If you were like us, then you just about blinked and fall 2018 was over before you knew it!Between travelling a fair bit as well as moving into a new home and jumping right into a renovation, the fall just absolutely whizzed by! Before we knew it, we were hanging the lights and setting up the Christmas trees! It’s been a whirlwind!
As the expression goes, there is no rest for the weary during the holiday season! Between shopping for gifts, Christmas parties, decorating the house, travelling to spend time with loved ones – it often feels like we are constantly in a state of rushing. There never seems to be enough time to get it ALL done and often times, by the time the new year hits, we are completely exhausted and ready for a break.
While I’ve been trying my best to keep myself organized in order to not get completely overwhelmed, I’ve found that I’ve had to adopt some new tricks in order to further maximize my time. Like many working parents out there, you learn how to become a prolific multi-tasker in order to get everything done in a day, especially around the holidays!
If you can remember back to the beginning of the summer I had talked about my latest and somewhat life-changing discovery of online grocery shopping with the pick-up options! I mean, that really did change everything for us. But now, believe it or not, I’ve found an even MORE efficient way to shop for groceries online which is why I’m creating the “The Ultimate Grocery Shopping Hack to Survive the Holidays!” to highlight all the best practices and reasons for online grocery shopping!
The Ultimate Grocery Shopping Hack to Survive the Holidays:
- Shop Anywhere, Anytime
When we first talked about online grocery shopping earlier this year, I was doing it all at my desk, from my laptop computer. It was pretty convenient, however, if I didn’t get a chance to place my order while at home, I often found myself scrambling and ending up INSIDE a grocery store (which kind of defeats the purpose of online shopping, right?!).
What I’ve recently discovered is that you can actually shop for your groceries ON YOUR PHONE! If you have a mobile device with a web browser, you are always connected to a grocery store, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day! There is no need to wait until you get home to place your online grocery order. Now you can do it literally anywhere you are! The train ride home, the park after school, during swimming lessons or piano lessons or any kind of lessons/activities your kids are signed up for! Literally ANYWHERE, ANYTIME! Talk about insane convenience!
So whether you are planning out your weekly meals or need to grab a quick dish to bring to your colleague’s holiday party, hopping online to shop while sitting on the bus ride home is one of my big holiday survival grocery hacks!
2. Use Masterpass for faster checkout
As if shopping from your phone isn’t already convenient enough, let’s take it one step further and talk about how you can save even more time at the checkout, using Masterpass.
Masterpass is a digital wallet that allows you to store all your banking and shipping information securely in one place, saving you time at checkout. You can simply enter your username and password to pay at supporting online stores, no need to go find your wallet. The best part is that you can use Masterpass at Loblaws, which means that when you are shopping online for your bananas and bagels, you can now do so even faster and more efficiently.
It’s this little detail that allows you more time to do whatever you need to do – whether that’s decorating for the holiday season, spending time with family and friends or just having five extra minutes of zen in your life!
BONUS: For a limited time, until December 31st, 2018, you can SAVE $20 off your Online Grocery order of $100 or more at loblaws.ca when you pay with Masterpass at checkout. Saving time is a major factor for us busy parents but also saving money at the same time just seems like the cherry on top of an already delicious sundae wouldn’t you say?!
3. Avoid the Holiday Crowds
If you’ve walked into a grocery store recently, you know that it isn’t for the faint of heart! Just trying to get a parking spot out front can take half an hour at some stores! Then you’ve got to find a cart –why are those always such a hot commodity?!
If you’re shopping at a store that gives out samples, forget about it…trying to pass by those hungry shoppers looking for the smallest morsel of food is not only next to impossible, it can be down right dangerous! Don’t get in the way of the hungry shoppers!
Then once your cart is full, your feet are sore and your soul is tired, you’ve then got to brave the checkout lines, which often times stretch down the aisles, around the corner and halfway home.
By the time you’ve made it out – if you even made it out alive – you’re done! D.O.N.E. DONE!
Shopping online from the convenience of literally wherever you find yourself is a game changer any day of the year, but especially during the holidays, it can be a matter of life or (almost) death! Save your sanity, skip the crowds and shop online!
4. Flexibility on Pick-Up
One of my favourite aspects of online shopping is the scheduled pick-up. No longer do I have to squeeze shopping into my schedule, but now I can schedule it to fit when it works best for me. Usually the best times are on the way home from an activity. I simply select the best pick-uptime, pull into one of the designated parking spaces, call the number on the sign and within minutes, the groceries are all delivered and placed into my car. Friends, it doesn’t get easier than this!
So if you are insanely busy like we are, this holiday season, running all around town to your kids’ various activities, parties and more, may I suggest you try not only online shopping, but try it while on the go, making sure to use Masterpass and schedule your pick-ups at the times that best suits your schedule. I guarantee you will wonder why it took you so long to try!
For more information about Masterpass and how to sign up, make sure to head to masterpass.ca. It’s easy, completely free and totally secure! Checkout has never been easier!
Love & Blessings,
Christine
Note: This post wassponsored by Mastercard. All opinions are 100% myown.
