Living through Covid restrictions was bad enough. Now, inflation has made everything very expensive which can create big difficulties if you live in poverty or a fixed income.
Time to start coming up with strategies to save and conserve our money.
Today, let's save some of that precious gas money by getting our shopping delivered to us for free (think about the items you can get delivered, reading below, and then think how much you'd pay to go to the store to get them at today's gas prices).
You probably know about Amazon Prime, where you pay a fee (currently $139 annually or $14.99 per month) to get free two-day shipping on your purchases...which comes with other perks like Prime Video (a streaming service similar to Netflix), photo storage, and more...you can also get free shipping without prime if your order totals $25 or more on qualified items (check the shipping costs in your cart before buying). It won't always be two-day shipping but free is free.
Some items also can be bought by subscription...we use this for supplements, air conditioning filters, water filters for the refrigerator...which nets you a small discount on the price and gets you free shipping. If you're going to need something regularly, consider this option.
You can also get a discounted Prime membership if you're a student, are on Medicaid, qualify for EBT, or other government assitance programs. See if you qualify for a discounted Prime Membership here.
Amazon's biggest competitor is probably Walmart. The discount giant has tons of stuff available at their site at the same low prices you'd see inside the store. If your total is over $35, you also get it delivered free. In our neighborhood, that also means it comes via Federal Express.
We use this for things like toiletries we can't find cheaper anywhere else like mouthwash, shaving gel, etc.
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Then we come to Costco. I admit that a trip to Costco for us is also like a nice day out but sometimes we just don't have the time or the inclination to drive 30 miles or more to our nearest location.
You have a couple of options here, both of which require you to be a member (starting at $60 per year). First, items on their site that qualify for 2-Day Shipping can be delivered free if your order is $75 or more (click on the link to see what qualifies).
We use this for things like laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, vitamins, and other non-perishable items.
The second option is Same Day Delivery. This is just like Instacart, Doordash, or other grocery delivery services. It's not available everywhere but I was surprised that it's offered in our area (click the link and enter your address to see if it is).
You go through the items, just like you're in the store, and put in the basket. You can get pretty much anything including perishables like meat and produce...you can even get one of their delicious and cheap rotisserie chickens.
Once you're done, a personal shopper will put your order together and drive it to your house.
There is no charge for this service although a tip for the driver will be included in your total (which can be deducted, making it optional). I do urge you to leave it in to help your driver with gas costs, though, but technically it's free delivery saving you the time and gas money of driving to Costco.
There are more options out there, these are just the three that we use regularly to help keep our fuel costs down. Consider and look for the free option online whenever you need to buy something to help save money.
Darryl Musick
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