Senior Staff Writer Brigid Cromwell offers her helpful tips for spending your Grubhub gift card wisely.

Upon moving into the dorms a few weeks ago, Barnard supplied students with $180 worth of Grubhub money to cover the cost of meals during the quarantine period. I found that endearing. I spent the first night eating delicious yet insanely overpriced sushi and washed it down with an $8 pint of Ben & Jerry’s. I was blissfully ignorant. Little did I know, I could be spending my money on far more logical and enticing purchases. For those of you who still have Grubhub money left and are looking for ways to spend it, I have some suggestions.

My Top Choice: Village Farm & Grocery 146 2nd Ave

Okay. I originally found Village Farm & Grocery while frantically searching for tampons one night. Much to my surprise, I’d actually stumbled upon a hidden Grubhub gem. I’ll break down what this store has to offer by categories.

Apartment Furnishings and Vibe Checks:

  • Flowers of all varieties
    • They sell bunches and bouquets of fresh-cut flowers ranging from $4.99 to $79.99. I might fuck around and spend nearly half of my Grubhub money on two dozen long stem roses in a vase. If you’re on more of a budget, you can opt for the $4.99 Birds of Paradise, the $5.99 bunch of carnations, or even the $16.99 snake plant. Flowers undoubtedly add comfort and brightness to any dorm room.
  • Umbrellas
    • The possibilities are endless with this one, but I’m mostly including it because I still can’t believe you can Grubhub order an umbrella.
  • Playing cards
    • You’re bored in quarantine, and understandably so. Why not pass the time with some playing cards? Village Farm & Grocery sells “Bee playing cards” for $4.49. Festive, fun, and practical—what more could you ask for?
  • Candles and incense
    • You can buy Glade Scented Candles for $5.49 and Satya Incense Sticks for $2.39. Nothing adds to the comfort of a room like a good scent, and I will stand by that.
  • “Fun Stuff”
    • There is literally a section with this title that houses items such as poker chips, bouncy balls, dice, birthday balloons, and an ominous $39.99 item named “JL.” If anyone knows what that is, leave a comment below.

Health and Hygiene Products:

Village Farm & Grocery also has a wide assortment of toiletries, feminine hygiene products, cleaning supplies, pharmacy essentials, and other miscellaneous items. I won’t list everything here, because there are quite literally over 30 varieties of almost everything you could imagine, but I highly recommend this store for everything from tampons to Tylenol to Biotin supplements. The vitamin selection is truly impressive.

Best Pharmacy: Beyond Pharmacy 71 2nd Ave

Apart from their Juul starter kit and a wide selection of Puff Bars, this pharmacy actually has some pretty useful stuff in terms of COVID preparation and protection.

Masks and other sanitary products:

  • The pharmacy sells disposable medical masks, face shields, and N95 NIOSH certified masks. Remember to double up with blue medical masks and cloth masks if you don’t have a more protective mask!
  • They also carry the essentials like hand sanitizer, antibacterial hand soap, first-aid kits, sinus relief medications, and all-purpose cleaners.

I hope this list helped guide your future Grubhub purchases. There’s nothing an umbrella, poker chips, laxatives, and a vase of roses can’t fix.

Photo via Bwog Staff