We started in October with Amazon subscribe and save and since then I've also joined Amazon Mom, it's free if you are already a prime member. I don't know how much it would help if you weren't a Mom, but for me it's quite helpful. There are extra coupons and savings on diapers and such. I admit that I don't check the coupons as often as I should but I have used a few of them.
In the few months we've been subscribing we have saved quite a bit of money. Our savings have averaged about $150 per month, depending on what we purchased each month and whether I usually purchased those items at Cost-Co or Target. Also, I haven't been driving to the store as much. That also doesn't count the "Mom, can I please?" stuff I didn't buy because I didn't go to the store with my children.
We do still buy a few things at Cost-Co, and I need to figure out if that justifies our membership, but I will likely wait until August when our current membership expires. I however have not gone to Cost-Co because we just buy milk, eggs, butter, and vinegar so I don't feel bad asking my husband or Mom to pick those up for me when they drive by Cost-Co anyway. Other "intangible" benefits to the new shopping method are things I hadn't thought about before.
1. We are learning to wait. I think this is good for all of us. When we run out of something on subscribe and it will arrive in a few days I wait for it. When we used to run out of something that we ate or used often I would make sure we went to the store for it the next day, now we live without it for a bit. It turns out that we can live without quite a few things for a few days. Also, we end up eating up the stuff we have but isn't our favorite. It's been good for the whole family.
2. I am learning to watch what we really use and not just wait until we run out of stuff. I'm actually aware of how often my children eat cereal, and when we are out of cereal they have to eat something else. This leads to them learning that they actually like other foods.
3. I still go to the grocery store for perishables but now it's more fun because we don't shop as much and so I actually don't mind.
4. I have more time to do the stuff I want to do or need to do at home. My house and car are staying cleaner.
5. We don't eat fast food as much. One reason is because I'm not trying to go to three stores on a busy day and feeding the children drive-thru as a bribe to keep them from killing each other. The other reason is because I actually have more time to make plans for dinner. The third reason is because the macaroni and cheese that is healthy (ish) and the children like is cheaper on Amazon.
6. My husband thinks I'm awesome. I can actually shop for his stuff while I'm next to his sink so consequently I haven't bought the wrong brand of anything! I got his toothpaste right, and the dental floss he likes. I haven't wasted money buying stuff that's the wrong brand. He noticed and that earned me a couple nights of dishes done by him without me asking.
7. I found a few brands that I like that I never tried before. Amazon has reviews for every product, so instead of buying the store brand or the brand I know just because I don't want to waste money now I can read the reviews and decide. If a certain brand is cheaper but I've never tried it I can find out what 1603 other people think before I purchase it. I really like that, and I found an olive oil that's cheaper and actually quite yummy.
8. We have boxes. My children, especially my youngest really like boxes. Also, I used two to take stuff to the thrift store so now I have less stuff in my house!
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