Things to set up on Subscribe & Save that just make sense.

 

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The nice thing about Amazon’s Subscribe & Save is that it saves you time, money and effort.  I am all for an automated system for some things so I can focus my energy elsewhere.

You can cancel these items anytime you want; they give you a period of time before your next shipment goes out to cancel, change or skip an item.  A lot of times, I will set up a Subscribe & Save for something that will save me a few dollars compared to just a ‘one-time purchase’ and then I’ll cancel it the next time it is set to ship.

You get to pick the day your items get delivered.  I get my paycheck on the 15^th and the last day of every month so I have my delivery date set up as the 20^th of each month.  The Amazon charges usually hit my account around the 15^th of each month.

I link my Subscribe & Save purchases to my credit card and then pay off the credit card from my checking account. This way, if the transactions come through before my paycheck gets deposited I won’t have to worry about overdraft fees.  The credit card I have through my local credit union is set up to where if I pay the balance in full before the due date I don’t have to pay any interest.  Most credit cards are set up this way.

They also offer a deeper discount if you have several items in one order.  For some of these items, you can line up the timing to be delivered in the same timeframe to help save you even more money.

Here’s a list of items that I personally have set up on Subscribe & Save through Amazon.

1. Toilet Paper

Whatever your preferred brand may be, this is an excellent item to have auto-shipped to your front door.  I don’t really have a preference, but we’ve been using Cottonelle and it does the trick just fine.

2. Toilet bowl cleaner

We use the Clorox Toilet Wand and I’ve found this 30 pack of refills on Amazon.  I figured if I clean the toilet once per week, that means I need 52 of the refills for the year.  I have the Subscribe & Save set up for every 6 months giving me a few extra throughout the year.

I might use more than one per week, usually depends on if we are having company over.  That always seems to be my most productive cleaning time when I know guests are coming over.  Company is the greatest motivator!

3. Air filters for your home air conditioning system

This was a big learning curve for me when moving from an apartment to a house… You gotta take care of it!  If you don’t take care of it then things start to break and then you have to shell out a bunch of money to have someone fix it.  The rule of thumb is to change your air filter every 3 to 6 months.  You’ll want to check your air conditioning unit and manufacturer to see what is the suggested timeframe for replacing it.  I’ve also read if you have pets or allergies it’s suggested to change the filter more frequently.

It can also be tricky to get to as well as where the filter goes in your system.  Here’s where ours is:

We have ours set to every 6 months so when it arrives to the doorstep I know that it is time to change it, I don’t even have to have a reminder on my calendar.  This was something that an old boss of mine suggested back when I was renting, didn’t think anything of it at the time but now I thank him!

It can be difficult to find the exact size that’s needed at our local stores so having easy access online to the exact one we need saves time and hassle.

The more stores that I have to make stops at, the less likely I’d be motivated to complete the task.  Becomes one of those things that ‘I’ll get around to’ and then another 6 months goes by and I still hadn’t replaced it.

 

4. Toothbrush heads replacements

The electric toothbrush has been in my life since I was a teenager and I love it!  Especially when it’s fully charged and I put a new toothbrush head on it, feels like I just got my teeth cleaned at the dentist.

I personally use the Phillips Sonicare rechargeable toothbrush. The rule of thumb for replacement is every 3 months but be sure to check the specific brush you have to see what it recommended.

5. Toothpaste

I wasn’t sure how often to put toothpaste on auto-ship.  What I did initially when setting it up was when I opened a new tube of toothpaste, I took a black marker and wrote the date on it.  When it was all out, I looked at the date to see how long it’d been since I first opened it.  What I found was a tube that lasted about 3 months. Here’s the kind that I have set up for my kid.

Once I got that figured out, I got that baby set up on auto-ship!  In the meantime, I had gone ahead and set it up to auto-ship every 4 months but then adjusted it in my subscriptions by changing the frequency.

6. Feminine products

Depending on what you like to use, could depend on if this one would be beneficial for you or not.  If using pads or tampons this is a really nice to not have to go into the store to purchase these or send someone else to get them for you.  I would consider myself a strong confident woman but for whatever reason, I still get shy about buying them in the store.

I have had good luck with these pads:

I rarely have a leak on my underwear and it soaks up so much that I don’t have to worry about it going through and onto my pants or bed sheet at night.

7. Cleaning supplies

Laundry detergent, cleaning sprays, replacement brush heads for my scrubbers… any and all of them.  I often find that I can get the best deal on laundry detergent on Amazon just because of the larger quantity.

I use Tide Pods for our laundry detergent and the price per pod with the Subscribe & Save is typically the cheapest.  If I run across a sale at say Wal-Mart or Target and if I have a coupon it can sometimes be cheaper at the store.

When it is cheaper at the store, I’ll just delay my next auto-ship since I’ve purchased it at the store.

We use the OXO dish scrubber that has brush heads that can be replaced.  I order those on Amazon as well as Scrub Daddy sponges. 

8. Makeup

I have tried all sorts of brands of liquid foundation.  I know all of our pretty little faces are different but the L’Oréal Paris True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum Foundation with 1% Hyaluronic acid has been working for me!

I have had a hard time finding it in store and the color that I need so I did myself a favor, found it on Amazon and now it gets shipped to me once every 6 months.

 

9. Filter system supplies for your refrigerator

 

Another learning curve for me as a homeowner… there are filters in EVERYTHING.  Okay, not everything but it feels like it.  We have a refrigerator that has a water filter and an air filter.  The air filter is supposed to replace us having to put a box of baking soda in there to keep things fresh longer. The water filter is for the water dispenser and the ice dispenser.  These suckers are expensive!

Finding the exact one needed was easy once I found the sticker inside the fridge to then google the refrigerator model.  This is again one of those things that I’d have to go to a hardware store to get and I just don’t frequently go there. Again, having it shipped to me every 6 months is a solid reminder for me that it is time to change it.

I grew up in a household where the ‘change filter’ light was almost always on and it just became the normal.  I want to make sure that we have the supplies needed to get those changed so that our appliances will last the time that they say they will when we first buy it.

10. Vitamins

This is another item that is taken every day and most containers have a 30-day supply.  We know we are going to run out, why not have it delivered every month instead of putting it on the shopping list each month?

It never fails that the time that you remember that you need more is when you go to take the vitamin.  Then, you think ‘I’m going to put that on my list right now.’  You then open your phone and see alerts or messages or something else on your phone that distracts you and the whole process starts over the next day.

11. Coffee

In our household, we have a coffee maker that has the K-Cups.  I find that the price per cup is usually the cheapest on Amazon.

This is what I personally buy because of the bulk quantity but it’s also a variety of flavors.

12. Drinks

Have you ever searched for your favorite drink on Amazon?  It might be cheaper to buy on Subscribe & Save.

Having drink packets on hand is a must for our household, we like Liquid IV.  I also like having coconut water at our house as it seems to be a good source of natural electrolytes.

13. Batteries

If you have children, you know what I mean when it never fails that a toy gets opened and you need 12 AAA batteries to make it function.  Not really that many, but that’s how it feels when your kid is so excited to play with a new toy and you can’t make it work.

Setting up auto-ship for AA and AAA batteries has been a lifesaver.  I usually try to make sure I’ve had a shipment come in right before Christmas and Birthdays.

 

14. Kitchen supplies

I use the crockpot probably twice a month and discovering the crockpot liners was a game changer.  No longer having to soak the crockpot after making a cheesy dip or a roast is truly chef’s kiss. 😊

I hope you enjoyed my list of Amazon items on Subscribe & Save and hopefully, it helps give you some ideas of things you know that you have to purchase throughout the year.  The goal is to be saving time, money and effort whenever possible!

XOXO, The Girl in the Green Sweater