Teach me how to shop for toiletries/household items using Amazon Prime

[Michelle My Bell]

I keep hearing about people who buy all their household items on Amazon using some sort of subscriber service and how they save so much money but every time I look at Amazon, I am not seeing what they are talking about. This could be really helpful when I go back to college in the fall as I am uber busy then so I'd like to understand it and see if it has any application for me. So any help understanding it, tips for using it and how to get started would be great!

[Kathryn]

I dot understand it either. How do you know how often you need things? We don't ever seem to consume at regular intervals.

[VaKim]

I never bother, because like the pp, we don't use things at a regular "rate." But if you look over where you add to cart, on many items you will see "subscribe and save." That is what they use. Here is one item.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009EQ3MBK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

[melbotoast]

Start here: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=rcxsubs_cont_top?ie=UTF8&node=5856181011

[melbotoast]

You have to have 5 subscriptions in a month to get 15% off, otherwise it is 5% off. If you are a Prime member, you can sign up for Amazon Mom, which gives you 20% off if you have at least 5 subscriptions. Under My Account, there is a link for My Subscribe and Save Items so you can fiddle with scheduling and what not. There have been a couple good threads on here about what items people order.

[Wilma]

Also, y'all, don't worry too much about the rate of usage.  You can skip a shipment and stay subscribed or adjust the dates or whatever you want.  They're not going to just ship stuff to you willy-nilly.

[Lady Florida.]

Start here: http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=rcxsubs_cont_top?ie=UTF8&node=5856181011

 

I love Amazon and periodically wonder if I should do subscribe and save, but I really don't see any great deals. I took a quick look at some of the items from that link, and we can get better prices at BJ's or Sams.

[Laurel]

 

Also, y'all, don't worry too much about the rate of usage. You can skip a shipment and stay subscribed or adjust the dates or whatever you want. They're not going to just ship stuff to you willy-nilly.

 

Yes, this. When you first sign up for a subscribe and save item, you can choose how frequently - and it will tell you what is the most common. But it is super easy to change frequency, skip a shipment, change the month etc.

 

The savings really start when you have 5 subscriptions in a month, then you save 20%. I've found things like $2 bottle of hand soap that qualify and if I only have 4 things one month, I can add that to get the full savings. (One item we get every month is cat food, at $30 a bag, so the 20% is considerable at that point...)

[bibliophile]

In the past I saved a lot of money through amazon subscribe and save and regular prime purchases. Over time they have reduced the percentage savings, my subscription items are frequently out of stock, prices drastically increased from one month to the next, things are shipped slowly through the post office (oftentimes arrive melted during the warmer months), and have added crazy limited programs like "add on items" and the new "prime pantry." Too much hassle.

 

All that to say, now I do my household goods shopping on walmart.com. I just place a big order every other month and it ships free over $45. I can buy all my toiletries, cleaning supplies, and even some food items. Many times, packages start arriving the next day.

[Um_2_4]

Here are items I found cheaper if that will help you get started: (now keep in mind I do not have a sam's club or costco, but I find these cheaper than Walmart, target, etc. Plus I hate lugging home big things of tp,pt etc.)

 

Always have at least 5 items to max the % discount, always check your account a few days before expected ship date so you can adjust shipments as needed (like mine all ship on the 1st, so I check on the 25th-26th of each month).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Quilted-Northern-Tissue-Double-Packaging/dp/B007UZNS5W/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1401573287&sr=1-1

 

http://www.amazon.com/Sparkle-Paper-Towels-Giant-Pick-A-Size/dp/B00BGN8PLG/ref=pd_sim_hpc_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1YAF5J5TQ8VK91RXCBWG

 

http://www.amazon.com/Lysol-Disinfecting-Wipes-Value-Blossom/dp/B004S0DZ8W/ref=pd_sim_hpc_8?ie=UTF8&refRID=1W1SCRCSYBRVCYQZBGEZ

 

http://www.amazon.com/Tide-Laundry-Detergent-Spring-Meadow/dp/B004YHKVCM/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1401573542&sr=1-1

 

Also I get bounce dryer sheets, wipes, pull ups ( :glare: Yes DS4 still needs them on occasion :toetap05: ), Atkins bars (if DH is going to be on the road). And, I just found 5lb bags of Haribo candy from Turkey :hurray: .

 

There are tons of add on items to get to 5. Like granola bars, paper plates.

We also  get a lot of vitamins from there (zinc, C, etc.).

[Michelle My Bell]

OK, so if I subscribe today, will it charge me today or when it ships? 

[Jackie]

You are charged when the item ships.

 

There is an Amazon app that lets you scan the barcode on items to search the amazon store for an exact match. For items I think about switching to S&S, I scan the barcode on the item I'm almost out of at home and check the price. Or I scan it while I'm standing in Target to compare prices. Assuming it is reasonable, I sign up for S&S and guesstimate the subscription interval (do I buy this item monthly or every three months?).

 

I get an email from Amazon when a S&S order will ship soon so I can go in and adjust it as needed. I can either skip a shipment or change the interval depending on what seems like it will work best.

 

The biggest downside to me is that many S&S items are full cases of something. I don't have a lot of storage space, so there are some things I don't buy S&S because I don't want to store six months worth of it.