Thursday, January 24, 2013

Thrifty Thoughts- Amazon

I'm convinced Amazon could take over the world. Seriously. They're brilliant.

We've been using them for years, mainly for our books, but shortly after Avery was born I learned of their Subscribe and Save feature (save 5%) and Amazon mom (save 20% on baby items). Again, I say brilliant. 

Since I work part-time and hate running errands, shopping for toiletries has been a major thorn in my flesh. Especially, because I refuse to go to our local Walmarts (nothing against Walmart, just the ones in my city b/c they're poorly run and not safe) so I'd go to Target, which was TROUBLE. No matter how hard I tried, I always spent more money than I should. I even tried dollar stores, but to get everything I needed took a couple trips and I'd rather be tortured. 

That's when Amazon came to my rescue. 
I was easily convinced buying my toiletries would be the most convenient through them, and we're already prime members (free two day shipping- holllaaa) because Bob's a student,  but I had to ensure it was the most economical. So I made my toiletry list and began price matching. Much to my surprise there were only a few items I couldn't buy on Amazon, because they were significantly cheaper elsewhere. Those items are:
  • Method cleaning supplies (my pediatrician says this brand is the most effective and safe for kids)
  • Costco trash bags
  • Costco laundry detergent

Here is what I do buy:
  • Diapers- Pampers (and you can buy opened boxes for cheaper. It just means the box was opened or damaged, not the diaper packaging)
  • Wipes- varies
  • Toilet paper- Charmin
  • Paper towels- Bounty Basic
  • Dishwasher detergent- Cascade
  • Body wash- Aveeno
  • Razors-Venus cartridges
  • Toothpaste- Toms
  • Deodorant- Speedstick
  • Shampoo- Sauve ( I buy AG shampoo at Beauty Brands liter sale, enough for the year)
  • SOS brillo pads
  • Dryer sheets- Bounce
  • Dish soap- 7th Generation
  • Bottle Inserts- Playtex
  • Feminine products- Kotex (Sometimes this is an "add-on" item and will only cost me $2!)
  • Method hand soap refills

Each of these items is on a schedule, some come every month, some every 6 months. The schedule is easy to manage- you can request more right away if you're running low, or skip a delivery if you didn't use what you have. Next to delivering to my front door, this is my favorite part of Amazon.

I'm honestly surprised how much Amazon has kept me on budget. If I know we will have a slow month or extra expenses, I go into my Amazon account and decide if there's something we can do without. Removing the temptation to spend an extra $5 on random items and knowing exactly how much will come out of my account is also really helpful.

I'm certain if you coupon or shop around you could find these items cheaper. But I'm not in a place to do either and we are married to certain brands due to things like skin sensitivity, etc. Oh, and we also purchase everything on our AMEX through Costco and pay it off at the end of the month. This gives us plenty of reward points (which paid for Avery's birthday party and two years ago bought Christmas).

So far this is working wonderfully for our family!

7 comments:

  1. we LOVE amazon too!! i def agree they could take over the world...
    the 2 day shipping is awesome and ordering from them is so convenient!

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  2. Great idea! I'll be checking this out for sure! thanks for sharing :)

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  3. This is a great idea Amy... many churches Matt's applying to are in pretty rural areas, so knowing I could find the things I prefer (and save money!) on Amazon sounds wonderful!

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  4. Is Amazon really cheaper than Costco though? I've switched to buying things like shampoo and toothpaste at Costco (but maybe that's because I'm not that brand particular). I will sing the wonders of Amazon to anyone who will listen though.

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    1. I only price matched what I normally purchased and a lot of items were only cheaper after the subscribe and save discount and Amazon mom discount (on relevant items). Good luck figuring out what works best for you!

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  5. I had never thought about buying "everyday" items from Amazon. Normally I am just browsing for gifts or looking for something specific when I order from them. I may have to look into that.

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  6. We just started doing this and LOVE IT. My husband thinks it is funny to get toilet paper delivered to our front door, but whatever to save a buck. Some of your list I had never thought of, will be looking into this. Thanks!

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