So This Is It...

No more waiting for friends and family to get geared up, get over cooties, or menstrual cycles...or in my case, buy groceries. Today is day 1 of the P90X program...whether I am in it with three other women remains to be seen, but I am in it til I have the body I want. Today begins P90X Classic. The girls are all doing the Lean version I think. Girls?

Now, this grocery business...holy crap! First of all, eating healthy looks really expensive. Although I have no real frame of reference since the last time I bought groceries, not just a few items, was 14 months ago - don't ask. So this was the biggest sticker shock to me. Never mind the $120 DVDs or another $250 in equipment...its the $350 in food, which I am praying last 2-3 weeks. No real measuring plan was in place when I ordered it. I just used the meal plan for week one - holy smokes, I better be freezing this stuff.

And yes, don't give me crap, but I don't go into grocery stores, except for a few emergency items. I stopped doing that years ago unless I am going "with" my mom...who isn't into online ordering, but is lonely. I use http://www.vons.com/ to get my food. A nice young boy delivers everything to my door or into the kitchen, wherever I point. There is no tip allowed and if the order is over $150 then no $10 delivery fee either.

Why do I shop this way? A few reasons:

1. I can truly utilize the club card and other promotions. If I go into the store, then I say to hell with the coupons and offers...I throw it in the cart and go thru another financial cardiac arrest at the register. So online really does help me look at the promos as part of my decision making process.


2. I can comparison shop brands by cost to size. I am not loyal to any food brand, so if its a choice between paying 40 cents and 65 cents an ounce for peanut butter, then its all the same in my mind.


3. I can really look at ingredients and the food labels...its all right there. I wouldn't do this in a store because I'd be standing in the same frozen food aisle until I turned blue - reading. I'd rather sit on the couch.


4. My shopping history is saved...so after the first investment of time, placing each subsequent order is rapid-fire. Hit a button and it loads my last order, then I quickly pick off what I need to delete and add a few more things - presto! Try doing that on a weekend at any store.


5. I can track my exact order history - good if I was anal and really looked at my budget in detail.


6. You can decide if you want substitutions or not...brand or size.


7. I have never had an order be incorrect.


8. The delivery guy is always nice and its a bummer you can't tip them. But they will not accept it...so they must be getting paid well enough not to risk losing their jobs...and I have tried to tip them.


9. And no, I have never had any problems with meat or produce selections...in fact, they probably do a better job than I would.


10. On average I save over $100/per order in club card savings...I could never do that in a year by going in. And no, I don't usually order $300 worth...my typical order is $175 and lasts the month.


11. And lastly, the number one reason I order online...is that I don't have to carry 3 million bags to my car, then out of my car and into the house. The boy does it for me using boxes and a hand truck. Plus its a scheduled delivery...so I just wait for him to honk and open the door.

So I know people think I am lazy about grocery shopping...and to some degree maybe that is a variable, but why on earth do it that way when you can save money, avoid the checkout lines and have it delivered? Don't knock it until you've tried it at least twice. Plus if you had a nanny/maid/kids, then he/she could take delivery while you are at work and put it away...think of the time that would save...

One thing though, I wish that Vons was more like Whole Foods, because I hate picking thru junk food to find the stuff I can eat. The day WFs starts delivering, I am there.

The only thing I need now is the protein powder and a blender.