Necessary subscriptions

[HuzzahIndeed]

After running out of toothpaste this morning I want know, what practical (if boring) postal subscriptions do you get?

A lot of you get Hello Fresh type deliveries but what other practical subscriptions are you signed up to that make your life easier eg razors, sanitary products, deodorant? I'm talking more toilet rolls and soap, than mystery Birchbox or pjs and socks.

I love getting stuff in the post (even if it's a monthly delivery of dishwasher tablets) and automating as much as possible of the daily necessities seems like it would give me that dopamine high whilst also ensuring I don't have to use strawberry flavour children's toothpaste again. 🤢

So, hit me up and remove some of my life admin!

Only contact lenses and meds here.
I don't believe many things are going to be as cheap if on subscription (happy to be proved wrong tho !) (for example Michum deoderant.. £3.20 in Boots £4.50 Amazon..if you subscribe you get 5% off... that is still more expensive!)

Surely you should just have an 'add to it' shopping list? There are cheaper ways to get a dopamine hit :)

Why wouldn't you just buy stuff earlier from the supermarket?

Once you open the last toothpaste or when it starts running low, put it on the shopping list and buy it next time you're buying groceries.

Or do a monthly stock up of basic essentials and keep some in stock that way?

It doesn't go off or take up any room and if you're thinking of doing your shopping by subscription, which is way more expensive than buying from the supermarket, you can't be in a position where you can't afford to keep a spare tube of toothpaste in your bathroom cabinet.

Nothing, I don't find it that hard to check the cupboards before going shopping for the week! Stuff like toothpaste I tend to buy when it's on offer and get a couple at a time.
I have a Gusto account but couldn't tell you the last time I ordered a box. I've also ordered loo rolls from Who Gives a Cr@p in the past but only as I need them.

Some friends of mine in the US have a coffee subscription from a company which sends you a set of scales that connect to your phone or something, you store your coffee on it and it orders more when you are running low. Don't know if you can get it here and it seems extremely silly to me but I guess it could be fun

I use FFS razors so have a sub for that and skin and me prescription

I don't have any subscriptions,

I have a Tesco delivery each week

i order coffee when I use the last packet (pads, not pods, I get several packets and they have 36/48 in them, so just order more when I open the last one)

harveys water Softener salt - again order a few packets when I put the last ones in the machine.

I prefer to manage my own purchases. A subscription would annoy me.

💁🏻‍♀️

The only thing I have is the HP insta ink subscription for my printer cartridges. I like it as you can change the subscription to adjust the number of pages you can print (so up it during school exam season for example, but then put it down to a lower limit once finished) and through linking to my printer, it automatically sends me ink cartridges before the printer runs out.
Everything else I just check cupboards before shopping, combined with making a note of things when I use the last one in the cupboard.

I have no subscriptions, but I do have a shopping and to-do list hung up in my kitchen. Good old paper and pen never fails.

Yeh, not to appear sanctimonious, but surely it’s easier just to add things to your weekly shop? It’s just about being organised and aware of when things are running low. Subscriptions for things are no guarantee that they won’t run out before the next one arrives 🤷🏼‍♀️ and they’re generally more expensive too.

Radio Times - I live in the middle of nowhere and it is hard to get one from the village shop.

I have HP printer ink subscription as that does save us money in long run. We also have a lavazza coffee pod subscription as again that makes each box £1.50 cheaper when we buy in bulk. Other than that it ends up too expensive so I just check what I need before going to the supermarket!

I subscribe to dog food on Amazon as it is so much cheaper.
My husband and I have a magazine each month and the Radio Times every week.

Toilet roll (one of those eco-friendly companies)
Dog and cat food (through Amazon)

I did go through a period of trying to get as much as I could on the Amazon subscription thing, but honestly the timings are tricky and it's not really that cost-effective.

Another factor is that I've had to cut the bulk-buying a bit as we've got Ukrainians with us at the moment so I've had to give up my spare room stock cupboard.

Washing machine pods from Amazon. Works out at 40% cheaper than at the supermarket.

Not worth it! Most things can get at Aldi, other stuff order as needed

Nesti Dante soap, and loo roll, foundation, my mum's denture stuff, from Amazon.

Teeny tiny house so no room to keep a stock of essentials. Literally, can only buy one 12 pack of toilet rolls at a time because we just don't have anywhere to put them.

It's fine saying to keep a spare toothpaste or whatever but that is no guarantee we won't forget to top that one up.

Obviously I've tried a shopping list but it just doesn't work for me. Maybe because we shop somewhat sporadically?

The coffee thing seems quite amusing for a short while. 😂 Does Amazon still do that button you can keep next to your toothpaste (or whatever) and you just press it as you run out for it to automatically deliver you a new one?

A soap subscription would be handy once we've worked through the random soaps stuffed in underwear drawers and the like. I did bulk buy some when it was super cheap but then I had to put the individual bars in random places and I don't know how many we have left now.

Various vitamins, Oatly, afro hair products. Basically stuff where household usage is very predictable and I can't pick it up at Aldi.

I have had at various times
Bacon
Breadbox
Veg box
Magazines
Milk
Newspaper
Hello Fresh
Gousto

But its such a pain remembering to cancel them all when you go on holiday and the timings are very rarely exactly right so the only ones I've stuck with long term are milk and vegbox. Also contact lenses and vet meds for my cats neither of which need cancelling.

@PeloFondo I was looking at Skin and me. What do you think of it?

I use The Ordinary but I'm so over trying to remember which bottle goes after which and what ones I can't use together... I went away and used just cleanser, moisturiser and suncream for 6 weeks. My skin didn't look so good but I've forgotten how to use my products and the notes I wrote down don't make any sense. I've not been able to face working it out again!

I find a subscription harder tbh, it's never going to align exactly with when we use stuff up so it becomes more to manage, not less. I find Zooplus fantastic for pet things though and much less hassle than hoiking big trays of cat food through the checkout.

We buy a few staples in double quantity from the supermarket - toothpaste, washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, peanut butter, pasta. This stops us running short most of the time without taking a lot of storage space. 60 DW tablets literally fit in the box that 30 come in.

It's changed my skin totally, I wouldn't be without it
However you have to use SPF and the first couple of weeks can be a bit rough with flaking. It's a long term thing rather than instant effects

Does Amazon still do that button you can keep next to your toothpaste (or whatever) and you just press it as you run out for it to automatically deliver you a new one?
No they stopped that a couple of years ago.

Skin and me is very expensive, if convenient.

I use a toilet roll subscription but it's a box of 48 so no good for you!

What about working out an actual pattern of use, so you know you need toothpaste every 4 weeks and put it on a calendar? It's work to set it up, but once established could be really handy!

Either currently or in the past we have had subscriptions for the following:

Smol (eco washing machine liquid capsules etc)
Vegan Omega 3 from Nothing Fishy
Mindful Chef
Gousto
Cat flea treatment
Snackbox
Awe Box
Little Box of Crochet
Wype
Waken (eco mouthwash)
Barry’s Cactus Club