Whenever I hear “Go Ask Alice” – my mind immediately reverts back to the controversial book Go Ask Alice that many of us read in our formative years.

Well, now I’d like to introduce you to another Alice – one that one of our Wise Women readers introduced me to.  This Alice just may make your life a little bit easier. Alice.com is a midwest based grocery distribution center where you can order all your shelf stable grocery items and have them delivered to your door for free.

I have used peapod.com a handful of times (for those of you who are not familiar with peapod.com – it is an online grocery store which delivers everything from the store to your door (including fresh, refrigerated and frozen items).  Every time I order from peadpod, I love it and claim that I’m going to make it a regular habit.  The problem with it is that you need to set up a specific day and time for delivery, and many times when I’m out of fresh produce or milk, it’s an immediate need that requires a trip to the store.  Other friends claim that they don’t use peapod as they prefer picking out their own fresh produce.

Well Alice solves one of those problems at least.  You don’t need to be home for delivery and can specify where you want your package left.  My friend who uses this service has done her homework.  She believes that some items from Alice.com are more expensive (but just cents) than her local grocery, others are less expensive.  Alice.com also provides all manufacturer’s coupons onsite that can be applied to your purchases.  If they don’t carry a brand that you’re interested in, let them know.  There is a good likelihood that they will make it available.  She also likes it because she orders her big bags of dog food through this service as well.  It’s nice to have the bulky items in particular delivered to your door.  And it goes without saying that those of you with young kids would take advantage of  any opportunity to do grocery shopping solo.

So I’m kind of liking this idea.  Order all your shelf stable products through this service, and make a trip to the Farmer’s Market or grocery for fresh items once a week.  It will enable you to do a quick perimeter run.

Let me know if you check it out and what you think!