If there’s one thing we love here at LIY [besides shopping until we drop and sales that’ll raise your heart rate], it’s efficiency. It’s true– we make a BIG deal about efficiencies around here. And when those worlds collide, my heart rate skyrockets. If you too love working smarter and not harder, you’ve come to the right place. From grocery runs [a thing of the past] to the drive through line, we’re here to share a few helpful hints to buy you a little extra time to do the things you actually want to be doing. Just for kicks and giggles, I did some research to see just how much time we might actually be saving and the results did not disappoint. Did you know, on average, we spend 60 hours of our life grocery shopping each year? If I’m being honest with myself, that number seems low. But it gets better: the average person will spend nearly 70 days [yes, s-e-v-e-n-t-y DAYS] vacuuming in their lifetime. Ain’t nobody got that for that! I took said research pretty seriously and did some calculations any math teacher would be proud of. Long story short [between shopping, cleaning, eating and waiting in line], reading this post could save you somewhere around  435 hours and 81 minutes a year. Give or take a few. You can thank us later. 😉

Amazon + Whole Foods 

• Amazon Dash Button: Introducing the Dash Button. It’s a tiny wireless device [about the size of a pack of gum] that’s used to instantly order items you have pre-selected from Amazon at the push of a button. Just press the button and the device uses Wi-Fi to instantly place an order. Ours are mounted in the pantry, but the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom are all efficient spots to re-order your favorites as soon as they’re running low. ps. Virtual buttons are also available for your devices!
• Subscribe & Save: You’ve probably seen this feature before. Simply subscribe to your everyday essentials and save up to 15% off when you receive five or more products in one auto-delivery. Save time, save money. 
• One Time Click to Buy: This one’s pretty straightforward. 1-Click ordering places your order automatically and lets you skip the shopping cart and check-out process. Easy-peasy! 
• Alexa Order: Our girl Alexa is a helpful one. Did you know you can ask Alexa to place orders for products from your order history or your Amazon cart? Alexa gets the job done, so you don’t have to. Fun Fact: Alexa makes dinner reservations too!
• Whole Foods Order + Delivery: If you’re lucky enough to live in-range of Whole Foods, you can place your order online and have it delivered to your front door in a matter of hours. Like I said before, grocery runs are a thing of the past. But don’t worry, if you’re old school or out of the delivery radius, pick-up is always an option too! 

Food/Grocery

• Grocery Delivery: If you don’t live near a Whole Foods, never fear. The majority of grocery store chains are now offering delivery and at the very least, pick-up options. Shout out 2020 for allowing us to be more of homebodies than every before. My glass [and my virtual grocery cart] is half full. Walmart and Target are two of my personal go-to’s! 
• GrubHub/Door Dash/Uber Eats: If you’re not taking advantage of these food delivery services, let me change your life. I get it– many of our favorite restaurants don’t offer delivery, but never fear. Delivery Services are here to bring a TON of your favs directly to your doorstep.  
• Fast Food Apps: Whatever meal your stomach is craving, there’s probably an app for that. Placing orders ahead helps save time and skip the line. Bonus: if you’re lucky, some chains offer special savings or coupons when ordering on the app. What’s not to love? My personal favorites include Chick-fil-a and Chipotle. 
• Meal Delivery Services [Blue Apron, Plated, Home Chef, etc.]: There are literal hundreds of meal delivery services these days. Find one that works best for your lifestyle and have all the ingredients and recipes delivered directly to your doorstep each week. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, LIY is here. We tested out some of the most popular services on the market and shared a full review here.

Household 

• Chewy: Calling all dog [or cat] moms! Chewy is the one stop shop for pet owners. Not only do they have over 1,000 brands that you know, trust and love for your animals– they offer free shipping on orders over $49 and their Autoship option allows you to set-up regular reorders of your animals favorite food, treats, or even toys! I could talk about my love for Chewy all day, but I’ll leave you with this blog post instead.  
• Robot Vacuum + Mop: I’ve  been raving about our iRobot Vacuum for years it still might be one of the best purchases we’ve ever made. Program it to your phone then sit back and relax. It’ll vacuum [or mop] while you’re away and you’ll never have to vacuum again. And yes, it does pick up dog hair. Worth every. single. penny.
• Google Home: If you’ve got a Google Home in the house, you can program that little gadget to do just about anything you need. From creating a grocery list to checking the weather, a Google Home = multitasking at its finest! 
• Peloton App [No Peolton Needed]: 2020 has been the year for at-home workouts. No Peloton? No problem. Whether you have the bike or not, the app is available to everyone to get their ride on. Peddle to the medal, my friends. 
• Photo Ordering: If you’re ordering photos for the holidays [or just because], the days of waiting around on your prints are over. Simply download the photo app– available for all the basics like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Target — and skip the wait. 
• Grove Collaborative: It’s safe to say Team LIY is Team Grove: the subscription service for all household cleaning supplies, beauty products, pet care and more! One you go Grove, you’ll never go back. It’s a simple love affair really– we love their products, we love what they stand for. Subscribe to brands you already know and love like Mrs. Myers, Seventh Generation, and so forth. 

Fashion

• BOPIS [Buy Online, Pickup In-Store]: If you’re lucky enough to live anywhere near good shopping, this is probably old news. Nevertheless, worth mentioning. Introducing curbside pickup! Skip the hassle of the shopping in-store and the shipping wait. This option is offered almost everywhere: Nordstrom, Target, Old Navy— just to name a few favorites. Go ahead, shop at home until you’re able to drop by and pick up your goodies IRL.  
• Living in Yellow: If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Did you know LIY is your one stop shop for everything from fashion to food? Whether you’re in need of outfit inspiration or time saving tips 😉 , we’ve got it all right here at livinginyellow.com. Think of us as your virtual girlfriend that keeps you in the know about the best sales on the internet, dinner ideas, beauty favorites, or just every awkward and awesome moment of life. Whatever it is that brought you here, we’re glad you stopped by!