I know that my newest obsession with Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program may sound like THE dorkiest thing (I’m not saying it’s not…!), but we are saving a heck of a ton of money, and that has me doing a little happy dance!
I have never been a big coupon user because I found that I would buy things simply because I had a “great” coupon, even though it wasn’t something I originally needed. I ended up spending more money at the grocery store than intended, so for the past few years I’ve just used coupons only when I’ve come across a good one for something I intended to buy anyway.
We’ve been using Amazon Prime for years but just started using the Subscribe and Save program a couple of months ago since we don’t have any bulk stores nearby (i.e. Costco, Sam’s Club, etc.). A few months ago I wrote about how we use Mint to budget, and I’ve been tracking to see if using this program and buying in bulk would cost us more money monthly. Sure enough, it’s thankfully saving us money on our monthly grocery budget.
How it works
When I think of something I buy repeatedly at the store, I hop on to Amazon and search for it. I then select the “Subscribe and Save” box on the left-hand side of the page if there’s a Subscribe and Save option. I’ll show you using peanut butter as an example.
From there I select what I want,
the frequency that I’d like the delivery,
and finally my payment method.
Since I have more than five items being delivered per month, I qualify to receive 15% off of almost everything. If you have less than five items monthly, your savings will be 5%.
The pros
We are saving a bunch of money on things that we would be buying anyway. They’re also being delivered right to our door! Finally, you can cancel your subscription after just one month with no penalty. You can also easily move up a delivery or skip a month’s delivery. The dashboard is so user-friendly.
The cons
In February all 26 of my items arrived in just three big boxes, which was great. In January though my items arrived in seven boxes, so breaking those down and getting rid of them was an extra hassle. Also, you have to make sure you have somewhere easily accessible to store everything. If you have some storage space, this isn’t a con. 🙂
What we’re getting in March
Here’s a look at some of the items we’re getting compared to what we would pay at our local Hy-vee grocery store. The top pictures are from Amazon and the bottom pictures are from Hy-vee.
Six Gillette Venus Spa razor refills
Amazon: $2.90/razor
Hy-vee: $5/razor
Amazon: $.42/cup
Hy-vee: $.50/cup
Jamie’s St. Ives face wash for $3.09 vs.$3.99 
Clif Kid ZBar Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bar
Amazon: $.71/bar
Hy-vee: $1.00/bar
Bounce Free & Gentle Dryer Sheets
Amazon: $0.03/sheet
Hy-vee: $.05/sheet
Beyond Superfood Blend Dog Food
Amazon: $1.45/lb
Hy-vee: $2.29/lb
Amazon: $0.40/cup
Hy-vee: $0.46/cup
Pampers Baby Dry Size 4 Diapers
Amazon: $0.24/diaper
Hy-vee: $0.27/diaper 
Amazon: $2.11/tube
Hy-vee: $3.49/tube
Amazon: $1.51/pouch
Hy-vee:$1.69/pouch
Amazon: $0.02/wipe
Hy-vee: $0.03/wipe
Amazon: $0.30/pull-up
Hy-vee: $0.34/pull-up
Amazon: $2.93/bottle
Hy-vee: $3.99/bottle
Amazon: $0.05/wipe
Hy-vee: $0.08/wipe
Total upcoming savings in March: $68.47
More: How We Transitioned to Living on One Income
Let’s chat!
How do you save money on groceries?
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to two little girls (ages 5 and 2) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo
