We’ve partnered with Shipt for 50% membership with code PARTY49, redeemable at shipt.com/offer
There’s something really comforting about having a dinner party with your friends.
Every week, a few of my friends come over to my apartment and we spend the night catching up, debriefing the chaos of the week, talking about work, relationships, pop culture drama, and honestly just mentally preparing ourselves for whatever the next seven days are about to throw at us. It’s become one of my favorite routines.
This week, I decided I was making spicy vodka pasta. A classic.
I had the whole night planned out in my head already: spicy vodka pasta, a simple appetizer situation, wine, music playing in the background, everyone sitting around my kitchen island talking over each other. The kind of night that feels very adult until something immediately goes wrong.
And something did immediately go wrong.
I dropped a wine glass in the sink while washing them and somehow managed to break two glasses at once (don’t ask how). All of a sudden I was in my kitchen sweeping up glass fragments and discovered I was also entirely out of tomato paste, shallots, and pasta. Unfortunately, these are really key ingredients in spicy vodka pasta.
Normally this is the point where I’d spiral a little.
So instead, I opened up Shipt and put in a same-day delivery order for all the things I needed—tomato paste, pasta, shallots, and replacement wine glasses, because there was no way I was serving wine in mismatched mugs.
If you’re not familiar, Shipt is a lifesaver for last-minute grocery emergencies like this and so much more. I can order from lots of different stores – grocers, pet stores, home improvement places, and more – and get delivery the same day I order.
What I appreciated most was how attentive my Shopper with Shipt was throughout the entire process. I got updates when he arrived at the store, while he was shopping, and when he was on the way with my order. When one of my desired brands was out of stock, he quickly suggested and secured an equally good substitution that really showed me how much he cared about my order being perfect. There’s something genuinely reassuring about knowing someone is paying attention to the details, especially when you’re trying to pull together dinner plans last-minute.
And to be honest, the biggest thing using Shipt gave me wasn’t just the groceries themselves, it was time.
Instead of rushing out of my apartment stressed and trying to juggle errands before people arrived, I could actually focus on cleaning up, setting the table, finishing prep, and getting ready for my friends to come over. Everything showed up seamlessly, including the wine glasses that thankfully survived the second round.
And once I realized how easy the entire experience was, I immediately started thinking about all the other moments in my week where it would save me.
The next morning, while cleaning up leftover pasta dishes and half-empty wine glasses from the night before, I realized I had absolutely nothing in my apartment for breakfast or lunch for the upcoming week. No coffee creamer, no eggs, no fruit, nothing. The kind of situation where you suddenly understand how you’ve been surviving entirely on food scraps and ramen for three days.
So while I was still sitting on my couch recovering from hosting, I scheduled another Shipt order for same-day delivery with groceries, cold brew, snacks, and ingredients for easy dinners during the week.
I think that’s the biggest appeal of Shipt for me. It’s not necessarily about avoiding errands altogether. It’s about getting time back for the things you actually want to be doing instead.
By the time everyone arrived the night before, the pasta was on the stove, the wine was poured, and the night went exactly how I hoped it would.
Which is sort of a perfect hosting situation: your friends never knowing how close the night came to breaking apart a few hours before.
We’ve partnered with Shipt for 50% membership with code PARTY49, redeemable at shipt.com/offer
Offer valid 6/1/26 through 7/31/26 and expires at 11:59 p.m. HT. Annual membership will renew at the standard membership rate at the end of first year. Cancellation available free of charge anytime. Offer will automatically apply at shipt.com/offer. Offer is subject to Shipt Promotion Terms and Conditions. Deliveries under $35 with a membership will incur a $7 fee. All orders with alcohol (where available) may incur a $7 alcohol fee. Service fees may apply and will vary by retailer and location. See Terms of Service.
