I am normally not one to sign up for annual memberships if I don’t have to, but 5 years ago, when living as a single mom and not being able to afford cable, I decided to get the Amazon Fire device and become a Prime member to get access to popular shows while also staying within my budget. Little did I know, access to Prime TV was just scrapping the surface to my Prime membership. In this post, I am sharing all of the ways I use Amazon to make my life much easier and why we are an Amazon Household!
There are so many things that you get with your Prime membership that it will make your head spin, that is why I want to share a few ways I have incorporated the program into my life to make day to day tasks much easier but first, what is Amazon Prime? What is Amazon Household? They are actually two different things, but you need one to have the other!
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service that will make your life so much easier providing lots of amazing perks for only $14.95/ month or $139 a year. Sure, at first glance, the price may seem a little borderline “steep,” but as a single mother with a limited budget when joining, I found that I saved overall in so many aspects of my day to day spending. Oh, and if you have a student email address, you can try Amazon Prime free for 6 months and then only $7.49 a month after.
What is Amazon Household?
Once you have Amazon Prime, you can set up Amazon Household so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of Prime! The Amazon Household allows the following family members:
- Up to two adults (aged 18 and over), each with their own Amazon account.
- Up to four teens (ages 13 through 17). Teens can have their own Amazon login to shop or stream content while still keeping their parents informed.
- Up to four children (children can’t shop on Amazon)
My boys have Fire tablets for learning and to play games. Since we are an Amazon Household, I can see what they are watching and downloading on their tablets. Also, they like to listen to their Echo Dot at night for bedtime stories. I can control the device from downstairs using my Alexa app, turning it off when they fall asleep or playing another bedtime story if the first one didn’t do the job!
What are the Best Perks of Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime Video
As I mentioned before, this was the main appeal for me when joining Prime. As a single mom, I couldn’t afford $75 a month for cable, but after researching Amazon Prime Video, I learned that there was a huge library of top rated shows and movies. Prime Video is always updating their offering. You can also add video subscriptions to Showtime, Starz, Paramount, and HBO to name a few. As a matter of fact, you can get a 30 day free-trial to Paramount Plus through your Amazon Prime Video. All you need to get started with Prime Video is the Amazon Firestick, normally $49.99 but if you are a Prime member, you can get it for only $22.99 during Prime Day (July 11-12th).
Super Fast Delivery | Same Day Delivery
I rarely leave my home to shop for commodities or electronics, back-to-school, really anything unless I am in search for more unique items for birthdays, holidays, home decor or fashion items or limited shelf life grocery items. Folks, you can still support small business and also love Amazon. I choose to prioritize and shop small business brands in certain categories, and save with Amazon when it comes to the basics. Not to mention, Amazon has recently made it possible for small businesses to open up Amazon shops and sell through Amazon as well, so there’s that. With Amazon Prime, I can get almost anything I need within a day, and sometimes even same day, at no extra charge! For items that I reorder every month, such as printer ink, dog food, toilet paper, etc., I can save even more by setting up a monthly subscription delivery for these items!
Alexa Shopping List Function
I have an Echo Dot in several key rooms of the house (kitchen, bedroom, office) and at any given time, when I run out of an item that I usually pick up at the grocery store, I just say “Alexa, add coffee creamer to my shopping list.” Alexa will add the item and I go about my business. At the end of the week when I go for my grocery run, I pull up the list Alexa has made to make sure I get everything.
If you have a newer generation Echo smart speaker or smart display, Alexa will also notify Prime members of upcoming deals. Just the other day, I was in my bathroom getting ready, and Alexa notified me of a sale on the reusable water balloons that I had saved in my cart. They were 25% off and Alexa asked if I would like to purchase. I simply replied, “Yes,” and Alexa had them delivered the next day!
You Can’t Beat the Amazon Return Policy
All I have to say here is, if you don’t like it, just return it within 30 days. In most cases, you just initiate the return on Amazon.com and then drop the product at UPS or Kohls, no packaging or label needed! Super easy!
Whole Foods and Amazon Partnership
Want to try to incorporate a healthier diet into the mix? Amazon has partnered with Whole Foods so that you can get free 2 hour Whole Foods deliveries in select cities!
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Amazon Prime Day and other Exclusive Deals
Before we dive into Amazon Prime Day, let me tell you one of my favorite places to browse daily on Amazon, Just For Prime. Just For Prime is an exclusive section on the site only available to Prime members where I can get special savings in every category!
Now for Amazon Prime Day! Most everyone has heard of it in some shape or form on the radio, TV, internet, but if you aren’t a Prime member, you may not understand the hype. Prime Day is a 48-hour event where you can take advantage of huge savings site-wide. It is always a great time to buy Amazon electronics, such as Alexa-powered devices, Fire TVs, and more. If you are thinking about becoming an Amazon Household, now is the time to join Amazon Prime and get your devices at a discount since the sale is July 11-12th.
These are just a few of the amazing benefits of Amazon Prime! There are so many other features that I haven’t even gotten around to using. It seems that once you join Amazon Prime and get the Amazon devices that compliment the program, you are constantly getting new features.
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