8 Subscription Services That Will Save You Serious Time AND Money

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If there’s one thing that absolutely drives me nuts, it’s finding out after-the-fact that I wasted money. If you’re the same, then brace yourself for the rest of this article — you may not like what you read. (Sorry!)

I’m definitely known to be a last-minute, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants sort of person. I usually wait until just a few days before to buy birthday gifts, I constantly go to bed late after trying to finish “just one more thing,” and, worst of all, I tend to hit the stores with a list in my pocket that I don’t usually stick to very well.

Try as I might to be a smart shopper like my parents and grandparents taught me, in this day in age there’s just too much on all our plates to really have the time to make that happen.

Let’s just say it’s a great combination for disaster and budgeting flubs.

But FINALLY, after a few years of seeing things spiral out of control (especially as far as our grocery budget went), I found and eagerly embraced the modern marvel that is subscription services.

What are subscription services?

Oh, you mean besides basically digital angels, pure gifts from God and put here on Earth to save us from ourselves?

In all seriousness, a subscription service is just what it sounds like — a service that you subscribe to.

Today’s subscriptions (besides the classics of magazines and newspapers) can offer any one of a variety of services or product deliveries:

• Monthly subscriptions of beauty products
• Clothing subscription boxes — some with a personal shopper to choose your look, some to even just rent the clothes!
• Curated book collections delivered right to your door or device (to skip the library trip)
• Shaving kits
• Pet goodies
• Cleaning supplies
• Eco-friendly products
• Grocery delivery
• Personal fitness training, right in your living room
• Educational materials for kids

And the list goes on, to literally just about anything you can think of.

How do subscription services work?

I’m going to assume that you understand how magazine and newspaper subscriptions work since they’ve been available for decades.

You choose something that you want to be delivered to your door, you choose a payment method, and voila! It appears on a regular basis.

Today’s Internet-based subscriptions work exactly the same way.

Choose your product or service, give the company a recurring payment or billing method, and eagerly anticipate the magical arrival of your goodies!

Trust me on this one, though, it’s far too easy to get caught up in the hype and with stars in your eyes get a little too eager in pushing everything off your plate and into the hands of a subscription service.

“But it’s saving me so much time!” you argue.

That is probably the absolute truth, but what about the actual cost savings (assuming they exist)? Are all subscription services created equal? Are all of them worth it?

(Spoiler alert:  nope!)

Are subscription services are worth it?

Now here I might lose a couple of friends because we’re probably going to disagree a little on which ones are worth using and which subscription service should be avoided.

Using our list of example subscriptions from above (which is obviously not an exhaustive list), let me give you my honest opinion of each to help you decide which might be a good fit to save you some time and money (and it is just that, an opinion, so take it or leave it!):

• Beauty products – You don’t need to wear as much makeup as you think you do. If you DO think you need that much makeup, then you’re believing the social push that the “prettiest” women wear elaborate, multi-step makeup and eyeliner every day. (If that’s you, then keep doing that beautiful makeup that I couldn’t put on correctly to save my life, but know that you really don’t need it. You wake up next to your husband every day without it and he loves you just the same as the day he met you…no, more.)
• Clothing subscriptions – I get disappointed enough with choosing my own clothing items and finding out they fit me far differently than the model online. The second to last thing I need is for someone else to choose for me and choose wrong. The very last thing I need is new clothes every month. I mean, do you NEED a new pair of jeans, or just want them (or worse, they’re on sale and you don’t want to “miss out”)?
• Books – This is the one that admittedly would be my downfall, but thus far I’ve managed to avoid it, purely because it doesn’t fit in our budget right now. Granted, with the late fees I sometimes rack up at the library (I’m ashamed to admit I’ve hit $35 in one month before!), that would be enough to cover a few months worth of book subscriptions, so it’s something I might want to look into further. (If you’re looking to save late fees AND gas money and skip the library, the two services you’ll want to look into are Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans and Audible! )

• Shaving kits – These do appear to offer a very good value for what’s included, so it’s something I’ll admittedly have to explore further! For now we’ve done better with just buying razors at the store (with coupons!) ever since my husband embraced a full beard and stopped shaving. With just one of us using razors regularly, it’s very slow going to run through a pack!
• Pet goodies – I’m really intrigued by the idea of getting a box of treats and toys for my pets each month. But then I think about how many toys we used to have for our dog and how infrequently he ever touched them! Over the summer most of his toys made it outside and were too muddy to bring back in. The one or two toys that were left inside have been like velcro to him for months now! Listen, before you balk, I’m one who treats my pets as if they’re my kids (they even get their names in Christmas cards for a few select people!), but I’m not about to spend $30 a month on toys and treats for my pets. I’d rather pick and choose their favorite treats from the store, use coupons, and skip the toys. We don’t have destructive pets and there’s a limit to how many pet toys a house can hold!
• Cleaning supplies – This one is worth it, 100%. Not because I can’t find the same cleaners for the same prices as at the store, but because it’s a huge time saver (and back saver from not having as much to lug into the house from grocery trips)! Whether you choose a dedicated cleaning supplies site or simply do a bulk purchase from a large retailer, it’s a win all around!
• Eco-friendly products – This is one that I didn’t think was worth it at first — until I tried it for myself. Depending on exactly which service you use, this may change, but I found it to be quite affordable as well as a big help in saving money, saving time, and having less stuff to store in my house (we’ll talk about this later in the article).
• Grocery delivery – Oh heck yes, is this one worth it! I think most of us forgot that “back in the day” many grocery stores used to offer deliveries, simply because that was a great way to take good care of your customers and keep them coming back to your store instead of the grocer across the street. In today’s world of massive grocery chains, the “mom-and-pop” feel has all but disappeared. Lately, however, grocery delivery services are making a big comeback and I, for one, could not be happier!
• Personal fitness training – I’ll admit that $100 a year for a workout streaming service is a great deal, compared to the often $10 per month minimum gym memberships. But seriously, guys….running is free (albeit the devil’s invention). Just saying.
• Educational materials for kids – This is one that I would whole-heartedly love to take advantage of, but it’s sadly another that’s just not in the budget right now. For now, we’ll have to just make do with the library and our imaginations.

What subscription services are worth it?

All that said, I think you’ll notice that a few of these subscription services categories are stand-outs for me:  the groceries, the cleaning items, and the eco-friendly products.

The reason for that is this:  these are the 3 categories where I tend to get a little forgetful of my budget, so I could the help to keep it in check, and these are what I’ll call “the essentials.”

(One of these days I’ll share my cynical mom’s guide to cutting costs, including things like not shaving as often, but that’s another story.)

So without further ado, here’s the list of what I feel to be the most valuable subscription services or programs, that WILL help you save time, money, and pantry space (which we ALL need more of)!

1. Amazon Subscribe and Save

This is for sure at the very top of my list for THE program I couldn’t do without! The best part is that there is absolutely NO required monthly service fee to use it! Yes, you can get your discounted subscriptions with this free service!

There are two ways to go about using this program, and unfortunately, I can’t tell you with absolute authority which way is the better one for your family.

1. The not-free method:  Maintain an Amazon Prime/Family Membership for up to 20% off your subscription prices, or
2. The free method:  Get 5-15% off your subscription prices without an Amazon Prime membership.

Either option is equally useful, includes free shipping on your subscription items, and offers the same customization of quantity, frequency, and delivery date.

The difference, however, is that the first option will cost you $119 per year for a Prime membership, to get up to 20% off your subscriptions, whereas the other option will “cost” you that additional 5% off. You might also find a couple “Prime-only” items that you want but can’t get without the paid membership.

This is where I can’t tell you the best option because that really depends on what your subscription would include. We ran the math on buying only our dog food WITH a Prime Membership and the 20% discount and it came out to save us $20 per year to have a membership and buy our (special diet) dog food through it versus skipping the membership and buying dog food at the stores.

Worded differently, it was as if Amazon was paying us $20+ per year to use their service!

And dog food wasn’t all we were subscribed to – we also subscribe to cat food, diapers, and baby wipes deliveries. After my husband had cancer, he was on a couple over the counter medications that the doctors wanted him taking daily. The subscription prices were the cheapest through Amazon, even compared to BJ’s!

Needless to say, the savings kept racking up and the membership more than paid for itself! I was also a huge fan of not needing to lug almost 100lbs worth of pet food from the store to the car to the house each month!

That said, you might find it to be a better value overall WITHOUT the Prime membership. Maybe you use cloth diapers (or don’t have a need for them at all), don’t have pets, or only need a bottle or two of vitamins every few months.

Here’s how it works:  Search for the items you’d want delivered regularly (a shortcut is to search “[item] subscribe” so you can quickly filter out those purchase options that don’t offer a subscription). Click the buying option to “subscribe and save” and it’ll show you your percent discount on your subscription (calculated based on Prime membership or not, and total number of subscriptions per month). Select your quantity and delivery frequency, and click “Subscribe Now.” On the review page, check all the order details and click “Confirm subscription” to complete the processing. You’ll be able to modify your subscription details, change the “next delivery date,” or postpone your delivery by a month at any time.

My suggestion if you’re unsure about the Prime membership cost:  Add the items to your account that you’d want to have delivered to your doorstep rather than pick up in person. Write down the monthly costs, including subscription discounts. Using the following link, sign up for an Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial, and you’ll be able to see the price difference for that up to 20% discount. Do a little math to decide if the extra discount is worth the monthly cost of the membership (but don’t forget to factor in the Prime Video, Amazon Music, and many other perks that could well replace some other services you’re paying for as if they were free! Imagine those potential cost-savings!)

2. Target Subscriptions

This is another program that is 100% free to use! While Amazon has very much earned their brag of “world’s largest retailer,” they don’t necessarily always have the best prices, even with their high subscription discounts factored in.

Target, on the other hand, is still a very large retailer, offers great prices for most everything, and does offer an additional 5% discount on your subscription costs if you use their Target REDcard as your payment method.

Again, just as with Amazon, the overall value for you is going to depend on a lot of factors, like what and how much you’d be putting on your subscriptions.

Here’s how it works:  Shop on Target.com like you normally would. When you find an item that you’d like delivered on a schedule, see if it shows an option to “Subscribe to save 5%.” After clicking that option, you’ll be able to select your delivery frequency and “add subscription to cart.” Complete your checkout process and you’re all set! You’ll be able to modify your subscription details, change the “next delivery date,” or postpone your delivery by a month at any time.

3. eMeals

This subscription service deviates from the rest of the subscription services on this list in that you’re not getting anything delivered to you per se, but you’re getting recipes delivered to your device.

eMeals will cost you just $5 per month for their lowest plan level, but trust me when I say it’s saved me hundreds of dollars!

You can check it out and sign up for a plan here — you’ll get a free 14-day trial with this link!

Remember how I mentioned the whole going to the store with a fresh list and no real solid plan of sticking to it? eMeals has taken care of that problem for me entirely.

Here’s how it works:  You can choose to get email notifications if you like (but I never read emails so I have it turned off), and/or you can download the app for your phone. Once a week, you’ll pick and choose the meals you want to make, add them to your list, and eMeals automatically generates a grocery list based on the meals you chose.

But it gets even better. Where other, similar meal plan services fall short is not having grocery service integrations.

My favorite option is to shop our grocery list, right from my phone, via Walmart Grocery. Yes, really, the apps are integrated together and you can choose your meals AND checkout on your grocery order without having to jump around between apps! Heaven in a handheld, right there, folks.

If Walmart Grocery isn’t your thing or isn’t available near you, don’t fret! They also have the option to use AmazonFresh, Shipt, Instacart, or Kroeger grocery services!

Seriously, I’m not even exaggerating when I say that we’ve managed to cut a couple hundred dollars a month out of our grocery spending with this “silly” little $5/month service. When you plan on only spending $200-400 per month on food, saving a couple hundred is a BIG DEAL.

Why does it save us so much? Because even with our very cut-and-dry, frugal shopping as it is, we still manage to occasionally “window shop” while we’re out.

Using the eMeals app, I have my list made for me, I take the extra minute or two to remove from the shopping list the ingredients I already have in my pantry or freezer, and I submit my order. My husband picks it up on his way home from work, which saves me a TON of time and effort to not have to drag two toddlers to the grocery stores with me.

And best of all, no one really sets food in a grocery store anymore, which means no more window shopping and unplanned grocery purchases!

4. Instacart

I’m including Instacart not just as a partner service with eMeals, but as a standalone, solid, worthwhile subscription service.

Ok, while this one technically isn’t a recurring subscription, you DO have the option to “subscribe” to the Instacart Express plan, which costs $99 per year but waives all delivery and service charges on unlimited grocery orders for the entire year ($35 minimum subtotal required per order).

If you’re going to be using this service frequently, the Instacart Express plan is worth the cost. (The delivery charge for our area, at least, tends to be $5+ per delivery, and another couple dollars in a service fee. If you restrict yourself to only get groceries delivered once a month, and pay those fees on each order, you may as well have spent the extra $10 to give yourself the freedom to get unlimited, as-little-as-one-hour deliveries instead.)

Even with a $35 order subtotal minimum, think of it this way:  Play the game to keep your weekly grocery order to as close to that $35 as possible. You’d still only spend about $150 per month on groceries that way, which would be a truly incredible grocery budget! Even if you did two $35 orders per week, you’d still only spend about $300 or so monthly, which is well below half the average household grocery budget in the US!

That said, if I’m being entirely transparent, we didn’t feel like we had enough disposable income just yet to warrant hiring others to deliver our groceries, but when we thought about how much time it saves us to use Instacart, it was worth it for us to sign up!

They do require a $10 minimum order if you are NOT signed up for Instacart Express, but that’s pretty easy to reach!

I’ll also warn you that some stores offer Instacart pricing that is identical to in-store pricing (as if you were pushing a cart and shopping yourself), whereas some stores mark up the prices of some or all of their products to offset costs. Make sure you’re familiar with your favorite store’s usual prices so that you’re inadvertently paying more than you should for something!

Here’s how it works:  create your account or log in to Instacart.com on your computer or download the app on your phone. Enter your zip code, select your preferred store, and search and add items to your cart. Checkout and choose a delivery window, then put your feet up and wait for what we call “the royal treatment!”

Use this link to get a FREE 14 day trial of Instacart Express!

5. Walmart Grocery

Let’s pretend you’re not already signed up for eMeals and you’re totally satisfied with your current meal planning methods. Nothing but love from me, because “I want to be like you when I grow up!”

Even if you’re the ultimate meal planning machine, you probably would still enjoy a little help grocery shopping, right? I think most every one of us will scream “YES!” from the top of our lungs.

Walmart Grocery Pickup is honestly one of THE best options for this! I mean, something like Instacart is definitely the ultimate in grocery help, but maybe you’re on an incredibly tight budget and you can’t justify the extra $5+ per delivery on a regular basis or the $8 per month for the Express plan. I hear you; I’m right there with you!

It’s just as free of a service to use as walking in the store to do your own shopping, which still blows my mind! Whether they started offering this to compete in the world of Amazon subscriptions and Instacart, or whether their corporation simply wants to reinstate some “old-fashioned customer care values,” all I know is I’m all for it!

Here’s how it works:  visit the Walmart Grocery site and enter your zip code to make sure that pickup is available near you. If it is, add items to your cart – anything from shampoo to bread to ice cream! Reserve your order for a chosen pickup time, then checkout for your order (which does require a $30 minimum subtotal), and you’re good to go! You can even download the app and “check in” when you’re on your way to the store and using your location data they’ll make sure to have your order ready and out to your car basically as soon as you’re in the parking space!

*Some Walmart locations are now offering not only carside grocery pickup, but delivery as an option! Can’t wait to see if this comes to my area soon!

6. Grove Collaborative

In the effort to find more natural, organic, healthier choices for your family, the things you clean your house with should be pretty high on that list. That said, shopping for these healthier/eco-friendly/earth-conscious items is sometimes really time-consuming and cumbersome.

Enter Grove Collaborative.

The thing that I love about this site (and app!) is the fact that I don’t need to sort through pages and pages of search results (that often have “sponsored results” taking up space) to find high quality, safer products for my home.

Straight from their site, they proudly proclaim that they require that their partners be “non-toxic, [have] ingredient transparency, plant-based formulas, 100% cruelty-free, [and use] sustainable materials.”

If that weren’t enough, they do make some of their own products (and I see more new “Grove” brand items every time I log in!) and follow the same strict standards.

The prices are comparable to other places where you could purchase these products, but they do offer some exclusive perks.

Here’s how it works:  You’ll shop and checkout through this site just the same as you would with any online retailer. The difference here is the ability to set up a customized “monthly cart” that’s as simple and quick as filling a regular online cart, without needing to go through the extra, individual confirmation pages as you would for individual item subscriptions like with Target and Amazon.

If you choose to pay $19.99 for the annual VIP membership (which starts off with a 60-day free trial!), you’ll get free shipping on every order, no matter how often you order! You’ll also be entitled to 4 free VIP gifts per year, early access to sales, and some additional discounts.

If you choose not to take advantage of the VIP membership, you’ll pay a flat rate of $2.99 shipping per order, regardless of order size.

Use this link to sign up today and get a free 5-piece cleaning set with your first order!

7. MightyFix

Last on the list, but certainly not the least value, is the MightyFix subscription through MightyNest.

MightyNest is a similar sort of site to Grove Collaborative, in that it’s all products that are healthier, eco-friendly, and more natural for your family. The big difference, however, is the selection.

While MightyNest and the MightyFix subscription do offer opportunities to buy products that cross-over with Grove Collaborative as far as intended use (think dish soap, toilet cleaner, etc.), MightyNest stretches its product selection to include reusable food containers, body products, even kids toys!

The MightyFix subscription in particular offers a budget-friendly way to start chipping away at your eco-friendly, healthy home conversions one month at a time.

Here’s how it works:  The MightyFix subscription costs just $10 per month, with free shipping. As with many of the subscription services we’ve talked about here, you can postpone/skip a month whenever you need to, with no charge. It’s actually a fairly unique, fun program that you can choose to have it surprise you with your “fix” for the month, or you can customize what you’ll receive and even add on omre products if you had your eye on something and can’t wait. Some of the “fixes” you can choose from each month may have small upcharges depending on size, color, etc. But it’s a really great way to start saving money and pantry space!

For example, the very first “fix” that I received was a set of 3 wool dryer balls. They’ll last for about 1,000 loads. If the average box of dryer sheets is about $4+ for 160 sheets, you’d have to spend $28+ to do 1,000 loads of laundry. I’ll keep my extra $18, thank you very much!

Over time, as you build up your little collection of “fixes,” you’ll find our more ways that you’ve saved a ton of money. We also have a few various reusable bags to replace those throwaway plastic zip bags that I LOVE, especially for the kids’ snacks!

8. ButcherBox

I’m all for organic meats, to minimize the amount of “who knows what” in our foods. We are lucky enough to have a local grocery store that offers absolutely excellent prices on their organic meats most of the time, so we admittedly didn’t think we would use this service as often (even though there are still a few cuts that ButcherBox has the best price for).

Surprise! It turns out that if you’re smart about which box you choose and/or which cuts you put in your custom box, AND you keep an eye out for those amazing “member specials” they run — you can get the exact same things as I would buy at my super awesome grocery store but for a lower total purchase price. Oh, and it’s right on your doorstep, ready to just fill up your freezer in minutes. I’m TOTALLY all about not lugging 50+ pounds of meat from store to home to freezer!

That said, if you are in an area that my grocery doesn’t serve (which is most of the country outside the Northeast), you’ll definitely want to look into using ButcherBox to source your organic meats from! Even though Walmart is pretty well spread nationally, they actually don’t have all the cuts offered from ButcherBox, including some really common cuts that I was shocked to see missing.

Here’s how it works:  visit ButcherBox to subscribe to the box of your choosing — beef only, mixed boxed, or a fully customized box. You’ll get a free bonus for life (choice varies) in your box when you sign up! You can choose the size of the box you need (for larger or smaller families), the shipping frequency, and all of that is adjustable as time goes on to suit your needs! I love that I can push my delivery back until I need to restock my freezer, with no penalties!

The best subscription services provide incredible value.

By this point, you’ve seen that while some subscriptions are good ideas and “nice to have,” there are a few stand-out services that really are worth the money (or the money saved), the time savings, and the sanity savings.

And you should also know that incredible value is something that I’m all about.

While not all of these services are going to be the best choice for your family, I think it’s safe to say that at least one or two of these subscription services would be worth adding to your regular routine!

After just a few months of increased convenience but without (significant) cost changes, you’ll wonder how you ever did without!

Are you new to subscription services, or are you an old pro? If you’re already using a few, which is your favorite? I’m always eager to hear about ways to make my life easier!

Join others who are living their better days today for more valuable tips and advice in our private Facebook group, For Another Time Village!