SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH MY ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS

Huge discounts, better organisation, and more ‘me’ time are just some of the many benefits you’ll experience from doing your grocery shopping online!

I recently started online grocery shopping, and I can’t for the life of me work out why it took me this long to do so! It has meant so much more than simply saving time and money, and I have actually got the whole process down to quite a fine art. I honestly don’t think I will EVER look back!

I was always a little reluctant to do all my grocery shopping online. I liked to touch and see the food I was buying, and was convinced that walking the aisles myself was necessary in order to save money and be inspired for meal times. Oh how wrong I was! It turns out there are actually HEAPS of savings that are available ONLY to online shoppers, and the freshness of my fruit and veggies is as good as if I’d picked them myself. I also feel like I have a bonus hour each week because I no longer do my routine trip to the supermarket each weekend!

If you have been hesitant about shopping online, please keep reading. I feel like grocery shopping online has been a game-changer for me, helping to simplify my weekends that little bit more.

So what are some of the tricks and tips to making online grocery shopping work for you?

1. MANAGE YOUR BUDGET

ONLINE ONLY OFFERS – with online grocery shopping, not only am I able to shop the in-store sales, but I can shop the exclusive Online Only Offers too! I didn’t even realise that Woolworths offered these discounts until recently, but basically they put a range of products on sale each week purely for online shoppers. I have started buying items from this section in bulk, which in turn saves me even more money!

I recently picked up a few bottles of this Rose & Geranium Hand Wash which were on sale in the Online Only Offers.

EASILY STICK TO BUDGET – when I finish my online order and get to checkout, I sometimes see that I’ve ordered beyond my weekly budget. I have the chance to remove items from my cart (ice-cream and chocolate are usually the first things to go) or replace with a cheaper alternative. When shopping in-store I used to gasp when they told me the total, but it’s a little harder (and more embarrassing) to scavenge through the bags and give items back to the checkout assistant.

2. EASILY BUY IN BULK

It is so easy to buy items in bulk when shopping online, because you don’t have the hassle of actually carting the additional items around the supermarket and piling them on to the checkout. You also don’t have to contend with other people wondering why you’re buying so many rolls of toilet paper – LOL!

In addition to the Online Only Offers that Woolworths offers, they also have Bulk Bundles that are exclusively available to online shoppers – helping you save even more money on your shop!

Woolworths also gives you all the specials for your regular purchase, you’ll find these under “my weekly picks”. I go through this list each week and purchase items I know we use frequently like cereal, tuna, and washing detergent. I buy enough to last a few weeks.

3. SHOP QUICKER

I’m not just talking about removing the time it takes to drive to the supermarket and walk the aisles (although I do love not having to do this anymore!), I am talking about being able to save multiple online shopping lists so that I can easily and quickly place my orders. I’ve created a fortnightly and monthly list for the items I don’t need as often, and I check each week if they are on special and will add to cart if they are. I have also set up an Essentials List, which is packed with all my regular items – feel free to check out my list and use it too!

I’m so excited to partner together with Woolworths who have allowed me to share my own personal lists with you all, helping to save you time when you’re doing your weekly shop too.

4. BE REMINDED

Woolworths have a great system where they know what you regularly buy, and they will remind you before checkout if you have forgotten some of the items you usually add to the cart. Darn you Woolworths for reminding me how much I love the new mini summer rolls.

4. BE INSPIRED

Woolworths Dinner Bundles are only available to online shoppers and are a great way to fill the family up on nights when you’re lacking a little inspiration. I also like that if I am inspired by a recipe that I see during the week, I can easily add the ingredients to my online shopping list from my phone, ready for dinner the following week!

5. GET ORGANISED + AVOID MULTIPLE TRIPS

It’s much easier to plan dinners and school lunches for the week at the same time as I’m doing my grocery shop. I simply fill out my Weekly Meal Planner and Lunch Box Planner Pad for the week ahead, and then make sure all necessary ingredients are included in my online order. Being able to do my grocery shopping from the kitchen also means I can check what items I actually have in the pantry and fridge, which prevents me doubling up on these things, whilst also allowing me to easily replenish items so I don’t run out during the week.

6. SHOP ON YOUR TIME

Being able to grocery shop from home when the kids are doing their homework or whilst I’m watching TV means my afternoons and weekends – when I used to do my shopping – have now opened up. I am now free to spend this time doing things I love instead; like cooking, reading a book, watching Netflix shows I love, or spending quality time with my family and fur babies. I also love that I can add items to my online shopping list throughout the week when I notice that things are running out – and I can do this from my phone or my computer.

7. GET THE CONVENIENCE OF DELIVERY, PICK UP, AND NOW DRIVE THRU

PICK UP – I pick my online grocery order up from Woolworths on my way home from work for FREE! I usually order the night before for pickup the following afternoon. It is so convenient, and it costs me nothing! I’ve only recently discovered that I can do this. My local Woolworths has a drive thru pick up and they help you pack it into your car… winning!! I had always thought that online groceries had to be delivered to your door, but I found it hard to give a 3 hour window for when I was going to be home. Now I can track my order to the hour and also select ‘leave unattended’ if I think I might need to pop out for the school run.

MY TOP TIPS FOR ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING

Online grocery shopping and picking up from drive-thru is my new thing, and I preach to everyone that will listen lately that they should give it a go. Here are a few of my tips:

1. Take your time to perfect your ordering system – it took me 3 goes to fine tune my online ordering process, so give yourself time to learn and understand how to order online.
2. Create lists – Create lists to help make shopping easier.
3. Use the search option – choose from a variety of different display options for your search results. If you are wanting to save, use the ‘sort by lowest unit price’. I LOVE this feature!
4. You can start adding to cart and continue adding to it throughout the week – place your order anywhere.  You can start your order while waiting at the doctors for your appointment, while in your lunch break at work and finish it off the night before you want to pick it up. If you start an order from my phone, you can even complete it later from your computer because it remembers you!
5. Double check your produce quantities – on one of my first orders I thought I was ordering 10 potatoes, but instead I ordered 10 packs of 2kg of potatoes. Woolworths were very kind and allowed me to return 9 packs 🙂
6. Add notes to items – for example, I like to receive a few green bananas so I know they last through the week, and if I know I am making a mince dinner 5 days from my order date, I add a not asking for the expiry date to be beyond that date of 5 days.
7. Items get substitutes – if they don’t have an item in stock they they will replace it with the closest match at the same price.
8. Let them know when you’re there – as they get your order ready and will have it waiting for you when you arrive.
9. Hot chooks – I have found you can’t order hot BBQ chooks online. We love a nice BBQ chook on rolls for lunch on weekends, so I usually get one of the kids (mine are teens) to run into the store to get it while I go through drive through to pick up the groceries.
10. Use tubs – to pack items into your car and easily take into the house.

5 top beauty tips for healthy glowing skin

Boost hydration

Staying hydrated is a must, especially in our harsh Aussie climate. We all know that drinking water helps to flush nasty toxins from the body, helps our kidneys perform better and also helps to keep our heart strong. As an added bonus, drinking water just happens to be great for the skin too. Added moisture makes our skin look plumper and more lustrous. It even helps to erase some of those pesky fine lines caused by dehydration.

To get this much-needed hydration, drink 8 glasses of water every day. If you’re not a big water drinker, try snacking on water-filled fruits and veggies like watermelon, berries, cucumber and celery.

Exfoliate

We all know how important cleansing and moisturising are, but a lot of us skip the exfoliation part – and that is bad news for our skin. Not only does exfoliation slough away dead skin, it can also make pores appear smaller, and it helps make-up stick to the skin better.

The skincare shelves are stacked with different exfoliating products like facial scrubs, exfoliating masks and facial brushes, so find what product works best for your skin type. In a pinch you can even use slices of lemon sprinkled with sugar. If you’re shopping around, watch out for plastic microbeads. Remember to choose an eco-friendly, biodegradable facial scrub like those with natural beads, such as walnut, jojoba or salt.

Get your blood pumping

We already know that regular exercise plays a big part in keeping our bodies fit and healthy, but if you need a little extra incentive to get moving you should know that exercise gives your skin a big boost by increasing blood flow. The more blood that is circulating through your system, the more oxygen and nutrients that will reach skin cells. This helps to repair sun damage and to flush toxins. The less toxins, the healthier your skin looks.

Exercise also affects collagen creation (which helps in anti-aging) and decreases production of cortisol, the stress hormone that can cause all kinds of skin problems like acne and eczema.

The great news is that you don’t need to slog it out for hours in the gym to reap the rewards: research suggests that just 30 minutes of exercise a day will improve your skin.

Moisturisers, oils and serums

Of course, one of the easiest ways to bring on the glow is by moisturising your skin. Moisturiser works by creating a thin film that traps moisture in the top layer of the skin, preventing the skin from drying out.  Facial oils and serums are also considered moisturisers along with creams and lotions. For radiant skin, a good tip is to use a combination of these to create multiple layers of hydration. Include a serum into your routine that nourishes the deeper layers of your skin, hydrating and repairing it from inside out. Then apply an oil or a moisturiser to hydrate the top layer of your skin to lock in all the moisture and strengthen your skin barrier.

Look for a natural skincare brand to ensure you are not putting any nasty chemicals on your skin. The Natural Instinct Plump & Renew Serum absorbs into the deeper layers of the skin, nourishing it with Echinacea Purpurea Extract and Argan Oil plus brightening the skin with Licorice Extract. You can follow this with a facial oil such as a Rosehip Oil or Camellia Oil that deliver amazing anti-ageing and brightening benefits. Or you can opt for a moisturiser that promotes glowing skin like the Skin Radiance Moisturiser.

Give yourself a facial massage

We all have days where we look in the mirror and see a tired, dull, puffy mess staring back. It’s on days like these that a DIY facial massage works wonders. Massaging the skin promotes blood circulation and oxygen flow to face muscles. It also releases any stress and tension you are holding in your forehead, cheeks and neck. A massage doesn’t take long but the result is definitely worth it. There are some great how-to videos on YouTube that can get you started. You can use a relaxing facial oil with your massage like the Natural Instinct Vitamin C Camellia Oil that smells divine and helps calm the mind.

Top 10 online shopping tip

I blame online shopping for the suffering of my social life. On many a Friday eve, you'll find me making fantasy online shopping collages while dropping chip seasoning onto my keyboard, a much more attractive option than cover charge and overpriced alcohol. There's no guiltier pleasure than clicking 'Checkout Now' near midnight and few things more satisfying than finding a FedEx box on your front porch.

Going online comes up tops for convenience, variety and cost, but can be overwhelming. With so many options out there, it's hard to know where to start. Just like navigating your way around a multi-storey, spiral-structured shopping centre, you need a plan of attack. Here are some tips for taking the stress out of the situation.

1. Get tips on how-to-wear from different websites. Thinking of buying something but stumped on how to style it? A lot of online stores stock the same items, but pair them with different things in their display photos.  You could wear this shirt like this or this.

2. Actual shopping centres are sooo early '00s. There are now online shopping emporiums like FashioNZ, FarFetch and Polyvore that act like search engines for clothes, allowing you to find exactly what you want based on brand, style, colour and size.

3. You can't always trust virtual catwalks and augmented reality "change rooms" to give you an accurate sense of fit and feel. Cue "showrooming". The sneaky practice of visiting physical stores and trying on their wares, before looking them up and buying them for cheaper online. We're not the only ones, right?  

4. Don't drop an exorbitant amount on 1-2 day shipping. You may be giving patience a slap in the face, but is that slap really worth $32 on top of your already-expensive purchase? There's so much pleasure in getting a shipping number and tracking your package right to your door.

5. Have a read of customer feedback, but be wary of website recommendations (you'll find yourself loading 20 things into your cart if you were to blindly follow Amazon's). Reviews on the other hand offer great pointers in terms of quality and what size to order.

6. Check for promo codes. A lot of websites have free shipping offers, student discounts and savings upon signing up to their newsletter. You just have to do your research.

7. What do you do when you can only find that rare Kawakubo cocoon coat on a Japanese website that doesn't provide an English translation or ship to Australia? Try a proxy service. They'll converse with the retailers on your behalf, bid on items and organise shipment, from wherever your dream item happens to be. Just do your due diligence and check for reviews first.

8. Don't be scared to buy vintage online. According to WWD, online consignment stores are the best place to score designer bargains since flash-sale sites.

9. Psst! Tuesday isn't just cheap pizza and movie day, it's also the day online shops tend to post sales and upload new items.

10. You have your go-to shops in real life so why not have a list online? We've compiled a few of our favourites worthy of a bookmark.

How to Grocery Shop Right Now, According to Experts

Grocery shopping is a necessity, but winding through aisles with a loaded cart and dodging other shoppers within a six-foot radius can feel like a dystopic version of Super Mario. It’s easy to go through an entire bottle of hand sanitizer in one trip, re-upping every time you touch a canned good, the handle of the freezer case, or the credit-card machine.

But grocery shopping, for most, can also offer a welcome opportunity to leave the apartment. And — as we’ve learned by watching dozens of friends try their hand at baking bread — cooking is an excellent way to pass the time and quiet at least a fraction of our anxieties.

So how do we complete Super Mario: Key Foods without growing too anxious, or getting sick? Grub Street spoke to doctors and epidemiologists to make a safety game plan for your next trip to the store. Here’s what you need to know.

Assess Risk to Yourself and Others

The most vehement piece of advice we heard from every professional was this: If you’re sick or symptomatic, do not go to the grocery store. And if you’re over 60 or at high risk — maybe you have an underlying heart or lung condition, or are immunocompromised — you should also stay home if you can.

For the rest of us, it’s also important to understand what the risks of grocery shopping are. “There’s no evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted by objects like cans of food or reusable bags,” says Dr. Timothy Brewer, an epidemiologist at UCLA. Treating a can of whole peeled tomatoes like a deadly contagion is not the most effective strategy for safe shopping.

“The greatest risk of transmission is person-to-person,” says Dr. Lorna Thorpe, an epidemiologist at NYU. “There is a risk of transmission via objects, but that’s more likely to occur in health-care settings than in grocery stores.” The most important step you can take while grocery shopping is a step away from your fellow shoppers. And remember, as always, to cover your mouth with your elbow if you cough or sneeze.

Plan Ahead

As panicked as you may feel, panic shopping is not the solution. Plan your trips out in advance — both what you’re going to buy and when you’re going to go.

“Have a plan, make a list, have a good idea of what you need, and don’t spend more time than you have to,” advises Dr. Jeffrey VanWingen, a family physician in Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose YouTube PSA about food safety went viral last week. VanWingen recommends buying one to two weeks’ worth of groceries at a time, depending on what you can fit in your kitchen. It’s also smart to pick up some Tylenol, cough syrup, and any other medicine you may need if you do end up getting sick.

And consider taking it easy at the fish market, the heritage butcher shop, and the cheese shop. “Visit fewer shops,” Thorpe urges. “During more normal times, I adore my ability to walk to four or five different stores, but right now that’s not the type of shopping I would recommend.” Being flexible with your ingredients, she says, is helpful here — maybe you can use the run-of-the-mill oregano instead of searching the city for a particular Italian strain.

Whenever possible, avoid busy times at the grocery store — and consider calling ahead to ask about what those times are. “I wouldn’t even come here in the afternoon,” said a woman at the Super Foodtown on Fulton Street in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. (She asked not to be named.) Your best bet, she told me, is going early in the morning, around 7 a.m.

As to whether a big fancy chain like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods is better than your local spot, remember that the safest grocery store is often the quietest grocery store, and your local grocery is less likely to have a line of a dozen people waiting outside. If you’re looking to ease your worries about safety protocols or trying to game the restocking schedule, remember you can also call ahead to ask about that, too.

Be Decisive

Moving through the store as quickly as possible is important, but so is avoiding touching a bunch of products you’re not going to take home. “If you’re going to touch a product,” VanWingen says, “commit to buying it.”

Consider Protective Measures

The question of whether to wear gloves while shopping is contentious, even among health-care professionals. Thorpe recommends wearing them if you have them, but Brewer says there’s not much use: “You can transfer a viral infection with gloves just like you could with your hands.” Just wash your hands thoroughly before you go out and once you get home, and bring some hand sanitizer with you for good measure. And again, whatever you do, do not touch your face while you’re out.

“The most concerning items are the high-touch items like handles on shopping carts,” VanWingen says. He suggests wiping them down with hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes. And be aware of other high-touch areas, like the handles on freezer and refrigerator cases. Consider sanitizing your hands after touching them, to be safe.

Your Shopping Bag Is Probably Okay (But Wash It Anyway)

The more you fall into a sanitation spiral, the more things you’ll see as potential contaminants: Are the clothes I wore to the store safe to wear inside the house? Do I need to wash my reusable totes after every use? Should I give up on environmentalism and just take the reusable bags at the grocery store?

On this topic, answers vary. “I would be still inclined to use my reusable nylon shopping bag and to wash it,” says Thorpe. VanWingen also recommends washing reusable bags, or taking the L and using plastic. But reusable bags pose a pretty low risk compared to, say, a shopping cart. “I think washing your bag once in a while is reasonable, just because they get dirty,” says Brewer, but he doesn’t think they are likely to carry contaminants or pick them up from grocery items.

Consider Paying With a Card

“Definitely use a credit card if you can,” says VanWingen, who has gone so far as to sanitize his credit card upon returning home from food shopping.

But again, this is low on the list of things to be concerned about — and of course, many shoppers have to use cash by necessity. “I wouldn’t be too concerned about the difference,” says Thorpe. “If you had to ask my judgment on transmissibility risk, I’d say a credit card is lower, but we’re talking about a scale of differential risk that’s small.”

Sanitize When You Get Home

VanWingen’s video on how to sanitize your groceries (and even your takeout) upon returning home from the store has racked up over 13 million views, which should tell you something about shoppers’ levels of concern about virus-carrying cereal, and a lack of direction from the government and the CDC regarding the specifics of grocery shopping.

Here are the facts: The National Institute of Health has found that the novel coronavirus can live on hard surfaces (like plastics and metal) for up to three days, and on cardboard up to one day. So sanitizing them once they enter your kitchen can be a useful step in keeping yourself and your family healthy. (Though also remember what Brewer said: “There’s no evidence that COVID-19 is transmitted by objects like cans of food or reusable bags.”)

Consider wiping down cans, cardboard, and hard plastics with sanitizing wipes before putting them away; Dr. VanWingen recommends setting up a station on your counter with a designated area for unsanitized items and bags, and a “clean” area for things that have been sanitized. He recommends washing thick-skinned produce, or anything you’ll eat the peel of, in soapy water, though Thorpe and Brewer say a thorough rinse in water should be enough.

A bigger priority should be keeping your work surfaces clean. “The more important thing is regularly cleaning countertops and surfaces,” says Brewer. The same goes for your sink, faucet, and other high-touch areas in your kitchen.

Be Cautious With Deliveries

If you get groceries delivered, follow the same sanitizing protocol you’d follow if you’d bought them in person. Ask the delivery worker to drop the groceries outside of your door, and stay six feet apart to protect both of you. “There’s no need to have close contact with those who are delivering,” says Thorpe. “But just follow the simple practices of fewer exposures [to others], washing your hands, and thanking and being really grateful to those workers who are supporting us.”

Grocery store staff and delivery workers are at the front lines of this epidemic, and many of them are not yet receiving hazard pay. Be kind, say thank you, and consider tipping if it feels appropriate.

10 Tips And Tricks To Outsmart Everyone At The Theme Park

1. Bring ziplock bags to protect your cell phone from water rides.

It is way too often that a cell phone meets its demise during a drop down Splash Mountain. Save your money (and your rice) by taking a simple measure to protect your phone's life.

2. Take a picture of your parking spot on your digital camera or cell phone.

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Sometimes you look at the lot number and think you've got it all figured out, until you're lost trying to locate your car eight hours later. This is an easy way to find your vehicle quickly!

3. Pack a poncho in your bag.

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Whether it be rain or a water ride, getting soaked is probably not your preference. Buy a cheap poncho at a Wal-Mart or CVS and be thankful for your dry clothes.

4. Head to the park early in the morning to avoid big crowds.

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Get some sleep the night before, and make it your mission to be the first one at the park. You can also nap during the afternoon and go back later when people are getting tired and heading home.

5. Buy a rechargeable smartphone case as a backup plan.

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As much as we don't like to admit it, we humans are compelled to be on the phone all day, every day. Texting, taking pictures, and updating Facebook drains your battery. A rechargeable case will come in handy for several occasions!

6. Purchase tickets online.

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You can most likely find discount codes or season specials when purchasing online. Plus, you'll save a ton of time at the park entrance.

7. Walk the park backward so you can skip the long, crowded lines.

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At Islands of Adventure, everyone's instinct is to walk left toward the Hulk. But if you head toward Seuss Landing first, the lines will be much less crowded. Note the direction people tend to follow and head the opposite way.

8. If you have children with you, write your phone number on their wrist.

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This will help if your child wanders off. You can also write your phone number in the tongue of their shoes.

9. Look into ticket upgrade options.

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Should you decide you'd like to return to the park another time, you can ask about upgrading to a multi-day pass. Most parks will allow you to apply the cost of that day's ticket to the new pass.

10. If you're traveling alone, look for the single riders line.

Honestly, you can even go with your friends and hang out together in the single riders line. It's way shorter and you'll still be off the ride within a few minutes of each other.