Grocery Pickup

Use this link to get $10 off your Walmart Grocery Pickup order: http://r.wmt.co/d2d4M

Yesterday I tried out Walmart's new Grocery Pickup service and I was pleasantly surprised. I am not being paid for this post, but I wanted to share my experience because as a mother of little ones it really made my day easier.

The most time consuming part of the process was making my list, but since I already make a weekly list (I'm a huge fan of weekly meal planning), making a list on the Walmart site wasn't that big of a deal.

I made my list, chose a pickup time (I ordered late on a Monday afternoon so had to wait until Tuesday to get my groceries), and then hit order. To be honest, I had a brief moment of panic as I wondered if they would pick out decent produce. Also the app automatically chose "substitute items approved" without me noticing and I wondered if I would get a cart full of brands I didn't want.

I had until 2am to change my order and I actually did try to alter it (we had an Amazon order come in with some items I was out of), but when I went to change my Walmart order it wouldn't knowledge my earlier coupon code for $10 off and I was also worried that I was somehow going to place my order for my entire grocery list twice, so I cancelled the change and hoped for the best.

How It Works
The time slot I chose was 2pm-3pm. This was a time I would be out with my boys anyway. I was curious how this whole hour pick up time would work and whether my cold items would really be cold when I arrived.

Fifteen minutes before my time slot, Walmart called me saying my order was ready and I let them know that I was on my way. They told me to park in the designated area and to call when I arrived to let them know what parking space I was in. 
 
I arrived shortly after 2pm and made my call. Within 5 minutes, they were carting my groceries to my car. They loaded my car for me and the woman who was working on my order when over every spec of produce with me (something I didn't ask for). She made sure all of the items were there, checked my eggs and told me she didn't get my zucchini because none of it looked good (and I would not be charged for it). She was incredibly friendly, choose better produce than I probably would have choose for myself, and answered all of my questions.

I signed off on receiving my goods and was told my receipt was accessible online. The entire pick up took 15 minutes. On arrival home, my food was all nice and cold – much colder than if I had shopped myself and waited in a check out line. We all know check out lines can take forever!

My only two negatives, if you can call them that, were that bananas were listed by the pound. I wasn't sure how many pounds I normally get – we typically eat a lot of bananas, so I guessed 3 pounds. Upon receiving my groceries, I discovered the shopper had picked out 3 large bunches of bananas for me. I was only charged for 3 pounds though, so I guess I will be making a lot of banana bread! Secondly, I wish there was a way I could use cloth bags instead of plastic, but logistically I can see how that would be challenging.

In regards to my receipt, the online receipt has a TC code that allows me to use still use my Savings Catcher app (review to come). However, I am still trying to figure out how to use it with the iBotta app (review to come). The online receipt is good for returns, and if there is a problem with anything in the order you call the phone number and deal directly with the pick up service (no painful customer service to contend with!). You can also purchase things that are not groceries.

Right now, first time Grocery Pickup customers received *$10 off their order at Walmart, use coupon code REALEASY. I was also given a gift bag for trying the service.

My shopping list is saved so future orders should be much quicker. I was impressed with this experience. As a mom of little ones, this made my day much easier.

If you are needing to free up some time in your life, I would recommend giving grocery pick up a try. If you aren't a Walmart fan, Publix offers a similar service.

*To use this service at Walmart, there is a $35 order minimum and no service fee. To use the discount code, you have to spend a minimum of $50. Happy shopping!

No More Monkeys

When we moved into our current house, a little over two years ago, we decided to paint Jack's room immediately because it was purple... with a large monkey on one wall. 

Since his existing furniture was white and gray, we agreed that light blue-gray walls were a good place to start. 

I originally had a vision of painting large horizontal stripes on one wall, so at the time we left one wall as plain white.

Two years later we finally got around to putting the stripes on the white wall.

The room has evolved somewhat since we moved in. 

Jack's crib/toddler bed was long ago removed from the room (Isaac sleeps in it now). I think Jack slept in the toddler bed for one nap time. We are currently on the hunt for a bed so that Jack's mattresses are no longer on the floor.

It was a good solution when he was learning to sleep in a big boy bed, but now I would like a really bed with a head board. 

I have a vision of what I want and I have a feeling we will just build something when we have more time.

I found a dark blue, reversible comforter at Target that I liked, as well as construction themed bedding.

All of Jack's wall art was originally transportation themed (bikes, airplanes, etc.), but I am trying to be flexible and let Jack have some say in what his room looks like (though when he asked to have a green room, I said no for now because I didn't want to repaint what I had already started).

I found white and blue striped, blackout curtains and almost ended up ditching the striped wall because I thought the stripes might conflict. 

But I'm glad I stuck with my original plan. We are really happy with how it turned out.

There is a bedside table at Target that I have been eyeing. It is blue and has a locker-style drawer. Daniel doesn't want to commit to a side table until there is a bed so we will have the right scale with the height of the bed and table.

We are a lot closer to finishing up this room and I love how it is coming together. It's a long way from the purple walls with the monkey.

When the rooms is completely finished I will share a more finalized tour... 

Now to tackle Isaac's nursery!

Cost of Food

I am normally a WalMart shopper - mostly because it is cheap and it is a one-stop-shop. Yesterday, due to lack of time and being in a part of town that was not near a WalMart, I opted to go to Trader Joe's instead. I bought 2 full bags of groceries at Trader Joes for a whopping $25 and was feeling pretty pleased with myself. I still had some things on my list so I ran to a nearby Harris Teeter to finish the shopping. At Harris Teeter, I also purchased another 2 bags of groceries... this time it cost me over $40. So much for feeling good about my cheap trip to Trader Joes.