Is Amazon Subscribe & Save Right For You?

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Three separate times I have gone to Amazon with the intention of signing up to receive items via the company’s “Subscribe & Save” program. The first two times I walked away without subscribing to anything, but the third time I was really committed to seeing if the program made sense for me.

Today I’m going to share with you why you would NOT want to use Amazon Subscribe & Save, and some reasons why it might be the right choice for you.

Is Amazon Subscribe & Save Right For You?

Here is my overall opinion on whether or not you should use Amazon Subscribe & Save:

If you buy only generic or house brand items and are used to getting your products off the shelf for the lowest price, then you will probably not want to use Amazon Subscribe & Save.

If you mostly buy name brand products, or even have just a few brands you are loyal to, then you may find that Amazon Subscribe & Save saves you money, time, and hassle.

Also, if you budget strictly week by week, you may not have the flexibility to use Subscribe & Save. But if you can plan for some bulk spending once per month, then the program may be perfect for you.

Now here’s my reasoning:

Amazon Subscribe & Save is not available for every item they sell. They have a Subscribe & Save store that is filled with specific items that you can subscribe to. In some cases, only certain styles, sizes, or quantities are available for the program.

So, if you usually go to a discount store and buy the house brand for rock bottom prices, you won’t find those products (or those prices, for the most part) on Amazon.

But if you are loyal to some name brand products, then you may find that you can get those at a significant discount on Amazon.

So on my third try, I did find some items that made sense for me to subscribe to:

First of all, I am 100% loyal to Huggies baby wipes. I have found them to be the best quality for the lowest price, and I only buy Huggies brand baby wipes. So I know how much they cost. By subscribing to them on Amazon, I’m saving significantly.

I usually buy one bag of wipes (184 wipes) for about $6. On Amazon I can subscribe to a case of 3 of those bags, for about $12. That’s an entire bag free! Those were a good choice for me.

I’m also brand-loyal to Scott toilet tissue. I’ve tried cheaper brands, but I feel like Scott lasts the longest, and I’m willing to pay a little extra because I believe it’s worth the extra cost. I would have liked to have bought at a smaller quantity, but 27 rolls it was!

Diaper Genie refills were another item that I was able to save on by subscribing. And I was tired of running out of snacks, so Goldfish and Mott’s Applesauce went in the cart too!

So my opinion is mixed. To be honest, I didn’t find much beyond these items that made sense for me to subscribe to, but I’m definitely going to do a little more digging to see if I can find any more bargains.

A couple other points… First, you can choose your frequency of receiving your order: monthly, every 2 months, every 3 months, etc, up to every 6 months. So most items have to be ordered in bulk, but you can choose how often they ship.

Second, if you have five or more subscription items coming in one shipment, you get a 15% discount on all the items. This can really make the difference between whether or not an item is worth subscribing to.

Third, don’t forget the benefit of these items showing up directly on your doorstep when you need them. For some people, that may be worth spending a little more than they would have paid at the store.

I love the convenience of Amazon Subscribe & Save. It does take a little extra work to find the items that are worth subscribing to, and then to adjust your budget for the bulk payment to Amazon, but if you’re committed, I’m sure you can make it work for you!

It’s Day 23 of the “Baby Steps to a Better You” 30 days of personal challenges, and today we’re talking about shopping. Yay, my favorite thing!

Actually we’re talking about the boring part of shopping- budgeting! So if you are a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of person and don’t currently have a budget, then that is your challenge for today! Put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and make a plan for where your money comes from and where it gets spent.

If you already keep a budget, then today I will challenge you to be an informed shopper. I have been known to periodically take a pad of paper and a pen to my grocery store and write down the prices and quantities of all of our regular purchases. Only when you know how much you usually pay for something, are you able to tell if a different offer is a deal!

So if you’re considering a program like Amazon’s Subscribe & Save, or a membership to a bulk club store, then you really need to start by knowing how much you currently pay for items. Be informed so that you can spot deals and save money!

If you have any tips that you are bursting to share about Amazon Subscribe & Save, or about saving money in general, please leave a comment!