By Nicole Levison

With all of the advances in today’s society, one hardly needs to leave the house anymore. The last few holiday seasons, I saved myself hours of shopping time, I didn’t have to tolerate long lines, restrictive store hours, or lack of parking, and I was able to track down exactly what I wanted to purchase for each of my friends and family. I used the Internet.

And it’s not just holiday presents that can be found online. Groceries, prescriptions, movies, clothes—even toilet paper can be found online.

Costly? Not really. Loads of companies offer free shipping plus discounts beyond what you can find in a brick and mortar store making it cheaper to order via the World Wide Web!

Time + Money = Good Idea

Think about this: for a nominal fee, and often NO FEE, you can save yourself time and hassle. Here are just a few possible goods you might consider getting delivered:

• Prescriptions, beauty, and health care products. Remember to always buy from a safe and trusted online store such as www.Walgreens.com, www.Walmart.com, www.Target.com, www.Riteaid.com, or www.Drugstore.com.
  
• Meals or groceries. In addition to your local grocer or favorite restaurant, there are companies such as Meals on Wheels, www.DineWise.com, www.FamilyChef.com, www.HomeBistro.com, www.Peapod.com, www.WeGoShop.com, www.PlanetOrganics.com, www.Schwans.com, and www.NetGrocer.com that deliver to many locations throughout the United States. In addition, there are many ethnic, specialty, and gourmet food delivery services available—just search on the type of food you’re craving, plus your location, and voila!
  
• Movie rentals. www.Netflix.com and www.Blockbuster.com are just two of many trusted companies.
  
• Books, music, movies, software, toys, office supplies, etc. www.Amazon.com, which counts amongst its many partners such brick and mortar stores as Office Depot, Target, and Toys-R-Us, is a one-stop shop for many, many products. Barnes and Noble has a Website, and Borders is also online.
  
• Gifts, flowers, chocolates, and specialty items. That’s right; you can send your beloved an extraordinary gift with a simple phone call or by visiting Websites (I have personally shopped at these) like www.RedEnvelope.com, www.SharperImage.com, www.LillianVernon.com, www.GiftBasket.com, www.caylxandcorolla.com, and www.1800flowers.com.
  
• Fashion. No matter what your taste, you can get just about any sort of clothing delivered to your home. From intimate apparel to coats and shoes, well-known companies like www.Nordstroms.com, www.Macys.com, www.TJMaxx.com, www.Target.com, www.Gap.com, and www.Sears.com all offer online shopping. Not to mention all the designers and specialty clothiers out there!
  
• Online “garage sales”. You like good deals? Me too! Why leave the house when there are reputable sites like www.OverStock.com and www.eBay.com to assist you in finding the vintage, the recycled, the irregulars, the perfect treasures?
  
• Just about anything else… Besides local businesses that will usually deliver for small fee, there are gargantuan companies like www.Target.com and www.Walmart.com that offer competitive prices and just about any product your heart, body, and lifestyle desires.

The point to this list: you can order just about anything—auto parts to zebra posters—online or via the phone. Most of the time you can search online for discount codes and coupons, or find free shipping offers on the Website of your choice.

What If It Does Cost $$$?

Sometimes paying a local market a minimal fee to deliver groceries to your mother means that you two get to spend more quality time playing Scrabble, reminiscing, or watching a movie together.

Buying online and getting home delivery means you don’t have to get your loved one into the car (no small feat in many caregiving situations), battle the crowds at the grocery store, handle potential unforeseen circumstances (such as an emotional outburst, or your loved one having a bout of incontinence), and wait in long lines at the store.

Online and catalog shopping could just be what the doctor—or the caregiver—ordered! Life is short—don’t hesitate to indulge in conveniences that really do improve the quality of yours.