I am a Bad Food Shopper. As I write this, I have empty cupboards and I know as soon as I’m finished I should go and do a big shop. But I only have little arms and I’m a bit tired and I might just go and buy some treats for my tea. I’m tired and I don’t want to spend longer in the supermarket than I have to.
This is the most expensive way to do food shopping. Even if it means I get to satisfy my steak craving.
So will doing my grocery shopping online help me save money?
On one hand, I think having everything delivered means that I’ll stock up on things that I need. Suddenly a trip to the shop to buy loo roll has cost me £10 in chocolate and magazines. I also know that I’d have actual food in the house each night, rather than realising my housemate has eaten my leftovers and I’ve got nothing in. I’d make less spontaneous shopping trips, and I’m sure I’d buy less takeaway.
But I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a hassle free delivery. Sometimes they turn up hours late leaving you with empty cupboards and a rumbling tummy. They miss things off your order that you might not notice until the driver has gone. They sometimes make very uncool substitutions. I do a lot of baking, getting a tin of evaporated milk rather than condensed is useless. You’re basically trusting someone else to do your shopping for you and if they get it wrong, you’re the one who has to pay. I’m not sure the vouchers you get really help the situation if you’ve still had to pop to your corner shop.
It’s also easy to spend much more – I can only buy what I can carry home. With shopping online, I’d spend more money on ‘essentials’ because I don’t have to carry them. I never buy beer because I can’t carry it home. I’d buy it every week if someone was delivering.
I’m moving house soon, so I’m going to try online shopping when I’ve moved – it seems the best time. I’m curious about whether it’s the best option for me. What are your thoughts? Have you saved money since changing to online shopping, or are there some supermarkets better at it than others? Share your shopping advice so we don’t all end up with pricey bread and squished eggs!
