Saving Money Plus More
One of the gifts that my husband and I gave each other for Christmas this year was an
Amazon Prime membership. It may seem like an odd gift to some but we felt it was something that we would enjoy along with saving ourselves some money throughout the following year.
"Wait a minute, this membership costs money," you may be saying. Yes, it does cost $99 for a year's membership but we believe that we will both pay ourselves back and save money before the year is over. Everyone's mileage may vary on this front because it will depend on how often you make online purchases as to whether the membership will pay for itself or not. We feel confident that it will perform well for our needs.
One of the nicest benefits for us is the 2 day free shipping on most of the purchases that we make during a year. As long as the items that we purchase are part of the fulfilled by Amazon program we can enjoy that benefit. If the item happens to be from a third party we will not see that faster delivery for free but it is rare that we purchase third party items, anyway.
Another money savings benefit is that often times Prime members get a discount on items that non-members do not. Those savings add up during a year.
As an example of savings, I just ordered a storage bag to hold my Christmas tree in. We saw a bag in a catalog that comes to our house and felt that it was something we wanted. I went on Amazon to see if it was available there. It was! Not only was it available but at a considerable savings. Add to the fact that I didn't have to pay shipping on a heavy item and we were delighted. That one purchase has paid for almost half of the membership fee.
More than saving money
My husband and I love to watch movies, in fact we watch one every Saturday evening together. It is our weekly date night, curled up on the sofa together enjoying a movie together. Our
Prime membership allows us to stream movies and TV series for free which will add to our options on Saturday nights. Well, actually any night that there is nothing good on regular TV (which is often the case). We have already watched the series
Man In The High Castle which is exclusive to Amazon. It was really a great series! We have the option to rent movies, too.
I'm an avid reader so I can download books and even borrow books through my Prime membership. There is actually a lender's library of other members that I can read through. I can't wait to try that one! A free book never hurt anyone!
Something that I haven't tried yet but think is pretty cool is that I can store pictures for free. I can also download music with my membership.
All in all we feel an Amazon Prime membership is going to be beneficial to the two of us. We live on a fixed income now so any time we can save a little money is a good thing. How about you? Have you joined Prime or are you considering doing so?
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Beverly, thanks so much for describing all the benefits of having Amazon Prime. I've often wondered what it was all about, so appreciate the information.
ReplyDeleteI've been a Prime customer for many years. We benefit in all the ways that you mentioned, plus more. Did you know that Amazon Prime members can get a free book every month through the Kindle First program? Just choose one of the six pre-release choices that are offered in the Kindle store. It's yours to read and keep forever a full month before the book is released to the general public. And no, you don't have to have a Kindle to participate, just use one of the free reading apps instead. Another perk that I love is access to certain other products ahead of the public. That's how I got my Amazon Echo (Alexa) early and at a discounted price, months before it was released to the public. Alexa streams music for me on command including the huge library of Prime music, available absolutely free (I'm listening to some right now). I'm sure I get my $99 worth many times over in the course of the year. You're going to love it, Bev!
ReplyDeleteOh I didn't know about that free book every month! Awesome-sauce! I've got the app on my tablet so I will enjoy that for sure. I knew that we saw things a little ahead of non-members but did not realize that it might be months ahead. Cool, very cool.
DeleteAmazon Prime is an absolute must in our home! I absolutely love it. Like you, our membership pays for itself pretty quick with the free shipping, but we also enjoy the free movies, tv shows and books.
ReplyDeleteWe also have Amazon Prime, but we've not yet gotten any movies or free books. Don't you have to watch the movies on a computer? We have a really old TV, but can get movies on demand from our Cable network for a charge. How to the movies get from Amazon to the TV screen? As you can tell, I'm not much of a techie once I walk away from my computer.
ReplyDeleteWe have Amazon Prime and I have enjoyed the movies and I watch Downton Abbey on Amazon. I have tried the books but haven't quite figured it out yet. Susan I will check out the Kindle first program.
ReplyDelete