Bedrest Grocery Shopping (Y'all, this is awesome!)

Now, let me preface this by saying that, yeah, I have multiple people fully capable of picking up groceries for me. Alex is willing enough...though the idea of him adrift in the aisles of Kroger, no clue where to find a packet of ranch dressing mix or a can of Rotel tomatoes, kind of makes me question the feasibility of that option.

Still, there's my mom, or any number of friends who have offered.

But...what can I say? Novelty and curiosity got the best of me this week, and I decided to try out something new: Peapod grocery delivery. For those of you not familiar, it's a grocery service that...well, delivers. You go on the website, load up your cart with the items you want, check out, select a delivery time, and - voila - your groceries show up at your door via a delivery dude. And his truck.

I'd heard of this but never given it serious thought because I figured it'd be limited and expensive. But here are a few things that surprised me:

(1) The selection is good. Each item I searched for turned up several options at different price points (along with pictures...I like pictures). "Canned pumpkin" brought up half a dozen options, "pie filling" brought up both Comstock and the Peapod brand in several flavors, etc.

There wasn't anything on my list (including some non-food items like shampoo, dental floss, and toilet cleaner) that I couldn't find.

(2) The prices are actually really reasonable  - definitely comparable to the grocery store. I paid exactly what I normally would for chicken, milk, canned goods, bread, Lean Cuisines, etc. And Peapod also has its own generic line of products, so things that I normally buy store brand, I still was able to. Score.

(3) There IS a delivery fee of $9.95 and a gas surcharge of about $1.00. But a quick Internet search turned up a coupon code for $15 off my order, and I also got a $2 discount for scheduling delivery during a time when the Peapod truck would already be in my area. This offset the delivery fee and then some. Double score.

(4) Delivery is fast. I made my order late Monday night, and was able to schedule delivery for Tuesday.

(5) Peapod takes coupons! In fact, they will double manufacturer's coupons 99 cents and under. You just give your coupons to the delivery guy, in an envelope with your order number written on it, and they credit your account afterward. (For the record, I didn't do this, but supposedly it works well.)

(6) The website (and the mobile app) are really easy to use. And you can sign up for mobile updates, which is helpful. The delivery window I signed up for was 4:30-9:30 p.m., but I got a text early in the afternoon, saying that my delivery time would be more specifically between 6:30 and 8:30, and then I got another text at 8:00 saying that my delivery guy was stuck in traffic but that my delivery was next on his route and should arrive shortly. And it did. Evidence:

(7) Our delivery guy was extremely friendly and brought everything right into the kitchen for us. Definitely a plus.

Seriously, y'all, this may become my standard method of grocery shopping while on bedrest...and maybe after baby comes, too. Highly, highly recommend it!