A few weeks ago I read a blog post about keeping a marriage together through residency. There were a few things that really struck me as good ideas: taking a yearly vacation, and “buying time.” I don’t think that I need to explain what taking a yearly vacation means, but the concept of “buying time” was one I found interesting and one that needed a bit of explanation.
The way this blog post explained it was that many of us just don’t have the time to deal with some of the things that life throws our way and that it’s absolutely worth it to spend a little extra money to make the day to day stuff run a little smoother. As the mom of twins with a husband who works over 12 hours 6 days a week, I need anything that will make my life even a tiny bit easier. And so, I’d like to share with you the things I spend a little extra money on to make our lives run smoother.
I’ve also shared some links…if you feel so inclined to try some of the services we use, click the provided link and I’ll get credit and on most of them you’ll get a discount on your first purchase.
Amazon Prime/Amazon Mom
I buy a ton of stuff on Amazon and really love the subscription service. Who knew you could have a subscription for toilet paper (also toothpaste, hand soap, shampoo…)! We never run out because it gets delivered to our door every so often. You can set the time between deliveries to work for you, and there are recommended or most common times listed in case you’re not sure. If you add a certain number of items to your subscription, you get a discount. I find the Amazon Prime or Amazon Mom price completely worth it for the free shipping. Also, with Amazon Mom you get 20% off diaper subscriptions, plus other exclusive deals. If you’re a mom, you should do this, click here to get started: http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/info?ie=UTF8&refcust=IP57LHPRK7N7LKFV34PC2WIIGI&ref_type=generic
Honest Diapers
I actually chose not to use my Amazon Mom subscription for diapers because I really love Honest Diapers. Honest is a company started by Jessica Alba that touts products that are non-toxic and high performance. They’ve gotten a bit of bad PR about the manufacturing of their wipes (some is done in China), but all in all, I really love their products. We receive a diaper bundle (4 packages of wipes and 6 packages of diapers) every couple of weeks. We can set the frequency to work for us. I LOVE having these things delivered to my doorstep. And, the diapers are super cute and you can choose the patterns you’d like. Try it out! http://www.honest.com/accept_invitation/439563
That’s pretty cute, right?
eMeals
I love to cook, but finding the time to plan meals and shopping lists is darn near impossible these days. Before residency and before twins (can I use B.R. or B.T.?!), I would plan a few meals a week and make my grocery list and voila, meal planning. But…I don’t have time to do that anymore, which is why we use eMeals. We pay a fee (I think it’s $30 for 3 months) and they email you a meal plan with shopping list every week. You can choose what kind of meal plan you’d like, for example, there is a gourmet meal plan, a vegetarian meal plan, a paleo meal plan, and the one we use is the “clean eating” plan. Along with the email, you have access to their awesome app. I use it while I’m in the store and check items off as I go. It’s also really easy to add items that may not be a part of the plan (like infant formula) so you have your whole list in the palm of your hand. You can also choose to skip meals if you know you’re going to be out one night, and the ingredients for that meal are automatically removed from the shopping list in the app. It’s awesome. The recipes are really pretty good and very simple (on the clean eating plan), and it’s so great knowing when I’m ready to make dinner that I have everything I need! You should try it: http://emeals.com/?utm_source=refer-a-friend-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend
ThredUp
Shopping is not my thing. I don’t like spending money and I don’t like actually going to a store and browsing. Also, it’s very difficult to shop when you have twins in tow. And so, I’ve started shopping on ThredUp. It’s basically an online thrift store. They have tons of clothes, and everything I’ve ordered so far has been in great condition. Free shipping on orders over $50 and free returns. The app is also great and allows you to create filters based on category (shorts, cocktail dresses, etc.), size, color, you name it! They also send you a “clean out” bag with every order so that you can clean out your own closet. You send them the bag, they give you credit for whatever they think they can sell online and they donate (or send back) the rest! They carry lots of name brands and I’ve scored with some great stuff from places like Banana Republic and the Gap. Here’s a link that will give you $10 off your first order: http://www.thredup.com/r/DUYCWM
Kidizen
Same idea as above, an online thrift shop, but they focus on kids clothes and it’s individuals selling. All pricing includes shipping. It’s super easy to use the app and it’s also really easy to become a seller. I’ve ordered a few things for the kids and was very happy with the results. Two of the items I ordered were actually new with tags and cost under $7.00 for an entire outfit! You can also create filters with this app and search by brand, etc. Here’s a link to the website, though you can only shop via the app: https://www.kidizen.com/
Dollar Shave Club
Yep, we get razors delivered too. It’s pretty handy. We each have a handle (you can order an extra one) and we share the razors. Luckily, I don’t have time to shave my legs all that often so 4 razors for the two of us for the month is plenty! Try it: http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/aldengilligan
So there you have it! A few ways I “buy time” to save a little sanity and to be able to spend a little more quality time with my family! Enjoy!