Being a mother is having the preparedness of a well adorned Boy Scout. While I love a good trip down the isles of Target, I have two words for you that will be a game changer in how you set your household up for success: Subscription Services.
Lack of time. Lack of money. Lack of sanity. These are things managing a household of four that I often feel. Time being the biggest need as a working mom. Add in all of my now 7 year old’s activities and there are just not enough hours in the day. But hey, we all have the same number of hours in a day as Beyonce right?! So this is where you need to learn to use subscription services like a BOSS.
Each week/month, I have things shipped to my house on AUTOMATE. I don’t think about it AND because I’m using the service there is free shipping and a discount. You see the retailer gets a reoccurring transaction and you get efficient delivery and discounts. Win-win.
These services have been a game changer from baby #1 to baby #2. I remember frantically running to target after discovering with Bailey that I was almost out of diapers. Nope, I’ve got this on automate now.
Here are several of my favorite subscription services and how I use them in our household.
Target Subscription
Target Subscriptions have saved my life on multiple occasions. You save 5% and get free shipping. On my subscription list is diapers, wipes, laundry detergent, hand soap and coffee k-cups. You can have shipped anywhere from 4-26 weeks, modify or cancel anytime. A reminder is sent to your email a few days before it ships that way if you don’t need it, you can cancel. Having these items on automate has saved me a ton of time and a little cash.
Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime in your household is essential in 2019. Joey is the one who started a prime kick. I think we have an Amazon package at our door on a daily basis. Lord only knows what’s coming today. We literally order anything and everything from Amazon Prime.
Some of the benefits we use (there are literally a hundred) are Prime offers free 2 day, 1 day and same day delivery options. Prime Video and Prime Music are also two benefits that my family enjoys since we don’t have cable (I cut the cord over 10 years ago and am never going back). It also gives you access to Prime Family which offers 20% off diapers and 15% off registry items. Again it’s all about ease.
Grocery Services
I’ve tried everything from Amazon Fresh to Hello Fresh to local grocery deliveries. Here is the deal. The cooking subscriptions such as Hello Fresh and Blue Apron help you with meal planning if you want something on the fly or you’re still learning to cook. If you know how to cook, then meal planning and grocery shopping yourself is the more cost effective and better way to go.
I do a big grocery shop every two weeks and spend about $150-200, but in between I still need fresh fruits and veggies. So I tried two fresh produce deliveries and really liked both. Mistfits Market (local to the East Coast) and Imperfect Produce were both equally efficent and fresh. Misfits has a focus on local agriculture and what you get in your box is what’s in season. It’s like a surprise and will challenge you in your cooking. Imperfect will also ship you items like grains and oils and you can customize your box to your preferences. Both were great and very cost effective as they are saving the US from food waste. I recommend both.
Using a local grocery delivery is a great way to go but I couldn’t get past the fees. $20 for a delivery is $20 I could spent on groceries. Many offer promos but on a routine basis those promos are to get you in the door. Until Trader Joe’s comes out with their delivery service (which honestly I’d probably pay a million dollars for it because I’m obsessed with TJ’s), I’m sticking to doing my own shopping.
I would love to hear what’s worked for you and even what hasn’t! Please contribute in the comments below to the conversation on being time efficient and saving dollars while doing it.
How in the world do you only spend $150-200 every other week?