Save HUGE Money on Amazon Over Big Box Warehouse Stores

I love Amazon.  We pay for Amazon each year because we do not have cable – I wouldn’t have it ANY other way.   This allows us to stream movies and television shows. We ALSO borrow books, play music and take advantage of the cloud space.  

That being said, I joined Amazon Mom early on and love it.  I use the subscribe and save option as much as I can for the household.  That isn’t to say I don’t venture into a Warehouse Store once in awhile (my mom has me as her “plus one”).  But usually when I do, I’ll be honest  – I sometimes regret it.  Especially when I can’t seem to find room for everything I bought.

Here’s the million dollar question: HOW do I save money?!

Time is Money

Moms: whether we are Stay at Home Moms or Working Moms, or somewhere in-between, our time is valuable.  Buy using Amazon, I save at least the 2 hours it will take me to strap in the kids and drive to the club store.  

The lines can get a little crazy …..so not only am I saving time, I’m saving some gas, and the cost of snacks – after all, the snack bar is smack in front of the checkout lanes.  Which means they will either need ice cream, churros pizza or a hot dog.  

And if you leave without any of those, you MIGHT be in for a tantrum or two.

Amazon is easy. Open the lid to the computer. Search for what I need, and buy – all in a matter of 30 seconds. No buckling in car seats. No trying to find lost shoes. No waiting for that “perfect” parking spot so you can park a little closer to the cart corral. 

Impulse Buying

I can walk in with every intention of just going in and grabbing the 6 things on my list …….but to get to my list items I’m going to walk buy all the seasonal stuff, the clothes (oh my…..save me!), the toys, and the bakery… yum, yum – I said it: the Bakery.

Last time I went to Sam’s, I went with a 5-item list. I walked out with TEN.

Now don’t get me wrong, they were ALL deals.  They were ALL cheaper than other places  But – they were NOT on my list.

Yes I can justify spending the money and I must say I look real good in my new blouse.  

Sure, Amazon might some impulse buying involved. But I removed my card from my profile – which makes me really have to NEED it to get my purse, and re-punch it in on each purchase item. I don’t have to walk through 5 departments to find that one thing I need. And .. there isn’t a snack bar that pops up on the last page of the checkout process.

15% off Subscribe and Save

I love Subscribe and Save…   I must confess:  I have a few things on there coming every 2 months.

I have the box of kids Clif bars in Brownie ONLY — not the variety pack I can find at the club store.  Why?  Because my child won’t eat the iced oatmeal so its not saving me any money to have those sit in the pantry (and no, I can’t eat them because I’m Gluten-Free).

Along with that, I have paper towels, toilet paper and baby wipes.    

Believe it or not, I DO pay for Baby Wipes.  As crazy as it sounds, the deals MIGHT be great at the grocery store every few weeks – but you know… 9 times out of ten the shelves will be clear by the time I get there, or I’ll get one lonely box.  Time is valuable to me, I will not make continuous trips to re-check the shelves, I’m not ordering 50 coupons, and I really just don’t want the hassle of chasing down tubs. So Amazon is my go-to.

Thankfully I can ALWAYS find a deal ~ right now you can find Huggies Simply Clean 648 ct Wipes for $9.94.  Last week at Fry’s the same count was $15.99.  Amazon it is.

Club Card Fees

Before you roll your eyes at me (yes you I’m talking to you……) let me state again that we use Amazon Prime to stream entertainment.  All the other benefits are perks to us.  

We broke up with cable 3 years ago (see our mention of that HERE) and have never looked back.  I’m going to pay for Amazon Prime regardless.  Costco, Sam’s or BJ’s will run you anywhere from $30 to $50 a year or more depending on the level of membership you want  —  unless you get the basic membership for free through work or family.  

So even though I will go to my local club store,  I really try to avoid it.  I will go in every few months and will try to avoid it during the holidays because you can bet I will walk out with a 3 dozen box of belgian chocolates.

Amazon has Perks. Lots of Perks.

Being a member of Amazon Prime is like being in a cool club with lots of extras. There are so many advantages of Prime… from Music to Cloud Space, Music, Videos, Photos & more… see our last post to see ALL of the fun perks of having a Prime Membership.

Not to mention if you are a student, you can score a FREE 6-Month Amazon Prime Membership…

There…. we said it. We do love our Warehouse Stores… but given the chance to choose between Amazon and a Big Box Warehouse, we’ll jump on the Amazon train EVERY TIME. The sheer fact that we don’t have to leave our house, and tote ALL the children to the store makes it an EASY, effortless way to save.