Automated Shopping Basics: Shop Like a Millennial

How often do you need to make a quick run to the store because you ran out of paper towels?

…or God forbid, you run out of toilet paper and have to improvise in the moment, ha!

I recently had to scramble at the last minute when I noticed my dogs had no food to eat one Saturday morning. I was about to make breakfast for myself when my dog gave me that ‘are-you-kidding-me?!’ look. My dog obviously wanted me to have an automated shopping strategy.

It was a pain, having to stop what I was doing and drive to the store for one simple item. It had to be done though…I couldn’t eat my breakfast with that look on my dog’s face.

After experiencing this with multiple items we ran out of, I decided that I wouldn’t let this happen to me (especially my pups) again.

I decided to do some automated shopping and deliveries for these items and everything else that recurs on a regular basis.

Many stores will let you set up recurring deliveries, but my absolute favorite is Amazon.

If you have amazon prime, you will be able to receive 3 awesome benefits:

1) Automated ordering
2) Free Shipping
3) Discounted pricing

There is an annual fee for an Amazon Prime subscription, but the convenience is well worth the price.

Wait! For a tip on mitigating the Prime costs, click here.

Here is a list of some items that I frequently order and continue to automate each month:

–Coffee –Bottled Water
–Paper Towels –Toilet Paper
–Dog Food –Air Fresheners
–Toothpaste –Deodorant
–Soap –Healthy Snacks
–Air Filters –Laundry Detergent

Do you see anything on this list that you frequently buy at the store?

Think about how much time is spent on driving to the store, waiting in line and fighting through traffic on the way home.

You can easily save some money as well. Currently, Amazon gives a 15% discount off any items that are set up for automated shopping (aka ‘Subscribe and Save’ shopping cart option). Keep in mind, there is an item minimum for specific discounts. Not only will the savings add up, but you will also save money by burning zero gallons of gasoline.

But how do I know how much I need each month? This is something that I am working on myself.

Currently, I am ordering too much dog food, so I decided to skip this month and my regular orders will pick back up next month.

Amazon also gives the option to order monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. This allows me to plan how often I receive items I don’t need every month, but will need sometime soon.

If you have an Amazon Prime account, follow the directions below to get set up your automated shopping. If you are looking to set up a new account, click here.