I’ve been using Subscribe & Save for two years now and I love it. I started out just getting diapers and wipes with the Amazon Mom + Subscribe & Save 20% discount, but in the last year I have started getting makeup and skincare items that I use daily, and some snack items. The savings are awesome, but honestly, the convenience and never having to worry about buying some staple items is the biggest benefit for me. My mom brain is cluttered enough and freeing up some brain power is amazing!
You don’t have to be a Prime member to use Subscribe and Save, but you won’t have access to all the savings like the Amazon Mom discount unless you have Prime. If you don’t already – do it! You can get a 30-day free trial here.
I love having Prime; it just makes life so much easier and I use my Prime membership for a lot more than just free two-day shipping on millions of items. We only do streaming TV and use Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. Amazon is putting out a lot of really great original content and I LOVE the kids shows! AND you can download shows to watch on your tablet when you’re not online – a major lifesaver for traveling with kids. I also use Amazon music and especially love the free kids music they have. Daniel Tiger has gotten us through some long road trips!
The basic gist of Subscribe & Save is that you are signing up to automatically receive items every one to six months. Once a month Amazon packages all your items up and you get a big box of goodies (for us it’s a giant box that the kids proceed to play in until it’s driving me and Kyle crazy!). You can cancel an item anytime (as long as they’re not already processing it) so there are lots of items I’ve subscribed to for one month just to take advantage of the 15% discount or a clippable coupon, and then before the next month I cancel the subscription. It’s a little faster to navigate your Subscribe & Save deliveries from your desktop computer, but I usually just take care of everything from my phone when I’m laying in bed at night, trying to wind down. Amazon does send you an email a few days before they start preparing your order so that you can modify it as needed. I have gotten into a routine of checking my order mid-month since mine is set to arrive at the end of each month, so I usually have everything squared away before I get the email, but it is nice that they send it in case I’ve forgotten!
Amazon Mom is included with your Prime membership and once you’re registered you can save 20% on diaper subscriptions. With my discount I pay 13¢ per diaper on size 5 Luvs and 16¢ per diaper on size 6. I can’t even get diapers that cheap at Costco and with Subscribe & Save they are delivered right to my door! Wipes don’t get the 20% discount but if you have 5 or more items in your delivery for the month you get 15% off. I used to be really picky and only used Pampers wipes but I’ve since discovered Amazon Elements wipes and am really happy with them! If I know we still have a ton of one size of diapers or plenty of wipes packages left, I’ll just hop onto the Amazon app and move my delivery of that item to the next month.
I started getting some makeup and skincare items on my Subscribe & Save order and, other than the prices being better (at least with the 15% discount) than in the store, I know I save money by simply NOT GOING to the store! Makeup aisles suck me in, I almost always get more than I need, and it’s why I used to have such an accumulation of makeup I didn’t even use. Now I just get what I need and rarely venture down the makeup aisles. Favorites for me are this foundation, mascara, and powder. Also my facial wipes, cleanser and moisturizer — and favorite hand lotion that I use every night.
We do get most of our basic household items at Costco, but if you don’t have a Costco membership, Subscribe & Save is a great way to get TP, paper towels and cleaning products. The only household item I get is foaming hand soap because we like Dial Unscented; it’s mega cheap this way, and we go through it fast enough that I get a new bottle every two months or so.
The last thing I’ve been getting is snacks and sometimes fun drinks! I started checking this website every month for crazy good Subscribe & Save deals (they update it weekly!) and usually pick up one or two snack items using the 15% discount plus a clippable coupon.
If you’re not a Prime member, try the free trial. If you’re not registered for Amazon Mom, do it. Then give Subscribe & Save a whirl and see how automating some often used items can free up some precious brain space!
Adrian https://tmall.com/