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Prime Day is here, and I'm broke. I talked about it before, but circumstances have put me into debt, and to climb out, I need to watch how I spend. Having this happen right before Prime Day turned out to be both a blessing and a curse.
I was able to save plenty of money on things I needed and things to protect what I already have. That was my goal, and I'm pretty pleased with the results:
I spent $399.87
I saved $136.15
That's 25.4% savings on exactly what I was looking for!
For the bad news. I found a couple of things I would have loved to buy because the price was right. I just can't swing it right now, though.
This is a hell of a deal on a great TV. I need a new TV, and a 65-inch Sony OLED with PlayStation 5 settings would be perfect, even if it's last year's model.
- For everything on Amazon Prime Day, head to our ultimate shopping guide.
Like a dummy, I cracked the corner of one of my desktop monitors, swatting at fruit flies. Don't ask and don't throw banana peels in the trash can in your office. The monitor may not be the newest model, but they are still way too expensive to just buy a new one. Seeing one this cheap changes that.
But enough about the things I want but can't afford, we all do enough of that sort of thinking all the time. Let's talk about what I bought.
A lot of it is simply bulk goods for the household. I'm going to use it, it's not going to spoil or go bad, and you can save some money by buying in bulk, especially on Prime Day and with free shipping. Sorry, Costco, but I can buy paper towels in my bathrobe this way, while saving some money, too.
Here's what I bought that isn't super interesting but needs to be factored in so I can tally up my total savings:
600 Dandelion seeds for $6.39 from Amazon. I keep pet ants, and one of the species I keep loves to eat dandelion seeds. Buying them for a few bucks is a lot easier than trying to grow them myself. I saved $2.60
35 pounds of dog food for $61.55 from Amazon. Hill's Science is the brand my wife's little dog likes, and 35 pounds will fill up her food storage bin. I saved $16.20.
12-pack of Skippy Peanut Butter for $23.85 from Amazon. I eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every day for lunch. I have since I was five years old. We always buy it in bulk, and this way we saved $10.77.
Five packs of Amazon Basics paper towels for $3.28 each. My wife likes this brand, so this is what we always buy. Stocking up during Prime Day means we saved $6.60.
Two 50-count Amazon Basics trash bags for $9.58 each. These bags are cheap, strong, and fit well inside my garbage cans. I saved $5.50 in total.
Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder in bulk for $159.97 from Amazon. Again, my wife likes this brand, and it's what we buy. I just dump in a cup full and figure it will work because she did all the thinking. Buying it on Prime Day saved us $60.00!
Aneco Blue Tack Putty for $3.59 from Amazon. The one impulse purchase I made it's perfect for hanging stuff and cleaning the tiny holes of your phone speaker or nasty earbuds. I saved $0.90, but it all adds up.
OK, we all have a similar list of boring everyday things we need to buy, and maybe even bought on sale and saved some money. But enough talking about it, let's move on to the more relevant stuff I needed to pick up while I could save some cash.
Stuff to protect my phone and watch
I won't be able to afford a new phone this year. Thankfully, the one I have now works great, and if I can keep from breaking it or losing it, should continue to do so for at least another year.
I picked up a hard polycarbonate case for my Motorola Razr for $7.99 from Amazon because it's not terrible. I usually don't use a case, but I want to be safe instead of sorry, and Prime Day is the right time to buy. I saved $2.00. We both know you really should use a case for your expensive phone.
No matter which phone you use, you'll find a case for it on sale during Prime Day at Amazon.
I also grabbed a pack of screen protectors for both screens of my Razr for the very same reasons. I decided to buy these from Supershieldz because I read they work well with the Razr and aren't likely to crack at the crease. I paid $8.99 at Amazon and saved $2.00.
I busted my last smartwatch while working on my old truck. I know I should take it off sometimes, but I never do. You live, you learn.
What may have saved it was a case and a screen protector. I found this four-pack of TPU cases with built-in screen protection at Amazon for $11.19, so I grabbed them, saving myself $2.80.
While I was looking, I wanted to buy a cheap watch strap, too. I like fabric velcro-style bands, so I picked up this one for 5.59 at Amazon and saved $1.40.
You can find cases, screen protectors, and straps for your smartwatch at Amazon during Prime Day.
Stuff to protect my tablet
My mom heard me talking about how much I'd like to use a new iPad with it's new software, so she bought me one for my birthday. I'm not a big Apple guy, but it is kind of awesome.
Like my phone, I can't afford to replace this if I break it. So I went shopping for a case and a screen protector. This case for $12.99 at Amazon should protect it, and the price was right; I saved $4.70.
To protect the screen, I picked up this two-pack of SPARIN tempered glass screen protectors for $8.99 because the reviews said they were great. I saved $3.89.
My wife uses a Samsung Galaxy Tab, and you might use one of the great Android Tablets available. You should protect your investment!
Buy a case for your tablet from Amazon.
Keeping it all charged
A phone or a tablet isn't much good if the battery is dead. We often forget about it, but a good charger and the right cable are really important tech to have when you need it.
I like to keep a spare of each on hand, so here's what I grabbed while it was on sale.
I also needed a new USB thumb drive. The price on those has come way down lately, but I found this M.2 USB drive adapter even cheaper. Since i have a 4TB M.2 drive in my desk drawer, buying this instead of a thumb drive means i can take more music with me on the go.
At the end of the day, I ended up getting a lot of stuff; the Amazon delivery person is going to hate me.
I also saved a total of $136.15 on things I had to buy anyway because I got them during Amazon's Prime Days. Not only did I get all my shopping done already, but I also saved over 25% in total on what would have normally cost me $400.
Not too bad for someone trying to count every penny!
For everything on Amazon Prime Day, head to our ultimate shopping guide.
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