SAVE TIME AND MONEY WITH MY ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING TIPS

Huge discounts, better organisation, and more ‘me’ time are just some of the many benefits you’ll experience from doing your grocery shopping online!

I recently started online grocery shopping, and I can’t for the life of me work out why it took me this long to do so! It has meant so much more than simply saving time and money, and I have actually got the whole process down to quite a fine art. I honestly don’t think I will EVER look back!

I was always a little reluctant to do all my grocery shopping online. I liked to touch and see the food I was buying, and was convinced that walking the aisles myself was necessary in order to save money and be inspired for meal times. Oh how wrong I was! It turns out there are actually HEAPS of savings that are available ONLY to online shoppers, and the freshness of my fruit and veggies is as good as if I’d picked them myself. I also feel like I have a bonus hour each week because I no longer do my routine trip to the supermarket each weekend!

If you have been hesitant about shopping online, please keep reading. I feel like grocery shopping online has been a game-changer for me, helping to simplify my weekends that little bit more.

So what are some of the tricks and tips to making online grocery shopping work for you?

1. MANAGE YOUR BUDGET

ONLINE ONLY OFFERS – with online grocery shopping, not only am I able to shop the in-store sales, but I can shop the exclusive Online Only Offers too! I didn’t even realise that Woolworths offered these discounts until recently, but basically they put a range of products on sale each week purely for online shoppers. I have started buying items from this section in bulk, which in turn saves me even more money!

I recently picked up a few bottles of this Rose & Geranium Hand Wash which were on sale in the Online Only Offers.

EASILY STICK TO BUDGET – when I finish my online order and get to checkout, I sometimes see that I’ve ordered beyond my weekly budget. I have the chance to remove items from my cart (ice-cream and chocolate are usually the first things to go) or replace with a cheaper alternative. When shopping in-store I used to gasp when they told me the total, but it’s a little harder (and more embarrassing) to scavenge through the bags and give items back to the checkout assistant.

2. EASILY BUY IN BULK

It is so easy to buy items in bulk when shopping online, because you don’t have the hassle of actually carting the additional items around the supermarket and piling them on to the checkout. You also don’t have to contend with other people wondering why you’re buying so many rolls of toilet paper – LOL!

In addition to the Online Only Offers that Woolworths offers, they also have Bulk Bundles that are exclusively available to online shoppers – helping you save even more money on your shop!

Woolworths also gives you all the specials for your regular purchase, you’ll find these under “my weekly picks”. I go through this list each week and purchase items I know we use frequently like cereal, tuna, and washing detergent. I buy enough to last a few weeks.

3. SHOP QUICKER

I’m not just talking about removing the time it takes to drive to the supermarket and walk the aisles (although I do love not having to do this anymore!), I am talking about being able to save multiple online shopping lists so that I can easily and quickly place my orders. I’ve created a fortnightly and monthly list for the items I don’t need as often, and I check each week if they are on special and will add to cart if they are. I have also set up an Essentials List, which is packed with all my regular items – feel free to check out my list and use it too!

I’m so excited to partner together with Woolworths who have allowed me to share my own personal lists with you all, helping to save you time when you’re doing your weekly shop too.

4. BE REMINDED

Woolworths have a great system where they know what you regularly buy, and they will remind you before checkout if you have forgotten some of the items you usually add to the cart. Darn you Woolworths for reminding me how much I love the new mini summer rolls.

4. BE INSPIRED

Woolworths Dinner Bundles are only available to online shoppers and are a great way to fill the family up on nights when you’re lacking a little inspiration. I also like that if I am inspired by a recipe that I see during the week, I can easily add the ingredients to my online shopping list from my phone, ready for dinner the following week!

5. GET ORGANISED + AVOID MULTIPLE TRIPS

It’s much easier to plan dinners and school lunches for the week at the same time as I’m doing my grocery shop. I simply fill out my Weekly Meal Planner and Lunch Box Planner Pad for the week ahead, and then make sure all necessary ingredients are included in my online order. Being able to do my grocery shopping from the kitchen also means I can check what items I actually have in the pantry and fridge, which prevents me doubling up on these things, whilst also allowing me to easily replenish items so I don’t run out during the week.

6. SHOP ON YOUR TIME

Being able to grocery shop from home when the kids are doing their homework or whilst I’m watching TV means my afternoons and weekends – when I used to do my shopping – have now opened up. I am now free to spend this time doing things I love instead; like cooking, reading a book, watching Netflix shows I love, or spending quality time with my family and fur babies. I also love that I can add items to my online shopping list throughout the week when I notice that things are running out – and I can do this from my phone or my computer.

7. GET THE CONVENIENCE OF DELIVERY, PICK UP, AND NOW DRIVE THRU

PICK UP – I pick my online grocery order up from Woolworths on my way home from work for FREE! I usually order the night before for pickup the following afternoon. It is so convenient, and it costs me nothing! I’ve only recently discovered that I can do this. My local Woolworths has a drive thru pick up and they help you pack it into your car… winning!! I had always thought that online groceries had to be delivered to your door, but I found it hard to give a 3 hour window for when I was going to be home. Now I can track my order to the hour and also select ‘leave unattended’ if I think I might need to pop out for the school run.

MY TOP TIPS FOR ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING

Online grocery shopping and picking up from drive-thru is my new thing, and I preach to everyone that will listen lately that they should give it a go. Here are a few of my tips:

1. Take your time to perfect your ordering system – it took me 3 goes to fine tune my online ordering process, so give yourself time to learn and understand how to order online.
2. Create lists – Create lists to help make shopping easier.
3. Use the search option – choose from a variety of different display options for your search results. If you are wanting to save, use the ‘sort by lowest unit price’. I LOVE this feature!
4. You can start adding to cart and continue adding to it throughout the week – place your order anywhere.  You can start your order while waiting at the doctors for your appointment, while in your lunch break at work and finish it off the night before you want to pick it up. If you start an order from my phone, you can even complete it later from your computer because it remembers you!
5. Double check your produce quantities – on one of my first orders I thought I was ordering 10 potatoes, but instead I ordered 10 packs of 2kg of potatoes. Woolworths were very kind and allowed me to return 9 packs 🙂
6. Add notes to items – for example, I like to receive a few green bananas so I know they last through the week, and if I know I am making a mince dinner 5 days from my order date, I add a not asking for the expiry date to be beyond that date of 5 days.
7. Items get substitutes – if they don’t have an item in stock they they will replace it with the closest match at the same price.
8. Let them know when you’re there – as they get your order ready and will have it waiting for you when you arrive.
9. Hot chooks – I have found you can’t order hot BBQ chooks online. We love a nice BBQ chook on rolls for lunch on weekends, so I usually get one of the kids (mine are teens) to run into the store to get it while I go through drive through to pick up the groceries.
10. Use tubs – to pack items into your car and easily take into the house.

8 steps for juicy diy burgers

We had the pleasure of learning from Alvin Poon, Executive Chef at Singapore’s first locally born and bred gourmet-burger joint, BurgerUp, on how to make extra juicy burgers and how cooking can be a really beneficial and fun bonding activity!

So read on to get BurgerUp’s recipe, specially tailored for family cooking.

Ingredients from BurgerUp's Recipe

1. Taste, Smell, Feel, Move. And then Cook

Cooking shouldn’t just be about standing in one spot and stirring a pot. It’s about getting out there to taste, smell, touch, feel and move!

Take your kids through the entire process. This means exploring the grocery store together where you can smell and touch a wide variety of vegetables and have them decide which ingredients they would like in their burgers. 

Back at the kitchen, get them to prepare the ingredients from chopping onions to washing, measuring and mixing! There’s so much potential to have fun – so crank up Spice Girls or Taylor Swift (your kids won’t judge) and get your hands dirty together! 

BurgerUp’s Cranberry Chicken Burger (Image Credit: BurgerUp)

2. Go Crazy with a Pinch of Creativity 

At BurgerUp, you can actually get a different burger EVERYTIME you go there. You can fully customise your burgers with your favourite patties, toppings and condiments to make your own gourmet creation!

Likewise, sit back and let your kids be the head-chefs for the day. This is the perfect opportunity for them to express their creativity and jazz up the recipe with their crazy ideas. The beauty of burgers is that they can be as simple or unconventional as your imagination allows you to be. So think different meats and sauces, add fresh herbs and spices, or use different kinds of breads.

There’s probably more of a chance your kids will love what they’re doing if they get to call the shots too… And name their burgers as well!

3. Put on a Chef's Hat

Cooking actually helps to improve a child’s focus, patience and motor skills. So emphasise things like following the instructions methodically from step to step, and ensuring that safety and food hygiene is always maintained while cooking. 

Our final DIY Burgers made according to BurgerUp's Recipe

4. Cooking Up New Memories 

Alvin Poon, Executive Chef of BurgerUp, tells us that he actually cooks with his daughter once a week which are moments he truly treasures. His own interest and passion in food and cooking was also ignited when he first started helping his mother prepare family meals during his childhood days.

We often find that we associate certain food experiences with unforgettable family memories - are there any meals that your own parents prepared for you or you always loved to eat when you were a kid? Why not share these experiences with your kids too?

We hope your unique burger creations will eventually go into the family cookbook to be passed down for generations to come!

5. Don’t Mess with Their Burgers

Why not inspire your kids to take pride in their creations by encouraging them to decorate their plates and burgers? You can also give them a chance to serve you and/or their grandparents their delicious creations. This encouragement might just stir the confidence and passion in them to explore cooking as a hobby! 

6. The Juiciest Burger Ever

Have you ever dreamt of biting into a really succulent burger, so juicy that the juices run down your arms?  Here’s how to help make that dream come true: 

a. Other than BurgerUp’s secret marinade, which they cannot share, what makes their burgers juicy and tender is their patties which use a mix of different cuts of beef.

Choose mince beef that has a 20% fat to 80% lean meat ratio, and don’t forget to season the beef with salt and pepper. 

b. It is important to use mince from a cut of meat that has a little bit of fat. This will not only add flavor, it also ensures a tender burger by preventing the patties from drying out during the cooking process. However, mince that is too fatty will expel excess fat during cooking, causing the patties to shrink and toughen considerably.

c. Adding breadcrumbs to the patty mixture gives them a tender and light texture, while adding eggs helps to hold the patties in shape when cooked.

We had the most fun using our hands to mix! No machines needed.

d. Let your patties chill for at least 25 minutes in the fridge at 4 - 10 degrees Celcius before cooking. This allows the flavours in the patties to blend together and develop fully. 

e. When forming patties, make coin-sized dimple in the middle of the patty to keep the centre from bulging up as it cooks.

Do not overcook the patty, but grill marks are always a plus!

 f. Eat it almost immediately after it’s prepared. (This shouldn't be much of an issue!)

Best wireless earbuds: the best Bluetooth earbuds and earphones in 2020!

The best wireless earbuds of 2020 are impressive. They combine comfort with great audio performance and many models give some of the best-wired earbuds a run for their money. 

There are lots of reasons you might want to grab a pair of the best wireless earbuds. They’re great for the gym, commuting, or relaxing outside on a sunny day. The best Bluetooth earbuds are designed to stay put and to bring you good quality sound – that often won’t break the bank. 

This guide will take a look at the two different kinds of wireless earbuds on the market today; true wireless earbuds and neck bud-style wireless earbuds. The latter have no cables whatsoever, while regular wireless earbuds retain a single cable that connects each earbud – usually worn around the neck.

But with such a huge amount of choice, it can be difficult to find the best wireless earbuds for you. That's why this guide includes the best wireless earbuds for every budget, every situation, and in every form factor. First up – true wireless earbuds.

TRUE WIRELESS EARBUDS

1. Sony WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Earbuds

Noise-cancelling true wireless headphones that made our dreams come true

Considering it's still rare to get noise-cancellation in wired earbuds at all, the fact that Sony has managed to pack it into a pair that is not only wireless, but true wireless is very impressive indeed. 

The Sony WF-1000X manages to offer a level of noise-cancellation that's very good for a pair of earbuds – it won't offer the same isolation as a pair of over-ear cans, but if you're after a sleek form factor then the compromise is well worth it. 

There may be a few minor problems with these wireless earbuds, but we think Sony has knocked the ball out of the park with the WF-1000XM3; not only are these hands down the best-looking True Wireless headphones out there, but they combine serious noise-canceling tech with fist-pumping musicality. 

2. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Great-sounding and noise-canceling

Sennheiser has pretty much knocked it out of the park with these buds, offering great noise cancellation alongside smart looks and stunning sound. 

The sound quality, battery life, and design of the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 are truly brilliant – and they're a really good alternative to the Sony WF-1000XM3, particularly if you prefer a more flashy design to adorn your ears.

We did find that those with smaller ears sometimes find them a little uncomfortable, however, and their high price just stops them from beating the Sony WF-1000XM3.

3. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1

Mind-blowing sound without the wires

Cambridge Audio is known for its high-end audio equipment, but until now, it hasn’t ventured into the world of truly wireless earbuds. Enter the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s: with an outstanding 45 hours of battery life, they combine the brand’s award-winning engineering with the convenience of truly wireless listening. 

For a pair of truly wireless earbuds, the sound quality offered by the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1s is sensational. In fact, it rivals some of the best over-ear headphones, which is all but unheard of for buds of this size. 

They may not have the noise cancelation technology offered by the Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Earbuds, but they are $100 (around £80) cheaper – and have superior battery life. 

They certainly outperform the Apple AirPods, in all respects apart from the lack of wireless charging cases. This is a small price to pay for that exceptional audio quality, though, and we think they represent much better value for money, too.

4. Lypertek Tevi

Incredible, affordable buds

You may not have heard of up-and-coming audio brand Lypertek yet, but expect to hear a lot from it soon – its Lypertek Tevi true wireless earbuds are among the best we’ve tried, especially given the low price tag.

With USB-C charging, a well-balanced sound, lengthy battery life, and waterproofing, it ticks every box you could ask for, from what is basically a pair of budget buds. The Lypertek Tevi, surprisingly, might just blow you away, punching well above their weight and rivaling buds from some of the biggest audio brands on the planet. 

5. Klipsch T5 True Wireless

Audiophiles will love the Klipsch T5’s sound and build quality

With their stellar sound and build quality, long-lasting battery life, and what may be one of the coolest cases we've ever seen, we'd argue that the Klipsch T5s are of the best models on the market right now.

Of course, you're buying a Klipsch product because it features the signature Klipsch sound, which is warm, detailed, and never harsh. Acoustic music is lush and detailed, and the detail extends to the highs as well, allowing the headphones to sing in the higher registers without ever being sibilant. 

Battery life is rated at 8 hours per charge with the case giving an additional 24 hours – that means these true wireless in-ear headphones will last you for a long haul flight, no problem.