5 Services You Should Automate

One of the hardest parts of being a teacher (in my opinion!) is time management. There is always sooooo much to do! I personally try to automate as much as possible. Here are a few things I personally think are worth automating!

1) Filter Purchasing

Every couple of months I notice our AC seems to be having a tough time and realize I haven't changed the filter in forever. Recently I found a fix to this! Filter Easy! Like the name suggests, using this service is super easy. It asks you a few questions (like how many filters do you have in your home). You choose a grade (lite allergen, micro allergen or super allergen - we use super). Then you choose the size(s) needed and order. Once you have an account set up you tell them how often to ship. Every 3 months is what is recommended - we do it every 2 though because we have a dog that sheds like crazy. If you use my referral link: http://fbuy.me/eguny you and I will each get $20 off (which is equivalent to a free filter!). We pay nearly the exact same amount for our filters from Filter Easy delivered right to the front door as I used to pay at Walmart.

2) Clothes Shopping - Stitch Fix

Stitch fix is a super easy, fun way to save yourself from having to shop for clothes. Here is the low down. 1) You fill out a style profile - information like size, types of clothing, and color combinations to avoid are inputted to your profile. 2) A stylist (with help from an algorithm) picks out 5 clothing items and accessories. 3) You are charged a $20 styling fee and those items are shipped to your door.

Once you receive a stitch fix box you have 3 days to try on the clothes and decide if you want to keep them or not. If you find out hate everything you send it back in a pre-paid shipping bag sent with the clothes and that is that. If you like what is in your box you can purchase it (that $20 styling fee ends up being a credit on your purchases so it's like $20 off what you'd like!) If you like every piece you received you get a 25% discount! I really like having the option to pick and choose what I'd like. I have received 17 stitch fix boxes over the past 2-3 yrs and almost always keep at least 1 or 2 pieces.

This is a great option for those of you who struggle to find clothing they like. You can request clothes for work, going out clothes, etc and have someone else find great pieces for you! While I was pregnant with my son I was able to request maternity items in my fixes and received some really comfy items.

**I was happy to see recently on the site that plus sizes are coming soon! They are also working on a mens version - I can not wait to sign my husband up. Dragging him to the store when he needs clothes is a pain!

3) Household Items (Like Toilet Paper)

Our neighbors think this is hilarious, but we have not purchased items like baby wipes, paper towels, dish soap or toilet paper from the grocery store in years. Everything gets shipped (for free) to our front door - usually for less than I would pay at the store. Amazon subscribe and save is the perfect place to purchase all of those household necessities you KNOW your family needs. Click on the Amazon logo to go straight to the Subscribe and Save page.

So to use subscribe and save you choose an item you are interested in. Rather than choosing regular check out you choose the subscribe and save option. Next, you set the frequency of deliveries. Personally we have a big thing of toilet paper delivered monthly. Other things like dish soap I have set to every other month.

So to use subscribe and save you choose an item you are interested in. Rather than choosing regular check out you choose the subscribe and save option. Next, you set the frequency of deliveries. Personally we have a big thing of toilet paper delivered monthly. Other things like dish soap I have set to every other month.

Once a month you will receive a box (sometimes boxes if you have a lot of items coming) with your items. Shipping is free!

One of the greatest things about Amazons subscribe and save is that you have the option to cancel at ANY time. Say the price of toilet paper goes up and you have coupons to use at Target. Simple log onto Amazon, go to your subscribe and save page (you can visit from the drop down menu once you are logged in) and cancel the item. If you find yourself with too much of something and just need to skip a month that can be done too. Super easy and convenient!

4) Groceries

Groceries is another thing that is easy to automate. There are quite a few grocery services available nowadays. However in my small town the only one we are able to use is Schwan's - and we ADORE it! Frequency of deliveries differs from place to place. Our Schwan lady comes by every 2 weeks with our order. We are on our 3rd month of using Schwan's and so far we've been very impressed with the prices, option choices and quality. Schwan's delivers everything from main dishes to ice cream straight to your door. We order frozen pizza, chicken breasts, chicken wings and some sort of veggies at least every 2 weeks. The food is delicious! Check out this pesto pizza:

Your first order is 50% off so even if you are skeptical you can try it out for cheap. You won't be disappointed!

5) Activities to do with Kids

If you have kids and are anything like me, you sometimes struggle to find fun activities you can do with them. For years now we have had a box of activities delivered to the house every month that my daughter and I can do together. We order kiwi crates (for ages 5-8) because they are arranged for kids her age. Here is an example of what came in a recent crate of ours:

We really enjoy putting the items in the box together. We have had some really neat crates. This past month we put together a rocket blaster - so fun!

The company also sells:

Koala Crates for children 3-4

Doodle Crates for children 9-16

(For crafty kids - we've tried it but it was a little too difficult for my 8yr old)

Tinker Crates for children 9-16 (this is almost link a STEM type box - has fun experiments)

I'm really excited for their cricket boxes which will be for ages 0-36 months *Coming Soon*

I personally think these boxes are a great value. $20 shipped (a little less if you pay for multiple months at once). All items needed (paint, scissors, etc) for 2 or 3 activities are included along with instructions and a booklet that teaches the kids something new.

Parent/Child bonding time in a box. No electronics necessary! #ParentingScore

Use one of the links above to register and you will receive a discount off of your first box! Subscription can be paused or canceled at any time.

Are there any things you automate that are on this list? Any of these ideas you plan to try? Share in the comments!

I've heard great things about some make up subscription boxes but have not tried any out yet.

*Disclaimer: This post does contain affiliate links. The opinions presented about

each service are my own.

#parent #teacher #automation #automatedservices