Our secret: Sainsbury's delivery service

We’re gonna let you in on a little secret….two words: Sainsbury’s delivers. Yes, it is true. No, we are not lazy. We are simply practical. Let me explain.

We live in a lovely spot in St Andrews, around the corner from the East Sands and Coastal Path, but miles (literally, miles) from the grocery store. Tesco, as we all know, is too expensive, too busy, and too small. Morrisons, though a better choice, was still a two hour long process we were unwilling to sacrifice each week. Solution? Delivery.

Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Tesco all deliver to St Andrews. We chose Sainsbury’s, I don’t remember why, but rest assured it was a reasoned decision. It might have had something to do with Sainsbury's own brand items being quality. Except for their coffee, which is horrendous. We still go to Tesco to buy coffee (which I'm sure you all know from our coffee-a-day post), but otherwise, we are all about the Sainsbury's. 


Every week for the last three semesters, during the one hour slot we choose, our door buzzes, the friendly deliveryman carries up our shopping, we unpack, and it’s done. 10 minutes clicking the items into our virtual trolley. 10 minutes unpacking and rearranging the fridge/pantry. That equals 20 minutes for our weekly shop. Maria often spends another 20 minutes re-rearranging the fridge and pantry, but we don't add that in. 

That should be enough to convince you. But if it wasn’t, there is more. This eliminates impulse buying, thus eliminating excess spending. Sainbury’s saves a list of ‘our usuals’, which we can instantly add to our trolley, and then amend as necessary. We buy what we need and nothing more. Well, sometimes we treat ourselves and buy two packs of clementines or an especially tasty-looking curry sauce, but usually, we stick to the list. The nagging question in the back (or front?) of your head right now is probably: 'But how do they agree on what to buy?' Ah, a story for another day.

The makings of our weekly shop. Try it for yourself today! 

So, we shop together, which means pooling money. We have a joint-bank account from which all of our bills get debited, including our weekly shop. Many of our friends think this is too difficult, and that being responsible for just your own food is easier. But actually, we think our method is much easier than the individual, self-sufficient method. We believe we waste less food this way, save money by buying in larger quantities, and are more likely to cook and eat together, which means healthier meals and quality flatmate bonding time. Win-win-win-win situation. 


Today is the day to say goodbye to long-queues at Tesco and embrace delivery! Because a flat that shops together stays together.