

The best I can do

An update on my attempt to consume less sugar.

I received several responses and recommendations based on my previous post. One told me I am not alone in my struggle. Another told me that I'm putting my healthy and risk and that I really need to stop eating so much sugar.  A third had a book recommendation for me. I appreciate all feedback, constructive and encouraging alike. 

Yes, I've struggled.  I've eaten junk trying in an attempt to quash the sugar craving.  I had pizza and McDonald's. I ate the brownie in a moment of defeat and weakness.

But I've had success too.

I said no to cinnamon rolls at church.

I said no to cider donuts, ice cream and other fair ground goodies at the Cider Mill.

I repeatedly said no to the package of Starburst Jellybeans innocently winking at me whenever I open the cabinet.  (Did you know they sold them year round? I bought them as a bribe for the kids, I swear!)

I thought it would be wise to see how many grams of sugar health experts recommend I consume each day. I did some googling.

No more than 25 grams are recommended per day for women. 

This led me to start looking at packages. 

What I found was scary!

I realized that I get more than half that amount in my coffee creamer alone. And that's just one cup. Usually I have two. Yikes.  

There are 12g of sugar in the packet of oatmeal I've been having for breakfast each day.  Sixteen grams in a container of yogurt.  7g in sprinkling of granola.  15g in vegetable soup.  Vegetable soup!!

I wonder if these "hidden" sources of sugar are playing into my problem.  I thought by cutting back on desserts and sweets I was doing well, but I may need to completely reevaluate my diet. I don't love cooking so I've come to lean heavily on easy to prepare foods. I cook dinner almost every night, but lunch and breakfast are easy grab meals around here, at least for me. 

To tell the truth, I'm not sure if I can be someone who counts things out for the rest of my life. 

In fact, I know that that's not who I want to be. I've done that before. I've counted calories. And while it is effective in weight loss, it is agonizing. 

I have two little girls watching my every move. Do I really want them to see me counting calories? 

I need to really think about how to proceed with this. 

Perhaps rather than counting calories or grams of sugar, I just need to add in more fresh fruits and veggies. Instead of a packet of oatmeal for breakfast, I can cook eggs. I can have my favorite knock-off Olive Garden salad for lunch. I can add less creamer to my coffee, or just drink less coffee in general. I think I can stick with the idea of eating fewer desserts. 

I can take more walks. 

I was feeling a bit discouraged about this whole thing, then I got a notification from my Fitbit. I hit my step goal five days in a row, which is the longest streak I've had in months! 

Wellness is a journey. I don't believe it will look the same for everyone. We are all different. Some of us have kids that run us ragged leaving us exhausted and ready to crawl into bed at 9pm.  Some of us don't. 

Some of us have the money for a gym membership or a personal trainer. Some of us do not. 

Some of us love to look at eat exotic recipes, while others of us are pickier, or more tired, or less willing to make separate meals for children who turn up their nose at anything with sauce. 

I'm going to eat fewer desserts.

I'm going to take more walks.

I'm going to cook more during the day.

But I am not going to feel guilty about eating the last brownie, or getting fast food on a crazy night, or eating sugary vegetable soup for lunch. Maybe sugar is bad for my body, but guilt is bad for my heart. 

I'm doing the best that I can to live well in all arenas of my life. Physical health. Mental wellness. Spirituality. Body and heart and soul.

I'm doing the best I can. 

And that's all anyone can ever do. 

Stop staring at me, brownie

Last weekend, I decided to cut back on my sugar intake. I wrote my situation in detail here at my previous blog. But the quick version is this: I'm addicted to sugar. The more I eat, the more I crave. The more I crave, the more I eat and the more unhealthy pounds I pack on. Not a good situation. I decided to cut back on sugar by only having one dessert item per week.

And here is the beautiful, perfect choice I made on Tuesday.

Gorgeous, isn't she?

In my quest to cut back on delicious sugar, I decided to allow myself some small cheats. Flavored coffee creamer had to stay. As I said before, I can't drink coffee without creamer and I can't survive interacting with humans sans coffee. In addition, I've been consuming Greek yogurt with granola as a snack or part of a meal. I didn't realize there are nearly 15g of sugar per serving of yogurt and almost as many per serving of granola. Sheesh. But since this combo does contain protein, fiber, and some other nutrients, I've decided to let it slide, for now.

Back to the brownie.

On Tuesday, I decided to take dinner to my friends who have recently had a baby. I decided to include brownies along with the lasagna and sides, so I made a 9x13 pan and split it between our households. I dropped off their dinner, and headed out to a Mom's Night Out with a couple of my friends.

I've noticed that I am filling that sad and empty sugar hole with lots of other foods. Like delicious carbs. Who knew the pita chips and hummus eat had nine servings per container? I consumed them in 2.5 days. When we went out to dinner, I quickly shoveled my face with delicious Thai food. Chicken stir fry with cashews, to be exact. I'm still thinking about it.

Nine servings? Whoops.

After I inhaled my delicious dinner, I ordered an appetizer. Yep. My friends were still eating and my hands got restless, so I decided on more food. I sucked down four sub-par crab rangoon and then popped in some chewing gum and downed three tall glasses of water. Have I mentioned that I have trouble sitting and doing nothing?

Anywho, I got home around 9pm and decided it was time for my one dessert of the week. I pried open the container of brownies and cut myself a rather large slice. I even went back for more. It was heaven. Honestly, I did a kick ass job baking those boxed-mix brownies. Triple chocolate. Gooey in the center. Perfection.

The problem is, it's Wednesday night at 9:42pm and I don't get another dessert for a week.

The bigger problem is, there's one brownie left.

It's been whispering my name all day. I've been tempted to just smell it, but I don't think that would do the trick. I told Tim to eat the entire row that remained, yet he left this one large serving behind to taunt me.

I almost fed it to the kids when they returned home from Awana tonight, but they'd already brushed their teeth. I'm hoping Tim takes it to work tomorrow because I don't think I can stand to be around it all day.

I definitely have a sugar addiction.

Saying no to myself is really hard.

I've been sitting in the discomfort of the cravings all day long.

It sucks.

They come and go. I've tried feeding them with other foods. I ate the leftover lasagna at 11:30am. It was good but the cravings lived on. This afternoon I ate 3 slices of Muenster cheese and half a row of Ritz veggie crackers. It did nothing for me.

Cravings suck.

Go away, stupid brownie.

I've been eyeing these, but I'm pretty sure they break the rules.