Woolworths HomeShop - A great service for Parents!

Recently I blew the radiator in the car. My boyfriend is hell-bent that he is going to fix it so we dont have to take the car to a mechanic, but that means the car has been off the road for a week because he hasnt had time to fix it.

Luckily I live near my son's school so getting him to and from school hasnt been a problem, but if it werent for Woolworths HomeShop, I'd be kinda screwed. I mean sure, I live across the road from an IGA and whilst it's convenient to get things at short notice like milk and bread or a missing ingredient that I need for dinner, but to do an entire week's worth of shopping there is ridiculous and I would end up spending 3 times as much money than if I had just gone to a normal supermarket.

That's where Woolworths HomeShop comes in.

Now, before I go any further I want to make it very clear that this is not a paid advertisement from Woolworths, nor am I employed by them, nor am I going to be rewarded from them for writing this. My intentions are purely to help parents discover just how easy and convenient home shopping is when you are sick, without transport, or just dont have time to get to the shops!

So what is Woolworths HomeShop?

HomeShop is a time-saving and very convenient way to do your shopping from the convenience of your own home. Whoever thought we could go shopping in our pyjamas and get away with it? Lol!

Honestly, I cant rave enough about this. I used to use it before I got my car, and LOVED it. There are many more reasons why I fell in love with it, that I just dont have time to write about right now, but I promise, if you try it you will probably fall in love with it too!

Here's some reasons why:

• You get FREEBIES!!! No really, without a catch! Sometimes they get overstocked or some of the items are on or near their use by dates, or sometimes they just have some new products or samples they would like you to try. It can be a can of drink, a packet of chips, or even some rice lol but they usually include a good assortment of things, and often it's stuff I would put in my son's lunchbox for morning tea.
• It works out cheaper than going to the shops via public transport and getting a 'home delivery.' You see, the problem with home delivery is they charge by the bag. With homeshop there is one flat rate (depending on what time of day you choose to have your groceries delivered) but your order must be over $30. You dont have to pay bus or train fare either.
• You can buy your groceries when it suits you and have them delivered at a time that suits you best. I dont know about you, but I long for the day that I can walk through the supermarket and not hear 'Muuuuuum, can I have....." Now all I do is either wait til they are in bed or place my order during the day when I have some spare time, and there is no more fighting in the lolly aisle or at the checkout.
• They are always running competitions on their website, and you can even use your every day rewards card that has taken over from fuel dockets now, by simply entering a code when you are finished your order, and you will get a huge 10c off per litre of fuel. That's way more than other companies ar offering at the moment.
• You can buy everything you would buy in a normal Woolworths store, and more! I have found that it's great shopping for parties with them because I get it all delivered to my front door, even the alcohol! Of course you have to prove that you are above legal age to consume alcohol but wow, how convenient!
• Oh yeah and hows this, if you order something that they have run out of, you have the option to tick a box so they replace it with a better brand! At no extra cost!!!! If they dont have a better brand or another substitute you may also choose the option to have the money credited back to your homeshop account. Oh, and yes, they do bread, produce, meats, dairy, and frozen goods too. Even homewares!!
• You can create a 'Master List' which is basically your staple foods that you buy each week. You can simply flill out a form, fax it off, and your master list will be there the next time you go to order. Or you can just tick a box that says 'same as last time' or something like that.
• At any time while you are placing your order, you can always check how much you have spent, I find it alot easier to keep to a budget on here than I do in a supermarket as I am a terrible impulse buyer and dont seem to have that problem online.
• They have a 'specials' tab and also sell things in bulk lots. So you can be sure there are many savings to be had.
• You can use a woolworths gift card when buying online.
• You can either pay securely  by credit card online, or if you dont have a credit card or would rather not shop online with one, they also have Mobile Eftpos, however someone must be home at time of delivery for that one or else you can pay via direct debit. (Please check first as this varies from State to state.

Keep in mind though that although HomeShop  has now been around for 10yrs, it has still not reached ALL areas of Australia. You can check if it is in your area yet by going to the HomeShop website.

Id love to hear from other parents who use this service and have found it enjoyable, but Id also like to hear if anyone has had any bad experiences with it. I havent yet, but of course nothing in this world is perfect. But I would have to say if I was to give HomeShop a rating out of 5 stars, they would end up with 6.

Happy shopping everyone and I really hope this makes your job easier as a parent like it has done for me :)