Groceries delivered right to my door!!

I've been wanting to try it for awhile and I finally did it. I did my grocery shopping online and it was delivered right to my front door. It was actually kind of fun scrolling through the items online and picking out the food items I wanted.

I didn't plan to shop online that particular day, but I was clipping digital coupons on Publix.com and saw you could do your shopping online and have it delivered. I thought why not find out what it's all about. Since it takes time to physically go shopping and that day I was crunched for time, I thought why not try it out.

Of course my first question was, is it going to cost me more? I saw that there were some coupons out there to try it and I found a coupon for $10 off, so I figured it couldn't be too much more. At Publix the delivery fee depends on size of your order and delivery time. My delivery fee was $5.99 fee for shopping online at that time in my area. I did notice a service fee also at check out and you can waive that fee if you want. I also found not every area has online shopping with Publix, so you have to put in your zip code on their website to see if you qualify. I did, so I thought let's shop.

It was pretty easy to do. You see photos and prices for the products. And yes, you can also get the BOGO's (buy one get one.) You do need to put in a quantity of two if you get a BOGO. If you are a coupon shopper though, right now you can't use coupons with delivery. I wasn't too concerned because the items I was buying, I didn't have coupons for. I do use coupons, so I will still have to do my coupon shopping in the store.

I was able to select all my items and get my $10 discount. What I liked is you can choose a window of time,  you want your personal shopper to bring your groceries to your home.  I believe the fast you can get it is within two hours. I found you do need to put in a phone number for your personal shopper to contact you. Once they start shopping you receive a text. When my personal shopper couldn't find an item, he would text me asking if I wanted a replacement item or a refund on the item. I didn't realize they would text you during their shopping, so I was glad I heard the text.

It was great you knowing what he was able to get and what he couldn't get. I forgot to put on the list bananas was bummed because I thought I would still need to go to the store to get the bananas, but guess what? I text him to if he could get me four bananas regular and he got them for me. I was super excited.

When he was finished shopping, I received a text telling me when to expect my groceries to arrive. He was right on time. He had all the groceries and brought them to my door. I bought alcohol, which I thought was interesting that you could do with online delivery, but I guess you can in a few states and Florida is one of the states. He did ask for my driver's license for it, which was good.

You can add a tip when you sign your receipt if you want or give cash. I asked him how he gets paid because I was curious. He said he had been a personal shopper for about two weeks and he gets .48 cents an item, mileage and tips.

While I was shopping online, I did notice some of the items are a few cents higher. Not much higher, but the site does say some of the items are higher.

Overall, it was a good experience. I have researched this online shopping more and found there are other grocery chains and stores in Pinellas County that do this too. You can get groceries from Safeway, Amazon Prime, Walmart, Sam's Club and Costco. Each one has their own delivery fee. You can also order online and pick the items up at the store and most are free to do this.

I think it's a great option to have in case you get sick and can't make it to the store or maybe your crunched on time. I also think if you have your basic list for each week, it gets easier to shop because you don't remake the list each week. I also tried by ingredients for a recipe, which I thought was good because it would help stick to meals instead of impulse buying. There are coupons out there and deals for first time customers at most of the stores, so look for a coupon online. 

Free medicines...see if yours is on the list

When the weather starts to change, you know sooner or later someone in your family is probably going to catch a cold.   If you or your child gets sick and the doctor prescribes antibiotics, it can get expensive. But did you know that the Publix pharmacy gives out free antibiotics? It’s true; they offer some of the most prescribed medicines absolutely free. You can get a 14- day supply of the following generic oral antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Cephalexin, Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim, Ciprofloxacin, Penicillin and Doxycycline Hyclate.  This can be a real money saver when you have to get medicine.  The free medicine isn’t just for children, but for everyone. The best part is, you don’t have to join any clubs and it doesn’t matter if you have insurance or don’t have insurance. It’s free with a prescription.

Not only does Publix pharmacy offer free antibiotics, but they also offer other free medicines. As part of the Publix Pharmacy Diabetes Management System, you can get up to a 30-day supply (90 tablets) of generic immediate-release metformin for free. You can also get a 30-day supply of an ACE inhibitor, lisinopril which is used to prevent, treat, or improve symptoms of high blood pressure, certain heart conditions, diabetes, and certain chronic kidney conditions.

Well we are on medicines; you may want to check and see if any of your daily medications are on the $4 generic lists at Sam’s Club, Walmart or Target.  These companies offer hundreds of generic prescriptions for $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply. All you need to do is go to their web sites or get a list at the pharmacy of medicines that are $4.  It can save you a lot of money if you are on medications for several months.  It doesn’t matter if you have insurance or not. You don’t have to be a member of a club except for Sam’s Club. 

Here’s an example of just how much money you can save.  If you take the medicine Synthroid 50 MCG for your thyroid, you may be able to get the generic Levothyroxine 50 MCG. The cost of Synthroid is a little more than $20 a month, but the Levothryroxine is on the list of $4 generic drugs. That is a savings of $16 a month.  In a year you would save over $192 on just that one drug.  There was a study done by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health that said if those eligible patients filled their prescriptions with the $4 generic drugs, the potential national savings could be nearly $6 billion.  That’s why I am making you aware of these programs because if you are on these medicines you can be saving money.

Not only are there free and discounted medicines are your local pharmacies, but you can also get free health screenings. This is more than just checking your blood pressure. Some of these health screenings can save you $150.  You can go to my blog and I will link you to several pharmacies offering free health screenings. Click on the company name for list of free screenings. Sam's Club, Publix

Medicines can add up, especially if you are on more than one type of medication. The next time you go to the doctor it might be worth asking if any of these free drugs can be substituted for what you are prescribed.  Better yet, call your doctor now to find out so you can start saving.  You never know unless you ask.

Protecting Our Children- Stories Too Close to Home

Recently headlines about the missing 8-year-old little girl being abducted from a Jacksonville  Walmart June 21 have been all over social media and the news. My heart sank when I saw the report that it was a registered sex offender who was accused of killing the little girl.



Cherish Perrywinkle
8-year-old abducted & killed 

Usually, I don’t let my two little girls- who are 7 and 8- watch the news because of stories like this, but I did show them a picture of the little girl, so they could see that she was their age. I decided this time I needed to talk to them about this issue a little more.

In the past, I mainly focused on them staying close to me when out and not talking to strangers. I didn’t want to scare my kids, but felt I needed to take the “stranger danger” talk a little further. It’s sad to think that one bad thing can change not only a child’s life but impact the whole family.

I remember several times in my life where incidents could have turned bad, but ended up just being scary.

 One time when I was in third grade and my sister was in first grade, we were walking home from school and a man on a bike exposed himself to us. We really didn’t know what was going on, but luckily my mom was waiting at the corner for us and could see a man talking to us. He rode off after we said, “There’s our mom.” That man we picked out of a lineup and he was arrested. I don’t remember too much more than that.

Another time, I was at what used to be called Pinellas Park Mall with my mom and siblings. We were looking at shoes and my little sister who was 8-years-old at the time walked around the corner for a minute to look at the toys. In just a few minutes, a man picked her up from behind and started taking her out of the store. She screamed and kicked and the guy let her go. The mall was locked down, but they never did catch the guy.

How our lives could have been changed. I thank God these incidents were just that and not life changing.

As a parent, I am always looking out for my kids. I am probably a little too cautious, but if I’m not who else will be?

 We have to protect our kids and when they are young we have to warn them that there are bad people out there. Most kids think everyone is nice and that’s how sexual predators and sexual offenders seem to operate. Be careful this summer with your kids especially when you send them to camps. Make sure they know what’s appropriate and what’s not. When you go to the mall or stores keep your eye on your kids. 

Young kids aren’t the only ones that need to be cautious. A close friend, when she was in college was on her way home for Thanksgiving break and stopped at the post office to get her mail and was abducted by a man with a gun. She luckily was able to get away after a few days of being held hostage in his home. This incident changed her life even though the man was caught and put behind bars.

I tell you these stories because they are true and can happen to any family. I know we have to let our kids grow up and have freedom to experience things on their own, but the question is when and at what expense?

 It’s a dilemma I know I face these days. Years ago you could let your children walk home for school, go play at the neighbors or ride their bike to the local store. It’s not that simple these days. The world is different and we are raising our children in a different world. Make sure you talk to your kids and listen when they talk to you. It’s important because protecting our children is our job as parents.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement has a website which you can use to look up sexual predators and offenders in your neighborhood or around your schools. You can also sign up for alerts and be notified by email if someone moves within a certain area around you.

Here's the link for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement

iPod Touch Insurance Tips

Big tip... I thought I would let you know a little something I learned about the insurance for the iPod Touch, since it may be a gift you are thinking of giving your kids for Christmas.

If do get the iPod Touch and want insurance make sure you get the insurance for a cracked screen. Walmart offers insurance for $17 and covers the cracked screen. Target is the same price for insurance, but doesn’t include a cracked screen.

This may be true for other electronic devices. Make sure you asked if it covers a cracked screen since that is one of the biggest accidents kids have.

If you want to know more about the iPod Touch check out my story called "Kids learn the value of money."

Free Antibiotics and $4 Generic Medicines

When the weather starts to change, you know sooner or later your kids are probably going to catch a cold.   If your child gets sick and the doctor prescribes antibiotics, it can get expensive. But did you know that the Publix pharmacy gives out free antibiotics? It’s true; they offer some of the most prescribed medicines absolutely free. You can get a 14- day supply of the following generic oral antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Ampicillin, Cephalexin, Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim, Ciprofloxacin, Penicillin and Doxycycline Hyclate.  This can be a real money saver when you have to get medicine.  The free medicine isn’t just for children, but for everyone. The best part is, you don’t have to join any clubs and it doesn’t matter if you have insurance or don’t have insurance. It’s free with a prescription.

Not only does Publix pharmacy offer free antibiotics, but they also offer other free medicines. As part of the Publix Pharmacy Diabetes Management System, you can get up to a 30-day supply (90 tablets) of generic immediate-release metformin for free. You can also get a 30-day supply of an ACE inhibitor, lisinopril which is used to prevent, treat, or improve symptoms of high blood pressure, certain heart conditions, diabetes, and certain chronic kidney conditions.

Well we are on medicines; you may want to check and see if any of your daily medications are on the $4 generic lists at Sam’s Club, Walmart or Target.  These companies offer hundreds of generic prescriptions for $4 for a 30-day supply and $10 for a 90-day supply. All you need to do is go to their web sites or get a list at the pharmacy of medicines that are $4.  It can save you a lot of money if you are on medications for several months.  It doesn’t matter if you have insurance or not. You don’t have to be a member of a club except for Sam’s Club. Here’s an example of just how much money you can save.  If you take the medicine Synthroid 50 MCG for your thyroid, you may be able to get the generic Levothyroxine 50 MCG. The cost of Synthroid is a little more than $20 a month, but the Levothryroxine is on the list of $4 generic drugs. That is a savings of $16 a month.  In a year you would save over $192 on just that one drug.  There was a study done earlier this year by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health that said if those eligible patients filled their prescriptions with the $4 generic drugs, the potential national savings could be nearly $6 billion.  That’s why I am making you aware of these programs because if you are on these medicines you can be saving money.

Not only are there free and discounted medicines are your local pharmacies, but you can also get free health screenings. This is more than just checking your blood pressure. Some of these health screenings can save you $150.  You can go to my blog and I will link you to several pharmacies offering free health screenings. Click on the company name for list of free screenings. Sam's Club, Publix

Medicines can add up, especially if you are on more than one type of medication. The next time you go to the doctor it might be worth asking if any of these free drugs can be substituted for what you are prescribed.  Better yet, call your doctor now to find out so you can start saving.  You never know unless you ask.