Back to school, the holidays, vacation and many others … there are times of the year that are super busy, and we just don’t want to deal with the time it takes to go to the store to buy all the things. These shopping trips will revolutionize your time! Curbside for HEB Groceries; Drive-Up for two-hour curbside pick up for Target; Walmart Grocery with curbside pickup services. Lastly, Prime Now the king of convenience has two hours or even one-hour delivery in limited locations of groceries and Amazon goodies.
To stay fit and healthy so much concentration should go to what we are doing with our body and the food we eat. Staying on a budget when there are so many opportunities for impulse buys can be difficult. The Simple Dollar describes healthy living and budgets with this amazing guide. One thing that has been life-changing in our family is to meal prep and pick up groceries from a drive-up service. For us, this one makes it easier to get the week started and two it prevents the impulse buys and we can see the total and whether that total will work with our budget.
New to the mom game of two boys and having a newborn and a toddler in the car makes it hard to run errands. I started to explore the options for drive-up services and boy are there many!! I was so excited. I wanted to share a rundown of each of the services that they offer and how to use them.
Amazon Prime Now
First up is Prime Now. Are you an Amazon Prime member? Do you like delivery in 2 hours? Yes, two hours!! This isn’t a pick-up service but a delivery service.
Amazon is still expanding their locations so depending on where you live you may or may not have this service but it is awesome if you do! We even used it in Florida at Walt Disney World. When we arrived we needed supplies for our then 14-month-old (diapers, milk, snacks).
With Prime Now you download the app, sign in and enable GPS or enter your zip code to see if you are in a delivery area. The selection of products is limited but still vast. If you need fresh groceries you can get delivery through Prime Now from Whole Foods. If you need just regular everyday items you can shop similar to using the Amazon app. The prices are comparable to regular amazon prices but they do request an optional tip for the delivery driver.
Quick Facts about Prime Now
- Amazon and Whole Food products
- $35 minimum for free delivery
- Additional cost for 1-hour delivery
- Location-based and not available in all areas
- Apps: Prime Now on the App Store | Prime Now – Apps on Google Play
COUPON: Use SAVE10NOW for $10 off your order
Walmart Grocery
I have been using Walmart Grocery for several weeks now and it is soo nice. Fresh groceries and many of the products available at Walmart with a free pick up. I have been using it recently for mostly groceries with a few other items. The products are fresh and what you would expect at any grocery store.
The app is easy to use and easy to pick a time slot. Be aware that the time slot most likely will be several hours later in the day if not the next day. Walmart Grocery does not offer things like a 2-hour pickup.
Each Walmart location with this feature has a specific Grocery parking area. Every location I have visited clearly marks where to go for curbside Walmart Grocery.
A curbside hack with Walmart Grocery: You can add things to your order after it is placed. Imagine this … You place an order at 8 pm for pick up at 10 am the next morning. Then at 9 pm, you remember you forgot the milk. You can still add it to the same previous order. This is nice because I am ALWAYS forgetting that we ran out of something.
The app is straight forward and allows you to check-in before you arrive so they get a heads up you are on your way. It additionally asks for your car color and style so they can identify you quickly.
There have been times when something appeared in stock on the app only to be out at the store. You can check to have a replacement instead or just leave it out, depending on the item and your needs.
Quick Facts about Walmart Grocery
- Grocery items and household items from Walmart
- $30 minimum order
- Additional cost for delivery
- Apps: Now in just the Walmart Apps
COUPON: Enjoy $10 off your first order from Walmart Grocery.
HEB Curbside Pickup
HEB Curbside Pickup because available at a close-ish HEB and I quickly became hooked. It just happened that when this new service came that I was getting addicted to my Instant Pot and cooking more. One issue if you are not a cook and getting into it is that you do not know what everything looks like or where to find everything. Add trying to shop with a toddler who does not have a lot of patience and the incredible convenience of HEB Curbside was just too good to be true. This is the only service that does not have an app instead of a website that manages everything. I gotta say I do like my apps but I have managed to do a full shopping trip on my phone in Chrome as well. When I can using a computer and a big screen is also nice! I have justified their $4.95 personal shopper fee with the idea that if I go in myself I will come out with at least $5 of impulse buys. Why is it that you finally get to the grocery store when you are starving and EVERYTHING looks good. In my area the HEB order does have to go in a day or sometimes two ahead of time and as you can imagine Mondays and the weekends are especially busy. I do think it is getting a little better though as more HEBs are bringing the service. I am excited to say that the smaller HEB that is down the street from us is currently remodeling to bring the service. For groceries, besides the additional cost, HEB is my favorite service. It is probably because it is usually where I shop anyway so I am clear of the products. Since they don’t have an app they use text messaging to update you on the progress of the order and you reply to the message with your parking spot when you arrive for the pickup. They have designated spots to park for your order and all the HEBs I have been to have clearly marked where to go for pickup.
Quick Facts about HEB Curbside
- Grocery items and household items from HEB
- No minimum order
- Charges $4.95 “personal shopper fee” and about 3% price increase on products
- Apps: No App only online – H-E-B To You | Curbside Grocery Pickup & Home Delivery
COUPONS:
- First 4 curbside and deliveries waived of fees
Target
Target is already one of my favorite stores and when they introduced this new service oh man life got so much better!! You can order just about anything from the Target Curbside service. Their app is incredible and will show you just what each store has in stock. You can even search for a specific store. I was getting some long sleeve shirts for #techkidalex and instead of going to 5 different Targets to look for the sizes I just used the app and did curbside for as many as I could at one Target and then another two for the other colors. It was so convenient. It is so convenient for baby items too, from formula to play mats, Target has everything #technobaby needs. The best part is that it is ready within 2 hours!! Yes, 2 hours and so many times so much quicker. This morning I placed an order after I dropped off #techkidalex at school and within 30 minutes it was ready. That was barely more than it took to drive to Target! They have designated spots in front of the store for the Curbside and if you have GPS enabled for the app it knows when you are there and checks you in. You give the app the color and type of car so they can identify you faster. Target has a great tutorial of how Drive-Up works and what you need.
Quick Facts about Target Curbside
- Clothes, toys, household anything you can find at Target except fresh produce and groceries
- No minimum order
- Apps: Target on the App Store | Target – Apps on Google Play
Pick your item 
Select Drive up at checkout 
Order confirmation 
Ready for pickup 
Tell Target you are on the way 
Pick car type and color
I still can’t believe how many curbside services there are and how many are coming. Fast food restaurants are even coming up with online ordering and curbside (which is a big help at Chick-Fil-A). For this little family, anything that can be done on the phone and picked up is an extra win!! With a toddler and an infant trying to do grocery shopping or other shopping is more of a headache, so these services are a mamas dream come true!!
I can’t imagine weekly chores without the help of drive-up services. Have you tried any of these services? Do you have a favorite? Will you try one now?
BY TECHIE MAMMA