Amazon.
Amazon has seriously changed the way I shop. It used to be when I needed diapers or a kitchen utensil, a stroller or a birthday gift I'd head to the mall or to Target. {don't get me wrong, I still big sparkly heart Target} Now, my first thought is, "Hmm, I wonder if Amazon has that." Amazon has everything. Just to give you an idea of some of the things that I get through Amazon, here is a list of the things we've purchased recently and/or the items currently in our Amazon cart awaiting checkout(or enough Swagbucks earned Amazon giftcards):
- books - Chris bought several books with money he'd received for Christmas - they were each 32% off list price
- heat mat for germinating seeds - 36% off
- diapers - Amazon has the BEST diaper prices!! We use cloth at home, but I also buy the unbleached healthiER 7th Generation disposables and they are considerably cheaper than even the cheap store brand diapers. My last order came out to be $0.10/diaper. You just can't beat that. The key is to find coupons. They are in pretty much every parenting magazine and come on a lime green postcard. Check your library, mooch off friends, whatever.
- stroller - I've been wanting a new stroller, a particular new stroller, so I saved my pennies and sold my old single and double stroller on Craigslist and then I waited for just the right sale to buy what I was after. We had test drove and priced them in a local baby store and then came home to check Amazon. Are you ready for this... the Amazon price was $250 less than what the same item would have cost in the store locally. That's a whole ton of money!
- measuring cups - yup, I buy measuring cups online rather than in the store. For about the same price as I'd pay at Walmart for plastic utensils that contain all kinds of who knows what, I can buy 100% recycled, BPA-free ones.
- more books - Ian's birthday is coming up so I'll be ordering this series (35% off) for him.
I could
One hint for saving money on Etsy is always check to see if the store you are wanting to buy from has a Facebook page. I almost always find a coupon code on a shop's FB page before making a purchase. You can usually save 15-25% or get free shipping. It's definitely worth checking.
Daily deal sites.
There are getting to be sooooo many of these. Most of the ones that interest me are the ones that sell things for babies, kids, and mamas. What I've done is become a Facebook fan of the ones I like and then typically around 10am they will post that day's deal. So, I can quick jump on the computer and make a quick run down my feed to see if there's anything that interests me. More often than not, there isn't, but some of those sites have enabled me to buy things that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford at full price. Here are the ones that I like:
Speaking of liking pages on Facebook... there are two in particular that make a business out of scouting out deals for frugal mamas. Both are worth 'liking' in my opinion; Baby Cheapskate and Deal Wise Mommy.
Dealomite. This is a fairly new website, but I love it. Their regular prices alone are just great, but what makes things even more fun is that on their front page they feature six random items that drop in price each day until they are sold out or time runs out. I recently purchased Emelia's convertible car seat on there for 40% less than the already low Amazon price. I was very impressed with their service and quick shipping as well.
Baby Earth's GaGa Deal. This is a fun site. You have to be careful, because it really appeals to that impulse shopper. Each weekday from 9-5 they feature a different product every hour. At the start of the hour the item is full price. Every second it goes down in price until the allotted amounts have sold. It's kind of fun and you can certainly get some good prices.
Are you still reading? Here comes one of my most very favorite websites. We would literally starve {or at least not eat as cheap and healthy} without it. Azure Standard. I heart Azure even more than Target I think - and that's a lot. Would you believe it if I said that I don't go to the grocery store. It's mostly true. We buy our milk and meat from local farmers and nearly everything else I purchase through Azure Standard. I do occasionally darken the door of a brick and mortar grocery, but those visits are few and far between. They usually also involve purchasing something that I really shouldn't be buying anyway... like ice cream, chips, and Cheerios... Once a month our Azure driver, Kyle, brings boxes and boxes of delicious organic produce, wonderful raw cheese, spices, pasta, grain, cleaning supplies, etc. It has been such a blessing to do one stop once a month shopping for less than grocery store prices. If you haven't already, I'd definitely encourage you to see if there is an Azure Standard route near you.
So how about you, do you do any shopping online? If so, what are your favorite place to shop?
2 comments:
Did you get the Preserve measuring cups? lol Fun post, I hadn't heard of some of those sites. I'm on the hunt for a Dyson vacuum cleaner now, I wonder if any deal sites would have one?
They are in my cart, Christy! I saw the Preserve strainer at Target tonight(they didn't have the cups in store). I think that once your kefir grains get some love and plump up you'll be able to use it just fine. My grains definitely wouldn't fall through those holes.
Hmm.. I haven't seen any Dyson deals lately. I'll let you know if I spot one though.
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