I’m going to be honest with you kids… my life lately hasn’t been all sunshine and peaches lately. One thing piled on top of the next, some serious stuff, some annoying stuff. Things just keep coming, and it’s hard to bat them all away right now.

I just about had a breakdown when I broke a favorite coffee mug.

But when these times happen, I try to find little things to perk me up. Purchase a silly t-shirt. Dye my hair if it’s in need. Order something off of eBay for $.17. Get a new coffee mug to replace the one that broke. Watch the laughing baby video.

Seriously. I dare you to listen to that amazing belly laugh and not at least crack a smile.

I’ve looked at websites and magazine articles about “75 simple pleasures in life” and other such bullshit. Things like “a gentle breeze” and “walking on grass barefoot.” But those kinds of things never quite work for me.

I know a lot of people relax to flash games, but I often find that if I’m in a bad mood playing popcap games, I’m still in a bad mood after playing. All it does is pass time.

Getting things done is how I feel better. And recently, I found a way to make my life easier, accomplish a lot, save money, and brighten my day a little bit.

Grocery delivery service.

Now, I know these services are thought to be for old people, shut-ins, and lazy wealthy people, but I guarantee you, we are not any of those. Well, maybe shut-in. But not the weird creepy kind.

I was looking into ways to save money. Money is a big issue around here because free-lance doesn’t pay massive amounts, and budgeting has to be tight. And one of the ways money can leak through finger tips is all of those “extras” you get at the grocery store. Things not on your list, but you see and it looks like a good idea. So I thought maybe if I could take the temptation out of getting extras, we could save money. And how do you do that?

Don’t go to the store at all.

I looked around and compared, and found Gopher Groceries. They appealed to me for several reasons. 1) Free delivery over $100, which I can easily do when trying to feed my family of 3 with a teenager growing about an inch a week. 2) Comparable pricing with our local store. 3) Gophers. Having worked at the U of M, I’ve developed an affinity for the little buggers.

I mean, come on! Look at that little guy!

So I signed up and started shopping. I got hungry while shopping and made myself a sandwich. I ate the sandwich while grocery shopping. There were a few items that ended up in my cart that were “this looks good” items, but I paused for about 15 minutes before submitting the order to make sure of what I needed, and ended up removing those items. Without the embarrassment of walking through the aisles to return them or telling the lady at the register that I didn’t need them.

I selected the time I’d be home for them, and checked out. No impulse aisle grabs. The service saved my list for me so I can compare it with future spending and see what we’re really using.

I got my groceries at 4pm yesterday. The delivery guy had me sign for them, and handed me my groceries. Along with the groceries was a welcome gift. A Gopher Grocery mug.

And now I have a replacement for that mug I broke.