Paying a Premium

When we went on lockdown at the end of March we started having all of our groceries delivered. Publix had a deal where you could have unlimited delivery for just under $10 per month - as long as each order was at least $35. And as you well know, it doesn't take much to reach $35. 

But there were some things that Aldi just had better prices on - eggs, frozen salmon - all sorts of things. But they didn't have the unlimited deal with Instacart like Publix did. So every time we ordered from Aldi, we also paid a fee to Instacart for the delivery. And of course there were tips for the shoppers at Aldi and Publix. 

It all worked fairly well. Sometimes they'd be out of the item you selected and the shopper would choose something else. Sometimes Mark would tell them a substitution was okay but if I'd been asked, I would have said no. And then there's the issue of fresh produce. In the past, when I did my own shopping there were times when a particular vegetable was on my list but I didn't buy it because the selection was just too poor. But when you tell an Instacart shopper you want a tomato, they'll bring you a tomato - even if it looks anemic.  I've also been unhappy in the past with some of Mark's produce selections. So entrusting some kid off the street who doesn't even know what a daikon is to choose a daikon or (any other vegetable) is iffy at best. Let's just say  I was never particularly happy with the fresh produce. We started eating more frozen vegetables. 

But then the bills came. We were spending upwards of a thousand dollars a month on groceries. This was not sustainable. Part of it was because food prices were going up - particularly meat and produce. But part of it was because of the delivery.

We started cutting back on the number of deliveries. In the past, if we realized we were out of something, someone would make a dash to the store and we'd get it. When you have to spend at least $35 to have it delivered,  it's best to see if you can't live without that item until you need more stuff.  We also thought we could save money by ordering online and then doing curbside pickup. We wouldn't have to pay the Instacart fees or tip anyone for shopping. (And while some of the shoppers were wonderful, I always wanted to get the tip back from the people who brought me a broken egg or the wrong item, or an ugly vegetable.)  And we did save money that way, even when you consider the gas and other costs associated with driving a car.

But I still suspected that we were overpaying. We decided if we went to the new store  - it's bigger and there aren't as many people there (and the one's who are there are wearing masks) - and as long as we wore our masks and went early in the morning, it would probably be okay.  

Rather than writing out a shopping list, we printed out the order we'd planned to pick up curbside. If we'd picked it up curbside, we'd have paid roughly $190. But we went into the store, bought everything on the list, PLUS several things that weren't on the list (like fresh flowers for $12) and the total came to $165. We saved $25 and got more than we would have if we'd done the curbside pick up. AND everything was what I wanted - no mistakes on the order and the fresh produce was all good. 

But I was shocked at the difference in the price. I knew we were paying a premium for delivery but I didn't realize we were paying that high a premium for curbside pickup. Now I know. Unless the caseload of Covid skyrockets up again, we'll be shopping early and in person. 

My First Mail In Vote

Yesterday I voted by mail for the first time. I liked it. I liked it a lot. It was a small local election, mostly non-partisan and the actual polls will be open next week. 

So here's how it worked:

I had already applied to receive my ballot by mail. I filled out an application that included my voter registration number, and my signature and other information. The ballot came in a well marked envelope and included a "security sleeve" and a return envelope. I had to sign and date it when I sent it back. I know they check the signature because one of my friends had hers rejected because her signature didn't match. They did let her know and sent her a new ballot.

This particular election is a small, local election. One race for county commissioner, one for the board of elections, and two for school board. (There may have been one more, but I can't remember for sure). If I'd been voting in person, it's likely I wouldn't have bothered to turn up. I know, I know. It's my civic duty to vote in all elections. But let's face facts, the person who runs the school board probably isn't going to impact my life in any significant way and if I had something else to do on election day, I might not turn out for a county commissioner and the school board. Same thing if I turned up at the polls and there was a long line, or it rained. And now there's coronavirus, which is worse in Florida than in most places. 

But let's say that I did turn up to the polls. I'm presented with a slate of candidates I know nothing about. The board of elections position and the school board positions are all non-partisan. I have very little to guide me in my selection. Am I supposed to decide based on whose name I like best? In the case of the county commissioner race, both candidates were Republicans. How do I decide? 

When I lived in Texas  I went to the polls.  The lines could be brutal and I was very happy when they introduced early voting. I worked from home and could go at my convenience when there wouldn't be long lines. But for the actual voting, once I got past the federal and state races to the names that didn't ring any bells, I either voted based on party affiliation or I didn't vote for anyone at all. I do believe you should be informed if you're going to vote and if I felt I didn't know anything about the candidates, I just didn't check any box. 

But with the mail in ballot, I was able to go online and type the candidates names into Google. I found out that the two Republican candidates for county commissioner have been feuding with each other for at least a decade. Looked like a lot of bickering and childishness to me - fairly well documented in the local press. In the end, I couldn't find enough redeeming qualities in either one of them and opted to let other people choose. I'd be happier with none of the above. 

As for the non-partisan races, I was able to determine who the incumbent was, and how long they'd been in that position. I could see which school board candidates had children in school, and whether their children were in public school or private school. I could see who was on the boards of private schools and who favored charter schools over public schools and I could vote accordingly. Again, if I'd just turned up at the polls, I probably wouldn't have voted on those races. 

This is just so much better.  I'm making more informed choices AND I'm safe.