New Thing: Walmart Grocery Pickup

As a working mom, one of my most difficult tasks is feeding my family. There is so much to think about - WHEN we are going to eat with our busy schedules and when am I going to prepare it, WHAT we are going to eat, HOW is it going to get thawed/chopped/marinated/pre-cooked/whatever, WHO is going to prepare it (me 9 times of ten because I'm off work sooner), etc, etc. And throw in trying to eat healthy? HA!

Years ago Jo Marie introduced me to Aldi. And it was like the clouds parted and God said, "You can afford to feed your family on your meager monthly budget if you shop smart and here." And it was wonderful. And I love Aldi, truly. But this week, the clouds parted again, this time, with Walmart Grocery Pickup.

I am not a fan of Walmart because I hate going there. I love their prices, but I just hate going there, parking, walking all over the huge store to find anything, and the fact that it's always so busy. This solved that problem because I sat at my computer, took my grocery list, and searched and clicked. It took me 7 minutes. SEVEN MINUTES TO GET EVERYTHING IN MY CART. Then I entered my credit card info and selected a pickup time.

It was that simple. Truly.

My pickup time was 9-10 AM and at 8:50 I received a call that my groceries were ready for pickup any time in the next hour. I left the house, pulled up at 9:02, called the number, and two minutes later:

The lady was super nice and cheerful and had me sign on a little iPhone looking device and then helped me load the groceries in the car. It was AMAZING. AND, they gave me a gift bag for being a first-time customer:

How nice!

One of the things I'm trying to do this summer is come up with ways to make my working life at home smoother and more efficient without sacrificing time with my family. This is one of the things I'm most excited about, because now, I can meal plan and grocery shop in one step! It's more expensive than Aldi - probably $10 or so on this grocery trip - but I saved so much time and energy, which matters so much during the school year!

A few notes if you are looking to try this out (which I HIGHLY recommend!):

• Use this link or the app "Walmart Grocery Pickup" (different from the regular Walmart app)
• Not all Walmarts do this, be sure to check ahead of time at the link above
• You must have a $30 minimum
• Read carefully - I accidentally bought two 18 ct eggs instead of two 12 ct eggs. Good thing we like eggs.
• Buying produce without looking at it can be a little questionable, but all my produce (which was probably 50% of what I bought) looked great - especially the avocados, which I never know how to pick anyway.
• If you decide to try this out, let me know and I can send you a coupon code for $10 your first order! :)

If you have a HyVee in your area, you may check it out, too. I've been told they do the same thing, but that their interface is more difficult to navigate and their minimum purchase is higher. I never shop at HyVee because it's so much more expensive, but if you are a HyVee fan, it may be worth some checking.

Happy shopping :)