HOW DOES INSTACART WORK?
To use Instacart, you first need to download the app and create an account. Once you've done that, you can start shopping. You can either search for specific items that you need, or browse through the different categories of items that the store offers. Once you've found what you're looking for, you can add the items to your cart and checkout. At this point, you'll need to enter your delivery address and choose a time window for your delivery. Instacart offers some deliveries as soon as an hour, though there's usually a small upcharge (when I tested it out it was $2) for the service. General delivery is within 2 hours, and if you're flexible and can do a 3 hour window you can even save a few dollars off your bill. The cool thing about these apps is the ability to chat with your shopper while they're shopping. You'll get a text from the shopper when they begin, and they'll send updates along the way if anything is out of stock. You can also text them if you forgot to add something to the list and they can try to grab it for you. Once the shopper is done, they'll load up your car and head to your house. You don't need to be home for the delivery and they'll leave them in a safe place outside for you.

HOW MUCH DOES INSTACART COST?
The cost of Instacart depends on a few factors. The first is the price of the items you're buying. Instacart doesn't mark up the prices of the items at most stores, so you'll find the same pricing as you'd find in store. The only exception is Costco where prices are slightly marked up unless you have a Costco membership (which you can enter into the app) and get the regular club pricing. There is, however, a service fee on orders and different stores will have different minimums for free delivery. The service fees are usually about $4, and delivery can range from $2-4. If you do rushed delivery - like delivery withing an hour - this can also add on an extra fee. One thing to note is that delivery fees are per store, not per order. So if you're planning to order from multiple stores you'll need to keep in mind each store's minimums and delivery fees.

IS INSTACART WORTH IT?
I think Instacart is only worth it if you really value the convenience of having your groceries delivered to you or if there's a particular store that you like to shop at that's not available on other grocery delivery services. If price is your main concern, then I would recommend checking out some of the other grocery delivery services as they tend to be a little cheaper and have less fees. Another popular competitor to Instacart is Shipt. Shipt is owned by Target, and is actually completely integrated into the Target app (this is how I usually shop them). However, Shipt also does delivery to more stores, like Instacart. I've found that Shipt has less fees than Instacart does and only charges for delivery, unlike Instacart's service fees. Shipt does offer an annual membership for $99 a year that gives you free delivery on any order over $35.