Penny Pinching Tip #8: Mail-Order Ingredients

I use a lot of gluten free flour, and it can get pretty expensive (retail around me is more than $5/1 lb bag). So last week, I signed up for a bi-monthly subscription through Amazon.com.

Penny Pinching Tip #8: Ordering non-perishable ingredients online and through a subscription can save you lots of money, especially on things you use and re-buy frequently.

For those unaware (and I just discovered this recently), Amazon gives you the option to order food and home items (like paper towels) and have them shipped directly to you. Now if you just buy it once, you get a little discount, but if you sign up for a subscription (scheduled delivery that can range from monthly to every 6 months) you get a 15% discount, PLUS free delivery on the items.

For my gluten free flour, that means what normally would cost over $16.25 for 4 lbs (not including shipping) now costs me only $13.81! That's only $3.45 per bag, significantly less than I can find anywhere near me, even on sale. Figuring I use up approximately 1 bag every 2 weeks, I signed to have 1 case (4 bags) shipped to me every other month.

There are hundreds of items for which you can buy a subscription--and you change it any time you need to (for example, if I start using less flour I can change to a delivery every 3 months), or even cancel it.

So, my penny pinchers, take a look in your pantries and storage closets--are there things you use regularly for which you could subscribe and save?

Note: This is NOT an advertisement for Amazon, rather an idea for cost-saving; if you find (or know of) another subscription method, by all means please tell me about it!