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Amazon addicts...


maize
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Does anyone else find a disproportionate amount of their budget going to Amazon?

 

Want to join me in an Amazon-free month?

 

I will be strong. I will not click buy. I will not mourn the lack of packages showing up at my doorstep in only two days :tongue_smilie:

 

('course, I may also need to stay away from WTM threads recommending must-have resources; Amazon benefits greatly from those. They should start paying out a commission or something...)

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I can join, but I will give you a cheer.   Good for you!

 

I go in spurts here.  Lately, I've been accumulating curriculum for DD13 for next fall - high school books are EXPENSIVE if you buy them new, so Amazon Used has been getting my dollars lately.

 

 

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We buy a lot from Amazon but it's all stuff we need.  OK, technically we don't need Kind Bars, but they are so good after a rock climbing class, and relatively cheap when purchased through subscribe and save.

 

I buy very few books unless it is something I need for school or something I know we will reread.  So, I guess based on our order history we might seem like addicts, but we're not buying unnecessary stuff. 

 

Sometimes it seems that all I do is spend money but when I look at our bills and receipts, there's nothing frivolous (except maybe those Kind bars).

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Does anyone else find a disproportionate amount of their budget going to Amazon?

 

Want to join me in an Amazon-free month?

 

I will be strong. I will not click buy. I will not mourn the lack of packages showing up at my doorstep in only two days :tongue_smilie:

 

('course, I may also need to stay away from WTM threads recommending must-have resources; Amazon benefits greatly from those. They should start paying out a commission or something...)

You could join me in the Nothing New challenge. I have a serious problem when it comes to Amazon. I'm trying to get in the habit of sticking things on my Wish List; that does help cut down on the impulse buying. But still...

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You could join me in the Nothing New challenge. I have a serious problem when it comes to Amazon. I'm trying to get in the habit of sticking things on my Wish List; that does help cut down on the impulse buying. But still...

I'm not sure I'm quite up to "nothing new" so I'm trying to start smaller.

 

I do have over twenty pages of "saved for later" items in my cart...most of which I will probably never buy. I go through periodically and clean things out.

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I am sorry. I have been there too and it is not a fun place to be :(

I didn't mean that as a pity me post. I shouldn't say we're poor. We're not poor. We're low income and strictly budgeted. We are going out for sushi for hubby's 30th this weekend, so we aren't doing *that* badly. ;)

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Sounds like a good idea for those who buy "just stuff" With the exception of some tv season passes (we don't have cable or satellite), the majority of our purchases are for things we need. I'd need to buy them anyway and Amazon is either cheaper, more convenient, or both. 

 

I won't join, but I'll cheer on those who do.

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I can watch you do it but I cannot do it.  There is just too much likelihood that I will NEED something in the next month.  I thought at one point I might add an Amazon line item to my budget.  Instead, I just left it all lumped in school/kid activities, knowing full well that a nice little chunk is for Amazon.  Yes, my books come from that budget, too.  It's my "School". 

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I am 100% with you! I'm honestly disturbed by how many orders I've made in the past few months. I'm not even going to tell you for fear that you will faint in your chair and hit your head on your desk. ;) I was going to say that I need an exception for diapers, but actually I don't because I meant to cancel my last subscribe and save but forgot so I have tons of diapers and wipes.

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I am 100% with you! I'm honestly disturbed by how many orders I've made in the past few months. I'm not even going to tell you for fear that you will faint in your chair and hit your head on your desk. ;) I was going to say that I need an exception for diapers, but actually I don't because I meant to cancel my last subscribe and save but forgot so I have tons of diapers and wipes.

 

I had diapers on subscribe and save for awhile and somehow ended up with a gazillion--I didn't notice they were piling up until I went to do some reorganizing and found I have several months worth of diapers.

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I used to get packages on a weekly basis, but I'm proud to say my last order was in January for a college textbook and items have been very sporadic in the year prior to that.  I've been a good girl already.  ;)

I've been using the advice to put everything in a Wish List or cart for at least one month and if I find myself still needing it a month later, then I can buy it.  I've been doing this for the past year and I'm shocked to see how very little I've bought during that time because I simply waited one month.  Maybe you should try that.  :coolgleamA:

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I do order quite a bit on Amazon, but ultimately, I still thinks it saves me money: say, for example, we're out of an OTC med like ibuprofen or allergy medication. I can go to Target or to Sam's Club, during which I inevitably end up picking up other random things that I remember we "need" while I'm there, or I can just order it for the same price on Amazon without all the extras. 

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I've been using the advice to put everything in a Wish List or cart for at least one month and if I find myself still needing it a month later, then I can buy it.  I've been doing this for the past year and I'm shocked to see how very little I've bought during that time because I simply waited one month.  Maybe you should try that.  :coolgleamA:

 

I try to do this, too.  Especially for used books, I have to avoid buying with 1 click.  If I put it in my cart or wish list for awhile, sometimes the book shows up anyway (because I already ordered it!).  This says two things - I'm not organized enough and used books through media mail take FOREVER compared to 2 Day Prime!  Maybe it says two more things - I'm big on instant gratification and I order too many books!

 

Seriously, I do save a lot by thinking about things in my cart for longer than a day.  Very often I'll decide the library wait time isn't too long or I just don't need something.

 

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Not possible.  Too many frequent purchases that are only there and/or are much cheaper.;  All food or household purchases, nothing that wasn't truly needed.

 

I've been good though.  Only one non-school book purchased in 2015.  I'm exercising restraint and going to the library more.

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I buy mostly supplements from amazon

and right now - wedding stuff.

 

I'm not going to be able to join you, though I do think giving up frivolous purchases is a worthy idea.  I won't buy any yoga dvd's or piano music.  ;)    I got some for Christmas I'm still working my way through.    :cool:

 

since dh's background is finance, and every month he gives me a sheet with my cc expenditures asking me to tell him which categories they fall into (so he can enter the information into his buget ledger) - I know exactly how much I spend and on what.  (It makes hiding birthday purchases from him a pain.  I've actually been known to wait until after the billing date to buy his gift.  now - I'll just say  "your present". :001_tt2: )

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abacus2, on 13 Mar 2015 - 8:10 PM, said:abacus2, on 13 Mar 2015 - 8:10 PM, said:

Amazon saves me a ton of money I am sure. I frequently buy 1 inexpensive item rather than going to Walmart. Has anyone ever bought one thing at Walmart?

 

I confess - I don't like walmart and almost never go there.  I live in a city/very large metro area, and I've noticed there is a big difference in the spirit of a walmart in the large city vs rural (or even small city).  

 

I've gone in, not found what I wanted, and bought nothing.   I've gone to Costco, not found what I wanted, and bought nothing.

 

makes me think of an almost live skit (seattle's version of SNL) about the shopper who went to Nordstrom (it started here), and didn't buy anything.  (implication was - yeah, right. like that ever happens . . .  I remember a house ad I once saw.  five minutes to Nordstrom . . . . and yes, I've been in Nordstrom many times - and bought nothing.)

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I confess - I don't like walmart and almost never go there.  I live in a city/very large metro area, and I've noticed there is a big difference in the spirit of a walmart in the large city vs rural (or even small city).  

 

I've gone in, not found what I wanted, and bought nothing.   I've gone to Costco, not found what I wanted, and bought nothing.

 

makes me think of an almost live skit (seattle's version of SNL) about the shopper who went to Nordstrom (it started here), and didn't buy anything.  (implication was - yeah, right. like that ever happens . . .  I remember a house ad I once saw.  five minutes to Nordstrom . . . . and yes, I've been in Nordstrom many times - and bought nothing.)

 

I will say though, buying nothing is easier than buying one thing.

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I'll join you; what a horrible corporation! I'm probably just as guilty as everybody else of thinking, "But it's so easy and everybody else is doing it!" so here's a link to some links to help us stay strong and feel GOOD about the packages that aren't showing up on our doorsteps:

 

https://stallman.org/amazon.html

 

and some other booksellers we can feel better about supporting even if it takes the packages a few days longer to show up:

 

 

 

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/

 

http://www.indiebound.org/

 

 

Edited to remove link to subsidiary of the Amazon corporation

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and some other booksellers we can feel better about supporting even if it takes the packages a few days longer to show up:

 

http://www.abebooks.com/

 

http://www.betterworldbooks.com/

 

http://www.indiebound.org/

 

Unfortunately, I believe that Abebooks is now owned by Amazon.  As is Book Depository.  Into the maw....

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My particular Amazon addiction is ebooks. I even buy books I already own in print simply because I prefer reading on my Kindle. I'm already trying to curb that behavior though. I haven't bought an ebook this month so far. I do have one I want, but I've been holding off because I'm trying to talk myself into getting it from the library.

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We're out of rinse aid for the dishwasher.

 

I went and pit some in my Amazon cart.

 

It's an add on item.

 

There are some supplements I want.

 

Now they are in my cart too.

 

BUT

 

I didn't check out.

 

We can live without rinse aid (unless I remember to get it at the grocery store; I never do) and the supplements can wait too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Maize, thank you so much for this timely thread, and you too, Laura, for correcting my misunderstanding about Abe books.

 

What I have been doing is keeping a text file in a folder on my hard drive for the curriculum I want for the next school year and getting a rough idea of what the going rate is on Abe books and Amazon marketplace so that I will know when I see a good deal.

 

After a week or so, I frequently delete the item because I the impulse has passed and I didn't actually need it just because I thought it was cool that somebody else (who undoubtedly has a smaller home library) was getting it for their ds-aged kid.

 

ds likes videos, so I am currently "shopping" for second grade science and history documentaries on YouTube. ;)

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