How I simplified my life.

 I am always looking for ways to save time and simplify my life. Between working full-time, having three children –all in activities– and writing for this blog my days are full, and many days I feel like I need to be superwoman to survive. Since superwoman I am NOT, in fact, I have a chronic illness that leaves me more fatigued than the average person,  I have to find ways to spend my time off relaxing rather than running around “getting” things my family needs.  Let’s face it, as the “Mom” I am the chief “Getter of Things” for my family. And while there was a time when I was happy to wander the aisles of Target with a toddler strapped in the shopping cart, just to get out of the HOUSE, that stage of my life is now over.  A Target trip is fun on occasion but nowadays I prefer to go to check out the new home accessories and not because I have to pick up toilet paper.

I shared HERE some organizing strategies I utilize regularly like a complete dependence on Amazon Prime.  My latest love is the Amazon Subscribe & Save  service. I am pretty sure this new way to order all our paper goods beats the long trek to the back of a cavernous warehouse store just to pick up 32-rolls of toilet paper, not to mention getting it checked out and home.  So, if you haven’t heard all the buzz just yet, you can, via Amazon, purchase and schedule delivery for many household goods–and they are delivered to your door, for FREE!

Below are some examples of the products you can get through the Amazon subscription service , as you can see the prices are extremely reasonable. You do need the Amazon Prime membership to get free shipping {of course, its worth it for the free video according to my kids} so keep that in mind, I have already raved about how much time and money that membership saves me {read more in this post}, it’s well worth it.

The Subscribe & Save option takes a few minutes of set-up, but basically you can figure out all those non-perishable purchases (like trash bags, paper towels, toilet paper, garbage bags, dishwasher/laundry detergent) and set them up to be delivered on a monthly basis–and it doesn’t have to be every month unless you need that much. They make it easy for you and tell you the average delivery when you sign up, as in most people order these garbage bags every 2 months. {see below}

These are just a few items I set-up, at different delivery intervals. I am sure they will need some adjustments but as of right now, I am no longer going to be schlepping home toilet paper and paper towels from Costco.

There are plenty of products in the program–coffee, Diapers via Amazon Mom (I would have loved the convenience of delivered diapers when my kiddos were young), cleaning items, paper goods and so much more. They have great brands like Meyer’s Clean Day and Method in addition to the more mainstream brands if you prefer those. With this program becoming so popular, I am sure they will continue to add more products.  Just click the button below to go to the site:

**Here is the best part: if you sign up for 5 things in one month you get 20% off that order–the prices are already pretty good, but with the 20% off it made sense to go ahead and order everything one time, now we are stocked up, so I just set my next delivery dates a bit further out in the future.***

My order came ASAP (sooner than scheduled, just a warning) and it was so easy to set up.  They even have coupons you can click that discounted the items further. So, if you give it a try, let me know if you love this as much as I do!

Along these same lines, I recently signed us up for The Honest Company’s products. Their business model works the same as the Amazon Subscribe and Save, and I order all our family “beauty” products like soap, lotion, shampoo and conditioner as well as the household cleaning products we use (like counter and bathroom cleaner). They are all natural and non-toxic and come in the most awesome bottles that look so pretty on your counter. A bonus as far as I am concerned!

Since my body is already working hard to stay healthy, I recently decided to reduce the amount of toxins I was putting in or on my body. This way it’s not having to process all the toxins from the lotions I slather on and from the cleaning products in the house. It’s a small thing, but if it helps me (and my family) be healthy and feel better, I consider it well worth it. I LOVE the Honest products, cleaning with them is way more fun then say, a run of the mill counter spray. And, to the mother’s of young girls out there–the conditioning mist works as a detangler and has eliminated our “hair” battles here each morning, it smells SO good my daughter can’t wait to get her hair done, for real. I am also hooked on their soap, it’s a little pricier than a drug store brand but it just feels SO much better. If you spend $50 you get free shipping, and they offer discounts on the additional products to your “5” product monthly subscription. You can cancel anytime, but I have already picked new things to try in my next order. Just look at how pretty my sink looks –despite that snow out there!

Between these two subscriptions above, I order a small amount of groceries online each week and we are set. No longer do I have to spend half of one of my days “off” at the grocery store or Target, so that free-time is well worth it. Plus, I can’t even count the money I save by NOT spending a few hours each week in Target filling my cart with impulsive purchases.

I also wanted to mention that I recently joined “Stitch Fix” after seeing other bloggers rave about it. I have a shortage of good clothing stores near me, and often wind up ordering things online–which is hit or miss. StitchFix sends you 5 pieces (based on a long style survey you fill out) you try on in your own home, you keep what you want and drop the ones you want to return in the pre-paid envelope to return. Having a “stylist” pick some new clothes sounds great to me.  I do have to appear in a business office a few days a week so its worth it to me to have a few new work-ready pieces show-up every once in a while, I just hate that “I have nothing to wear” feeling.

 (EDIT: Here is my follow-up post on the service and what the clothes look like, I can’t say enough good things about StitchFix! Here is another post showcasing some of the cutest clothes they have sent so far!}

{above is the “casual chic” sample, below the “classic” to give you a taste, there is more on their site}

So that is my “How I simplified my life” story. I honestly say each of these is a small thing but they do add to a big time savings overall. My days off are filled with less “must-do” things and more “want-to-do” things, and its hard to put a value on that! Anyone else have anything that I am missing? I’d love to hear!

Thanks for stopping by!

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