Grocery Delivery Costs Me $20 More per Order — and It Still Saves Me Money

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Sometimes, it makes sense to pay a fee to have groceries brought to your door. Read on to see why. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, having my groceries delivered wasn’t something I ever thought to do. After all, I have a car, I work from home with flexible hours, and I have several large supermarkets within a 10-minute radius of my house. Why would I pay someone to do my food shopping for me and spend extra money in the process?

But like many people, during the pandemic, I changed my tune about grocery delivery. Back then, I was more than happy to throw extra money at the problem if it meant not having to hit the store and get exposed to a virus that was spooking the heck out of society.

At this point, grocery delivery is something I pay for only on rare occasions. But if there’s a week when I’m super busy or the weather is so downright disgusting that I can’t bear to leave the house, I’ll sometimes place a grocery order through a local supermarket.

Usually, between the delivery fee and tip (which is not required, but I always tip someone who’s bringing food to my door), I end up spending about an extra $20 per order compared to the cost of shopping for my food myself. But here’s why that extra $20 is worth it.

1. It frees up time

As a freelance writer, the more time I spend at my desk writing, the more money I can earn. Ordering groceries online might take me 15 minutes or less. But if it’s a larger haul, I might spend an hour or more at the supermarket.

As such, I can easily justify the cost of grocery delivery because if it saves me an hour, I can often make well more than $20 in that amount of time. So all told, I’m actually coming out ahead financially.

2. It prevents impulse purchases on my part

Even though I’m someone who likes to get in and out quickly when I’m shopping for food, I can fully admit that going to the store tends to lead me to buy extra things. Sometimes, it’s a box of donuts. Other times, it’s a bag of chips.

Most often, the items I buy on a whim at the supermarket are of the snack variety, and they’re not very healthy. Plus, the cost of all of those items can add up.

When I order groceries to be delivered, I don’t have to worry about impulse buys because I’m not walking down supermarket aisles and seeing products that appeal to me. Rather, I’m entering products into a search bar and adding them to a cart.

Now, I can admit that the bulk of the money I save in the context of grocery delivery comes in the form of more time to work, since my impulse purchases usually don’t amount to $20 per shopping trip. Rather, I might spend $3 here or $5 there at a regular supermarket. (Costco, my friends, is a different story.) But still, that’s an added perk.

Is grocery delivery worth it for you?

If you’re someone who works on a freelance basis, then you may find that outsourcing different tasks, whether it’s buying groceries or mowing your lawn, ends up benefiting you financially by making it possible to earn more. Before you tell yourself you won’t pay extra for a given service, think about what that extra time might do for your bottom line.

Even if you aren’t a freelance employee, there’s something to be said for paying for conveniences so you can free up time. Maybe you’re a salaried employee with a demanding job that results in a good salary. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with spending some of your hard-earned money to free up time during your evenings and weekends so you don’t have to run errands or do maintenance around the house.

It’s easy to look at grocery delivery as a waste of money. But if you can afford it and it benefits you, then it may not be a waste at all.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Maurie Backman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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