Grocery Shopping without a Car

Sometimes we just don’t have access to a car to go grocery shopping. Whether due to unexpected car repairs or not having a car at all, we have to get a little creative to go grocery shopping without a car.

Grocery Shopping without a car is totally possible and we will go over the most popular options, if you can grocery shop with a ride sharing service, and if someone else can pick up your grocery order.

Most popular ways to go grocery shopping without a car

Grocery shopping can be a very large part of your variable expenses every month. Unfortunately, there are very few free or low-cost ways to go grocery shopping without a car unless you are willing to put in the work. We will go over the most popular ways and give some tips and tricks to use them best.

1. Taxi Service– for decades, people have been taking taxis to the grocery store. Usually, you end up paying for the taxi to wait outside while you shop, so you would want to make sure that you shop as quick as possible, or your cab fare could end up being very high. As a good rule of thumb, when you order your taxi, you may want to shop midday during the week which is a less busy time for most taxi services. I would also recommend that you tell the dispatcher you are going grocery shopping so they know that your cab ride may take over an hour to complete. To make your shopping trip faster you may want to combine using a taxi with a grocery store pick up option where you pre-order the groceries and just pick them up at the curb instead of going inside.
2. Bike– Biking to the grocery store is not only a great way to get exercise but it can also be a good way to stay on a budget. If you know that you will have to carry all your groceries in a backpack or basket, then you are less likely to buy impulse purchases. This will mean that you will have to make more frequent trips to the store. It is unlikely you will be able to carry a full weeks’ worth of groceries on your bike.
3. Walking– Similar to biking to the supermarket, if you live close enough to walk to the grocery store, this is a great way to get exercise and shop. If you plan on purchasing a lot of groceries, then you may want to invest in a collapsible cart or wagon so trekking home with your groceries won’t be so heavy. If you are health conscious this can be a good option! Team up with a friend or spouse and you can carry twice as many groceries.
4. Public Transportation – if you live in a more urban or suburban environment, then you should probably have access to some form of public transportation like buses or a subway. If you live more rurally, your public transportation options may be very limited. If you are not a senior citizen or disabled, there may not be any options available. In my area they have a few buses that you reserve a seat on once a week to go grocery shopping. They have very set times and seating is limited so you really have to plan ahead for this.
5. Meal Delivery Service – if you are short on time and options to go to the grocery store, you may want to utilize meal delivery services like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. These services will deliver ingredients for specific meal recipes that you cook at home. Keep in mind these services only deliver the ingredients listed for the recipes and don’t include items like milk, butter, or eggs. This would be an excellent way to supplement your grocery shopping and just shopping locally for a few staple ingredients. I do love some of the recipes that you get from meal services, but if you do this option a lot the meals will get very repetitive. Most of the services I have tried are pretty small on portion size so if you have a large family, this option can get pretty expensive.
6. Grocery Delivery – As more and more people take advantage of Curbside Pickup for groceries you can now actually order those groceries to go. A delivery driver will bring the items directly to your home and leave them on your doorstep. Keep in mind that you should be home during the delivery window, or your items will be sitting outside for a long period of time and can spoil. Most grocery delivery services do charge extra for the delivery so you will need to weigh this cost against the cost of going yourself. Similar to pick up options, you will not get to pick out your own items so you will have to trust that the person picking your groceries picks good produce and meat. Some places will substitute out of stock items, and others will just remove the items from your list. In order to make the most of grocery pickup or delivery, you will have to know exactly what you want. There really isn’t any browsing going on, so this may help you stay on a budget.
7. Call a Friend– my neighbor has been without a car for a while and has been teaming up with a friend to go grocery shopping. This makes getting larger items like bottled water so much easier to buy at the grocery store. In order to do this without putting a strain on your friendships, you really need to offer money for gas and their time. It may be best to rely on multiple friends and family members to do this, instead of just using one person. You may also want to offer them a free dinner or meal cooked by you, in exchange for their help with getting your food.

Can you go grocery shopping with Uber or Lyft?

It seems like a perfectly reasonable idea to use a ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft to go grocery shopping. Unfortunately, drivers for Uber and Lyft are paid per ride and they usually want to take as many jobs as possible in a short amount of time. None of these drivers are going to wait outside for you to shop when they could be getting other passengers.

Even if you took one Uber to the store, shopped for your groceries, and ordered a separate Uber to go home most drivers are not going to like this. Ride share drivers are using their own personal vehicles and those drivers may not have space in their trunk to accommodate all of your groceries.

In 2021, Uber finally came up with a grocery store solution and started offering Uber Eats. Unfortunately, Uber Eats is not available in more rural areas. It is also not available with every grocery store.

My tiny little town does have Door Dash, but this is more for restaurants and not really for groceries at this time.

Other options that are similar to ride sharing include Instacart and Lyft Delivery. Keep in mind that you are not only charged a delivery fee, but you are also expected to tip your delivery driver.

Can I have someone else pickup my Walmart grocery order?

Walmart delivery for groceries and household items is becoming super popular lately. They recently dropped their minimum order, so you no longer have to order more than $35 at a time.

Keep in mind that the cost for delivery can range from $10-20 depending on if you use the Express option. You are also still expected to tip for the delivery, so these small fees can add up to a lot of your grocery budget if you use them a frequently.

If you don’t want to pay the extra delivery fees, you can order your groceries for pick up and have someone else pick them up for you.

For example, I can order and pay for the groceries and during check out I can add an authorized user to pick the groceries up. I would only do this option with a family member or a friend.

All you need to do is add their name to the section titled “Pick up Person,” then fill in their phone number and email address.

If you add a stranger as an authorized user, there is no guarantee that they will deliver your groceries to you.

Make sure that whoever is picking up the groceries has their ID with them, because it is required per Walmart before they will release any pickup order.

Things to also keep in mind when using grocery delivery is that you usually cannot order alcohol or cigarettes. Grocery delivery will generally accept EBT/Food Stamps, but most places will not accept WIC vouchers on curbside orders.

A lot of grocery delivery services will allow you use a store’s digital coupons but may not accept paper versions of manufacturer’s coupons from the newspaper.

Other Reasons to go Grocery Shopping without a Car

Maybe you are trying to lessen your carbon footprint, or the cost of gas is getting way too high for you but going grocery shopping without a car does not have to be a struggle.

Many people every day go grocery shopping in super urban areas like New York City without a car. Now the difference is that they don’t grocery shop like those in more suburban or rural areas.

Typically, they are making much smaller and more frequent trips. They usually will shop with a very specific list in mind and are less likely to wander the aisles to see if something piques their interest.

With smaller trips to the grocery store, this can be a way to save money by being a better meal planner and being very strict about sticking to your grocery list.

Another way to stay on budget is to skip the shopping carts and stick with a basket. When you can visually see how many items will fit in this small space you will really have to think about if each item is truly worth the small amount of real estate that you have.

You should also invest or find some heavy-duty grocery bags. If you buy cheaply made bags they may break down or the straps break from the weight. They even make bags specifically for cold items like ice cream or for storing meat.

Not all grocery stores are connected to pick up or delivery services, so you may want to try an online retailer like Amazon. Keep in mind that Amazon groceries are not available in every area either.

We sometimes forget how easy it is to grocery shop with a car, so moving to carless grocery shopping can take some practice to get good at it. If done well, you can easily grocery shop and save money too!

For more money saving tips at the grocery store, check out “When you Grocery Shop Matters!” and the timing of your trip may make a big difference in your wallet!