Smart shopping: Some sites are designed to help you compare nutritional information.  You can compare, on Peapod, which of the whole-wheat breads has the highest fiber content.  Or which of the frozen pizzas at Fresh Direct has the least sodium. 

Phone refunds: What happens when you've shopped in a store and you realize the milk is spoiled or the meat is bad?  Either you trek back to the store and return it or — if you're busy — you throw it away and eat the expense.  If you've shopped online, you just pick up the phone.  I ordered a 2-pound container of strawberries and only a 1-pound container arrived.  A five-minute phone call (I did have to hold for several minutes) got me an instant credit for half the purchase price.

MINUSES
Delivery charges: Most of the grocers have a minimum for delivery — $40 or $50 — and delivery fees range from $5 to $15.50.  And then there's the matter of a tip. Some companies discourage tipping or don't allow their drivers to accept.  Peapod, which I use, isn't one of them. And I'd feel bad NOT tipping after someone lugged all those groceries into my kitchen.  So I generally give the driver $5.

Only on TODAY.MSNBc.com! Financial editor Jean Chatzky answers your questions about personal finance. LAST WEEK: Attention shoppers: Better service on aisle five GO TO ALL MONEY MONDAY COLUMNS

Waiting at home.  Unless you’re lucky enough to have household help, you have to be there to accept the delivery. However, the wait for the online grocer is nowhere close to the wait for the cable guy (you can usually count on having to leave a one- or two-hour window).  And some sites will actually pay you ($1 off) to choose their less busy delivery times.

Substitutions/cancellations:  If you order one kind of ice cream or cereal or whole-wheat bread and the store is out, they may substitute another brand (or nothing at all).  I ordered Dole lettuce, but the store was out and I got the store brand instead. It definitely was lower quality.  (I needed to make a salad, though, so I didn't gripe.  And it was slightly cheaper.)

Jean Chatzky is the financial editor for “Today,” editor-at-large at Money magazine and the author of “Talking Money: Everything You Need to Know About Your Finances and Your Future.” Her latest book, "Pay It Down: From Debt to Wealth on $10 a Day," is now in bookstores. Copyright ©2005. For more information, go to her Web site, www.JeanChatzky.com.

MORE FROM WORKING MOM GUIDE

Working Mom Guide Section Front

Discover the secrets of successful 'Stay-At-Work Moms' To work or not? A dilemma for many moms Moms may know best after all The Mommy Mystique: An illusion of control A mom at 40? How much is age a health issue? Tips for organizing your snail mail Attention! Online grocery-shopping is back One-dish dinners make mealtime easy Make your next meal for under a buck Delicious dinners to make in a jiffy Working Mom Guide Section Front   Add Working Mom Guide headlines to your news reader: