We only have about 4 weeks left until our new addition is expected to arrive, and I’d like to think we’re pretty well-prepared. As you could imagine, I’ve been doing a fair amount of shopping in order to get ready.With the weather as crazy as it’s been (snow and then ice, followed by 60 degree temps to melt it all, only to start the process all over again) and my general lack of energy as we wind down to the end of pregnancy, I’ve been trying to find ways to simplify preparing for baby. Online shopping has been my saving grace! I used to be very against this… even though it might be more convenient, why pay more money to have items delivered when you could pick just about anything up for free from the nearby store or mall? After a lot of shopping around, I’ve come to find that there are ways to save more by shopping online, and Amazon has come through time and time again for us. I started to feel like a walking advertisement for their website, but in all honesty, we’ve saved so much money by hunting out the best deals on baby gear, and having it sent directly to our doorstep (with no additional shipping charges almost every time). I thought I’d share with you some of the tips we kept in mind when browsing their online marketplace. See if any of them can save you money, as well!
Compare products. Amazon is a great place to not only compare product prices, but also their quality. It was super easy to see what was top-rated, and what people didn’t like about certain things we were looking for. We were able to see which products offered the most bang for the buck, and we could compare those prices with those listed on our in-store registries. We often found the better deal online, and were able to pass that information along to friends and family in order to save them more money, too!
Take advantage of Supersaver Shipping. Many items sold by Amazon qualify for free Supersaver shipping if you have about $25 – $35 worth of items in your cart. We kept an eye out for these products, and we would let them collect in our cart until we reached the spending minimum. Not only were we getting the lowest prices, but we weren’t paying anything extra to have them sent directly to our house! I’d like to think this also saved me a fair amount of gas money by not having to drive to the store as often.
Subscribe and save. If you’re always re-ordering the same products, consider signing up for the Subscribe & Save program, which gets you a discounted price and automatically ships the product to you on a regular schedule.
Consider Amazon Prime. If you buy a lot of items from Amazon, you should consider their $99 per year membership, which gives you free two-day shipping and access to free things like the lending library and free streaming of movies, TV shows, and music. Faster shipping is also included in the deal. If you sign up for their mailing list, they occasionally run deals that allow you to get the same membership for a reduced rate – we ended up getting a year membership for only $79. To save even more, consider splitting the cost with a friend and sharing the account!
Special accounts are also an option. Joining Amazon Mom will get you the same benefits as Prime for the same price. However, you get additional benefits such as 20% off diapers and wipes. If you join the Amazon Student program, you’ll get Amazon Prime free for the first six months, then 50 percent off Prime membership after that.
Watch prices. If the price of the item drops after you purchase it, you can get refunded the difference as long as you report it within seven days of delivery. However, the price guarantee only works if Amazon sells and ships the item.
Check out Warehouse Deals. Amazon has a section called Warehouse Deals for open-box, like-new, and refurbished items at a discounted price. Amazon verifies that the items returned by other people are in working order before putting them up for sale. We’ve always been a fan of refurbished big-ticket items, like electronics, but use your best judgement.
How do you feel about online shopping? Do you have any secrets for saving more without going to the store?
