Let my fingers do the shopping

Do you still remember the jingle for the Yellow Pages ad from the 60's? (Let your fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages. Read the ads. Learn the facts. Find it fast.) Well, of course you don't. You were far too young!! But, as soon as I thought about writing this post the jingle came to mind - and doesn't seem to want to leave!

Last evening I was at my son's house and he was talking about doing his weekly grocery shopping... online. He, and many like him have changed the way business is conducted. He has used an online grocery delivery service for years and only visits a brick and mortar store when he needs a special item at the last minute, or runs out of a staple. Sunday morning the family sits down to talk about the coming week and their grocery needs. He submits the order and a few hours later his food is on the doorstep. It made me think...

I don't particularly care to go grocery shopping. In California the traffic is horrendous. In Florida the grocery stores are limited in what they carry or are further away than I care to drive...  and ditto the traffic. So, thought I, why not give online shopping a try?!

The first service I found that delivers in my area was Instacart. Instacart employs shoppers who go to one or more stores in the area to shop for online clients. In CA I can select from about 4 grocery stores, SAM's, Costco and even Petco, to name a few. (This post is strictly an overview of my experiences. It is not necessarily an endorsement and I have received nothing from any entity to post this information.) The service has both a web-based interface and an app for a smartphone or iPad. I began playing around online, then downloaded the app. I haven't figured out how to make them sync, so my order didn't show on my phone. Maybe now that I have signed up for both interfaces they'll play well together on my next order.

I think I might like online shopping! I found ordering to be really easy. I could search for items, pick which I wanted and add them to my cart in whatever quantity I desired. There were a few items that didn't come up in my search. For example, I wanted a bag of Candy Corn. I knew the store had Halloween candy. I could even "see" the aisle in my mind where it was located. But, searching brought up no seasonal candy. However, at the bottom of the page there is a link for "Add a special request". I typed in Brach's Candy Corn, and was given the option to add a picture. Clicking on that , brought up dozens of images from the Internet. I could pick the brand I wanted, and the picture was added to my request. On every item I ordered I also had the opportunity to leave notes for the shopper. So, for "Corn on the cob" I indicated I only wanted the corn if it was really fresh, and if the stem wasn't dried out at all.

The prices from the store I was ordering from seemed to be almost the same as the prices I would pay were I in the store. I did look at a few items at a competitor's store, and the prices seemed rather high.  I noticed that the price for a Costco rotisserie chicken was $6.09 online, where it is $4.99 at the store. However, it is my understanding that you don't have to be a member of Costco to order from them through Instacart, so they must tack on a bit to make up that difference. Sale items were also included, and some of the prices I paid were actually less than the prices shown online.

I liked how this manner of shopping made me think about what I might prepare over the next few days. No more scrounging around in the fridge at 5:30 6:30, trying to cobble something together for dinner! Since the price for delivery changes is based on the total of your order, I also wanted to get over the $35 minimum for the $5.99 delivery fee - seriously... how hard was that?! (In reality, I didn't pay a delivery fee as I opted to try out Instacart Express for free for two weeks. The express program has an annual fee of about $150 which offers free delivery on orders over $35 for a year.) I am a bit picky about my vegetables and fruit, as well as meat. This time I didn't order any meat as we had stocked up on it last week. However, I do understand others' reluctance in having a total stranger pick out things I pick out by touch, sniff or by careful visual scrutiny. The corn was rejected by the shopper. She sent me this message: ".... your Instacart Shopper: Hello! The ends of the corn are very dry so I marked them as “couldn’t find”. Later, I realized I had forgotten to add eggs, so I texted her and she added them to the list for me.

I was given several options for delivery times. I opted for the first two-hour window and within that time frame my shopper arrived at my doorstep, scanned my ID since I ordered wine (yes! you can even get that if the store offers it!), delivered my groceries, and was on her way. I carried several bags into the house, put the groceries away and went on with my activities. It was a pleasant shopping experience in many respects! No traffic hassles, parking hassles or trudging up and down aisles. I didn't have to schlep bags from cart to truck and from truck to house. Once I had made my list and sent it on its way, I was free to tackle other pursuits... well, so vacuuming wasn't necessarily enjoyable, but I did get it out of the way!

Here is a summary of the expenses for my shopping "trip". All of the fees were computed by Instacart. It is my understanding that one can change and/or eliminate the service fee. The tip can also be changed. I gave my shopper a cash tip, in addition to this paltry sum computed by Instacart.

All in all, even if I paid an additional $5.99 for delivery, this seems well worth the savings in time and hassles. Oh, and I would hazard a guess, that were I shopping at the store I would slip additional items into the cart whose total would far surpass the fees I paid for being removed from that temptation!

If you are thinking of trying Instacart I can get you a $10 coupon (for a limited number of folks). Just saying!

Doing the Tengo Tango

Ahhh, the joys of being back on the road and being subjected to Tengo Internet service. Many of the campgrounds use this service - I guess there aren't many companies out there that offer secure connections with individual logins. Some campgrounds provide it for free, others charge anywhere from $1.00 to $4.95.... a day! Talk about highway campground robbery!  In my mind.... it's not worth it at any cost. At least, not with this computer. For whatever reason, my computer HATES Tengo. It constantly loses the connection... then starts looking for Networks... then I'm on... then I'm looking for networks again. It drives me crazy!

This isn't a smooth, beautiful dance,

it is a Tengo tangle!

Source

So, if I happen to reply to a comment on your blog.... 18 times... it is because I was never sure if I was online or not when I hit the "submit" button.

Death and Taxes

...in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. - Benjamin Franklin

* * * HERE IS A SMALL FACT * * *

You are going to die.
 - "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

It certainly isn't a very cheery thought, death. But there it is, staring us in the face. I don't know that it is the light that is found at the end of the tunnel, but more likely it is death itself! It is all around us. It is something we all will know. 

As life has grown more complicated by the things we procure, sorting it all out has become more complex. In our ancestor's ancestor's day, one would share his desires upon his death bed. My husband studies our genealogy. Here is a record of death and the distribution of belongings for one of his ancestors:

John Pride of Salem died intestate, and his widow brought in an inventory of his estate, the last, 12m:1647.
Court ordered distribution to his son, under twenty-one years, £ 8, and two daughters, under eighteen years, £ 4 each. The mother was to bring them up. House and land bought of Mr. Holgrave security. Salem Quarterly Court Records, 2:225

Inventory: One dwellinge house, one barne and worke house with foure Akers of land adjoyninge to it, £ 16; marsh and uplande grounde uppon the necke beinge the one halfe of that sometime belonginge to Mr. Holgrane, £ 8 15s; one halfe aker of marsh and halfe an aker of upland, £ 1 10s; two Cowes and one heighfer of two yeares old, £ 13; three Calves of this yeare, £ 3; one hogge and two shotts, £ 2 17s 6d; foure ewe gotes and 2 lambes, £ 2; one fether bed, one bolster, foure pillowes, one Rugge, one pr blanketts, £ 5; two old Rugges, two course beds, one blanket and one bolster, 12s; three pr of sheetes, £ 1 10s; bands and capps, 10s; wearinge apparrell, £ 6; one brass lettle, 1 lettle brass pott and one Iron pott, £ 1 4s; thirtie and seaven dozzen of earthen ware, £ 4 12s 6d; warminge pann and three pewter cupps, 6s 8d; leade and other earthen ware, £ 1 7s; a bible and other books and a glass, 12s; two gryinge panns, 7s; one Fowlinge peece, one musket rest and sword, £ 2 10s; a pr of pot hookes and hangers, 7s; foure Axes, a spade and a picke Axe, 14s; tow table boards, two chests, two boxes with chaires and stoole, £ 1 18d; one bed steed and a trundle bedsteed, 10s; fifteene Akers of Lande on Cape An side, £ 9; for wheate, barly, Pease and Indian Corne, £ 3; total £ 88 16s

Perhaps, if they were lucky enough to have paper and quill, our ancestors would create a simple list of their belongings and designate beneficiaries. Here is a Last Will and Testament from Robert Weekes from 1771, the first husband of a relative of my husband's, 7 generations back!

In the name of God, Amen. I, ROBERT WEEKES, of the Manor of Cortlandt, in Westchester County, being sick. I direct all debts to be paid. I leave to my wife Jemima the use of all real and personal estate during her widowhood for the use of bringing up our children; Also a horse and woman's saddle and bridle and a feather bed. After the death or marriage of my wife I leave to my son Lewis all my lands and tenements. I leave to my three daughters, Esther, Tamorus, and Charity, œ10 each, when they are 18, "And if it should so happen that my wife Jemima should be likely to have another child, it is to be made equal with my other children." I make Job Wright, Edward Smith, and my wife Jemima, executors. - Ancestry.com

With acquired wealth and acquisition of the stuff of life, the formalities of the Last Will and Testament became more formidable. Here is one page of Caption William Pride's will from 1751. It seems lawyers of his time may have earned their fees by writing everything in longhand. 

Captain Pride was wealthy for his day, having a three-page inventory worth 5,803 pounds; 10 shillings; 8 pence.
Included in the inventory were:

A Four year old mare     65

A Saddle     5

A Bridle    1

Curried(cured?) Leather    3

Tanned Leather     2

Leather for a Bridle    5

Can you imagine creating an inventory of your estate?

Our way of living has added a new wrinkle that should be considered when planning for death. What about the part of you that exists online? What about your publications and creations online: the postings on you blog, your email, images and items available through social media? What about access to those items? What about a gaming persona?

Click here to see the original photo above and a succinct chart of outlining the "Real Life You" and the "Digital You"


Now that many of us have digital property, we should make preparations so that the digital part of our lives can be handled as easily as possible, according to our wishes, by those we leave behind. There are decisions to be made. Who should have access to the content of your blog? Will your Facebook page remain standing? Will your heirs be able to access your online accounts? Our new age has brought new things to consider as we plan for death. 


For more information about this topic:

Social Media Policies When You Die

Prepare for Your Death by Creating a Digital Tombstone

USA Gov's Tips on Preparing a Social Media Will

How to Manage your Online Accounts After You Die