I lived for Prime Day every year. I would hold off on purchasing new items just so I could buy them at a discount over a 48 hour period most likely in June or July. But in reality, I probably didn’t need these things. And an even harder truth is that most of these items aren’t really that much cheaper than they are normally. So what are the best deals this year for Prime Day?
Nothing!
Stings a little, doesn’t it?
But if you need feel like you need to browse through all the Prime Day deals, I’ll give you a few tips on how to do that without:
- Blowing your budget
- Buying things you don’t actually need
First of all…
It’s not a good deal if you don’t need it.
If you don’t need it – don’t buy it.
If you won’t pay full price for it, then you probably don’t need to buy it just because it’s on sale.
You’re spending money you don’t need to spend.
Any way you slice it, if you don’t need it you shouldn’t buy it. (Don’t let Amazon or “influencers” tell you differently).
Be like Santa – check your list.
I feel like jolly ol’ St. Nick on a regularly basis because I check my list – often. My 72 hour list is the place where I write down everything I want to buy. New shoes, dresses, toys for our son, outdoor gear, furniture, concert tickets… you name it. If it isn’t truly a need (like groceries, toilet paper, sunscreen, etc) it gets put on the list.
This helps us reduce our overall impulse purchasing that has been so ingrained in our shopping habits. It also helps us find more creative solutions to things we might want or need.
Waiting three days allows us to better search our Buy Nothing Group, look on Facebook Marketplace, and even learn how to make do with what we have. While buying brand new and shiny things brings momentary happiness, making do or getting something for free makes me feel loads better than something store-bought.
Is it in the budget?
*Me scrolling through Amazon Prime Day* Oh look! I need this! My son NEEDS that! What a steal!
But that total in my cart is WAY over budget.
Before you even open the Amazon app you need to take a look at your budget.
Did you plan to buy these items anyways?
If you do truly need it, but didn’t quite budget it for it this month, can you cut something else out to pay for this?
Don’t you even think about putting it on a credit card!
And the best little trick I have is to check Camel Camel Camel. It’s a site that checks historical prices for every item on Amazon. You can see what something costs on Black Friday vs. Prime Day vs. literally any other day of the year. Don’t think that just because an item is “70% off” on Prime Day, that it’s the lowest price it has ever been.
Do you really need it or is it a want?
I’ve been mentioning needs and wants a lot. So what’s the difference?
Needs:
- Housing and utilities
- Groceries
- An appropriate amount of clothing to be socially acceptable
- Childcare
- Debt payments
- Insurance
- Bills
- Gas for your car
- Things that make you legitimately happy or make you a better person (ex. gym membership if you actually love working out, fishing tackle if you love fishing and actually go).
Wants
- New clothes to only wear once at an event or to keep up with the influencers
- Eating out/fast food
- Fancy or upgraded cars
- The latest gadgets when what you have gets the job done
- More cell phone data than you actually need – use wifi. Our Google FI phones are optimized to use wifi!
- Home decor because you’re tired of your space or you want a insta-worthy home
- Entertainment – think movie tickets, casinos, bowling, concerts, etc.
Unpopular opinion time!
I believe that most consumer items these days are wants rather than needs. Yes, some consumer goods can save your life or make your life better in some way. But we have someone from every angle – the influencer, the celebrity, the newscaster, your BFF, the MLM lady – telling you to buy something. Most of the time, we don’t even think about these items until we see an ad or someone talking about it.
So tune out the noise a little. Unfollow people who just want you to buy stuff so they can make affiliate income.
As a note: yes, I have ads on my blog. Do you know how many rude comments I get about having ads on my website when I talk about frugal minimalism? Dozens. But do I love writing and sharing helpful things with internet strangers? YES! Having ads on my blog allows me to bring a small amount of money (I’m talkin’ real small) so that I can pay for hosting services. I’m not going to push you to buy something that I haven’t tried or used. And honestly, I won’t push something I haven’t made!
So if you’ve made it this far (and I thank you), you can check out my printable shop on Etsy HERE. Because supporting small businesses is way better than the cheap stuff on Amazon.
Practice gratitude.
And to round out how to avoid making unnecessary purchases on Amazon this Prime Day is practicing gratitude.
When I feel like I need, just need something material to make me happy or feel better, I write down what I’m grateful for. It’s not long-winded or too emotional. Just “I’m grateful to have such an amazing, polite little boy. I’m grateful for a husband that will always think I’m beautiful. I’m grateful for the opportunity to workout this morning.”
You can be grateful for material objects too! Like your stand mixer for doing all the hard work because your hand gets tired making cookies. Or for your bed that allows you to sleep comfortably. Heck! I tell my air conditioner that I’m thankful it works like a charm during the hot summer months!
Gratitude and thankfulness shouldn’t be reserved for the holiday season. Gratitude is a 24/7, 365 feeling. You can feel grateful in any season of life – you just have to slow down and stop before you add something new to your life.
