Food, glorious foooddd....

[feng_shui_house]

Finally broke down and signed up with Publix Instacart. I didn't look at any of the store fliers- don't want to know the markup. :^)

It worked out well.



I had my list & most of it was available according to the website. The shopper was very conscientious and the few times the exact thing I requested wasn't available she took a photo of the products she thought might replace it. The paper towel aisle was EMPTY. :^) Except for one package of a different brand which, hey, I'm just going to use and throw away, fine get the other brand.

I did the chatting online, but left the text messaging option, so my phone now has about 45 messages on it. :^) So long as they don't start using it to spam me with marketing, I'll leave the option - it comes in faster than the online version.

They did offer me Express! which includes FREE delivery (delivery is basically $3, and the Express membership is $99 a year... I do not get 33 grocery runs a year, so no thanks for that). I went with 15% tip because that's really hard work and I don't know what the store pays, but I bet it's peanuts. Also I asked if she wanted a cloth face mask since I'd resumed sewing and she was happy about that, so I put 2 of them in a baggie and taped it outside the front window.

It RAINED like gangbusters, but about 2 minutes before she arrived it stopped.

I put all the bags, and the non-perishable items, into the guest room. I'll let them sit at least until next Sunday, just to be sure. Of the rest of the items, I sprayed the sealed wrap products with Fantastic before storing them in the fridge, except for the produce (bananas and potatoes) which I washed with hand dishwashing soap in the sink and then put on a dishtowel to dry.

The delivery service I tried last time has an extremely limited selection, and they're now out of stock of the one thing I did buy- $45 mixed collection of produce and dairy. It was the only option for getting milk. I'm not sorry I got it, I've eaten most of the stuff- but it's nicer to be able to choose exactly what you want and not have waste (had to toss the oranges on compost because they were sour bitter dry, and had to cook the apples with sugar and spices in order to get any taste at all, and marinate pineapple in sugar for the same reason- pineapple is a lot of work, for that, it should be juicy and tasty without marination. ;^)



IMMA GONNA COOK.

Comments

[vilakins]

You shop a lot less then me, then. I probably shop on average once a week not counting the farmers market weekly for fresh produce. It sounds like a really good service. Is it cheaper than getting a taxi, or just a lot more convenient and safer?

I've never used delivery or pickup but I will this month because I was offered $20 off my first shop and that supermarket has items mine doesn't stock, plus going there is person isn't pleasant because of seagull fish stink (rare protected bloody type).

[feng_shui_house]

I would normally go grocery shopping around once a month. I hope the service is always this good.

Without checking the in-store prices* I don't know how it compares price wise with the taxi- I normally paid $30 round trip (I always added in a large tip to get to that price). The tip I selected today was around $25.

Safety was the big issue for me- there's no way I could be more than 6 feet away from the taxi driver, and no way of knowing if his passengers before me had been careless, plus who knows if other shoppers would observe social distancing?

*They do say up front on the site that prices are marked up, without giving any details.

[vilakins]

Yeah, I was thinking that the taxi ride would be a danger. If it's a bit more expensive, then it's worth it to be safer, plus it sounds like the extra money is paying for a good service. Do you get the same shopper each time?

[feng_shui_house]

I'm guessing that the shoppers get offered the jobs depending on their location & it's up to them to decide if they can accept the job and get it done in time (there's a 2 hour window between order and delivery- I haven't looked too closely at the site, but I'm also guessing you can set the delivery for longer than that? But the 2 hour is the default that shows.)

I deleted most of the text messages, but kept a couple with her name on so if I order again and get Joanna I'll know it's her.

[sallymn]

We do a main shop once a week, and then Sis - who works 3 daus a week and whose office is pretty well opposite the supermarket - picks up odd stuff before work when she decides to cook it.

[feng_shui_house]

That's a good system! :^)

[vera_j]

THis sounds nice! The most important thing for you - friendly people. You depend on what they deliver and how they deliver.
I hope you will be satisfied!
BTW it is raining here too - FINALLY!!!

[feng_shui_house]

Everything is perfect, just as good as I would have chosen myself. :^)

It has rained SO MUCH here--I think the pool has 10 inches more water than a few weeks ago. If it gets one more inch then it'll overflow. :^) Wouldn't do any harm, it's not as if there's delicate plants that would 'drown'. ;^)

[vera_j]

I am glad to hear that! Now you can enjoy some good things, I hope!!!

We haven´t had snow nor rain when it was supposed to be. The dryest winter after 100years! Water sources are disappearing and generally the country is badly damaged by drought. Even our famous fishponds here in the south fight with lack of water and our carp and other fish is endangered. That´s why we welcome any rain. It is not enough to change the dire situation but it can help anyway.

I even could not take Rocky for our regular morning walk. I keep watching the meteorardar on internet, we will go as soon as the clouds move from here - approximately in an hour.

[feng_shui_house]

Yes, the weather is crazy-- it was hot and drought here for so long I had some really TOUGH old bushes die and turn into sticks. It never used to be like that. There was always enough rain, and it never got as hot as it does now.

I'm glad you planted a lot of trees! If I had enough room I'd plant more (my entire property, including the house and pool is 100 feet by 73 feet) I'd plant more trees--- as it is, I think the biggest tree is likely to die- I noticed last week that it's got big *splits* in it from the drought. But you never know- twice that tree was cut down to a stump, due to hurricane damage, and it came back.

Must remember to try to upload pics- I THINK I got a snap of a lizard peeking out of the split, as if it was its home.

[vera_j]

So the drought is really global...
I am going to check on these planted alders to see if they survive. Out of a certain amount, usually only 1/3 survive. Also I bought a special eco spray against the deer. They are able to destroy most of young trees by biting soft parts AND by grinding them with their little antlers.

Every day me and Rocky meet a young male deer. He is totally fearless, rather silly, probably never had an encounter with a bad human or a dog. I will see that it will remain like that. At least Rocky has already got used to him. The can stand about 10 metres apart, watching each other. Rocky has some respect, the deer is bigger than he and he is careful with bigger creatures! LOL

[feng_shui_house]

I hope you can get some photos of the deer. That sounds like a lovely experience- as long as all parties maintain a safe social distance! :^)

[vera_j]

Hahaha, this boy doesn´t need the mask. But you know, every time I have my camera with me, he won´t appear! We did see another one but that one was not happy to see us and he even barked at us!
Like this:

https://youtu.be/zTDg5fuHDXE

[feng_shui_house]

Hah! Rocky must think, WOW, that's a BIG DOG. :^)

[vera_j]

And you are probably right because he has respect!:-)

[watervole]

Oh gosh, it really is bad if your fish ponds are at risk of drying up. (I take it back, you need the rain even more than we do)

[watervole]

CAn we have some of that rain? THe allotment soil is baked like cement.

[feng_shui_house]

I would gladly shunt some of my rain over to you- it's as if I got all the months' worth when I didn't get a drop and my yard was so dry I was afraid a passing motorist's flung cigarette would set it on fire.

*PUSHES RAIN CLOUDS TO WATERVOLE*

Ok, lets see if that works- yesterday it rained so hard water was driven in through a closed window and today is still a burnished silver drizzling day.

[watervole]

Mail delivery error. Product failed to reach recipient.

[feng_shui_house]

A few weeks ago I tried to send a package to a friend in California- it got close to her, then it went PAST her to have a vacation in Hawaii for a few days before eventually being delivered.

I wish I could say that my rain was at least on the move-- it's pounding on me still, and now I've discovered that the roof is leaking. Oh, well... glad the shopper was able to get me a package of paper towels so I can at least keep the water from bouncing off the window sill onto my computer power backup!