12 home delivery apps you need to have in your life

Photo: Kent Henderson

A Chicago winter has the potential to whip up so many face-numbing days that it can push its residents to the edge of sanity.

She is a cruel mistress indeed, but fortunately there’s an app for pretty much everything these days to keep you from getting stir-crazy.

Before you buy that non-refundable one-way plane ticket to Fiji, try one of these home delivery service apps.

From massages and mechanics to a healthy dinner and late-night cookies, you can have almost anything you need delivered — without peeling away from a riveting Netflix binge.

Food & Beverage

Photo: Eat Purely

Eat Purely

What’s it for and where to get it: a healthy dinner (iPhone/Android/Web)

There are tons of food-delivery services available, including Grubbo, DoorBell, and Siesta.

In fact, there are so many services that we just made up all those names, and you didn’t even notice.

However, Eat Purely is a totally real company based in Chicago that focuses on delivering locally sourced, organic dinners within 20 minutes of your order.

We like how Eat Purely avoids using excess salt, fat, and sugars in their meals, and the fact that you don’t have to spend an hour cooking to have a delicious and balanced meal.

Cocktail Courier

What’s it for and where to get it: custom cocktails and a mobile bartender (Web)

What if you don’t want to go shopping for wine, beer and spirits?

What if you don’t even want to worry about picking out cocktail ingredients?

What if you don’t even want to get off the couch to mix your own drink?

Amazingly, you actually don’t have to do any of those things. Cocktail Courier ships spirits and accoutrements to your home.

You can even order a customized cocktail package with included bartender.  If you do this, please invite us over.

Insomnia Cookies

What’s it for and where to get it: cookie delivery (iPhone/Android/Web)

Insomnia Cookies delivers tasty cookies — until 3:00 a.m. Whether you have a late night sweet tooth or you’re a new mom in need of a nighttime feeding pick-me up, you need to have this app.

See also: brownies, ice cream, and milk—but mostly cookies. Enough said.

Foxtrot

What it’s for and where to get it: local wine, beer, spirits and snacks (iPhone/Web)

There are plenty of services out there that will deliver adult beverages directly to your doorstep, but we’re fans of Foxtrot because they carry options from local breweries and distillers.

Options from Half Acre, Three Floyds, Revolution, Goose Island, Marz, Pipeworks, CH Distillery, and Koval are all available.

Foxtrot will also deliver local groceries like Jeni’s ice cream, Publican Quality bread and Bang Bang pot pies.

Your next snow day just got way more fun.

Health & Wellness

Photo: Zeel

Zeel

What’s it for and where to get it: on-demand massages (iPhone/Android/Web)

Sitting at a desk all day can leave your back feeling tense. When you’re ready for a break, Zeel will stop by your place within the hour and massage those knots out.

Several massages are available, including Swedish, deep tissue, prenatal, sports, and couples massages. Zeel is available in Chicago, North Shore and suburban zip codes.

If Zeel is not yet available in your town, create an account and submit a request — you’ll get a $25 credit and an email when service is available in your area.

Dryv

What’s it for and where to get it: laundry (iPhone/Android/Web)

Sure, you can call that pile of clothes on your floor a “floordrobe” to make yourself feel better, but eventually you’re in for a long laundry day.

Before things escalate to that point, use Dryv to get your laundry washed at a neighborhood cleaner.

Dryv services Chicago and the North Shore, and they’ll pick up at your door. You can even pony up for same-day service in a pinch.

IVme Wellness + Performance

What’s it for and where to get it: door-to-door hydration (Web)

Did you wake up feeling like a Johnny Cash song?

If you need a pick me up after a big party night or if you’re among the many battling cold and flu season, you can order a complete IV hydration package to your home.

IVme Wellness will deliver a vitamin-boosted intravenous-fluid drip and oxygen tank directly to your residence. You can ask for options designed for jet-lag, athletic performance, migraines and sinusitis.

Orunje

What’s it for and where to get it: health care (Web)

While the majority of the industrialized world offers universal health care to its citizens, here in the USA…we’re still sorta figuring things out.

Fortunately, you can order affordable care to your home thanks to Orunje, which will send a nurse practitioner ($99) or physician ($169) to your home within two hours for a flat fee.

Lisa App

What’s it for and where to get it: beautification and haircuts (iPhone/Android)

For those who want to look polished before heading out the door, there’s the Lisa App.

Offering waxing, nail care, haircuts, massage, and makeup application, the app will send beauty artists directly to your place.

PS: tell your boss, too — Lisa has a corporate program. Can you say manicures at work?

Domestic Services

Photo: Alfred

Otobots

What’s it for and and where to get it: a mechanic (iPhone/Android/Web)

Seriously, how are you supposed to get your car to the mechanic if it’s already busted? Think, McFly!

Skip the towing fees and give Otobots a shot. They’ll send a mechanic directly to your home to assess the problem and hopefully, repair it for you.

Hello Alfred

What it’s for and where to get it: on-demand butler services

Hiring a butler that’s on the clock all day is expensive (well, not that we would know. We’re assuming it is).

However, hiring a butler for one hour at a time is much more affordable and that’s what Hello Alfred is all about.

From shipping your packages to shopping for groceries, Hello Alfred’s hospitality-trained pros will take care of time-consuming chores around the house.

Wag

What’s it for and where to get it: walking your dog (iPhone/Android/web)

Like doubling down on tanking Enron stock, getting a dog may not seem like such a good idea when you realize Fido will be home alone while you’re at work all day.

On the other hand, things get a lot easier when someone does the dog walking for you, and that someone can be a pro pet-handler that Wag sends over. Get your first walk free and follow along with live GPS tracking.

Written by Raf Miastkowski