I did it last year and I’m doing it again. This is a review of everything I bought on Amazon last year.
I’m stilling paying for Amazon Prime and I’m seriously considering canceling my subscription. I love the convenience of 2-day shipping on most items, but I don’t need to have items that quickly. For the most part, I’m at the office 9–10 hours in a day and I’m not home to pick up packages, so the ones I do send to the office can’t be very large or it’ll be a pain to carry home on the subway. This year I used Amazon Locker a few times (there’s one at the Sky View Center) and I like it a lot; my only issue is the lockers are always full now.
Ready? Let’s check out what junk I bought in 2015!
Was feeling extremely lazy when the new year started and I believe it was snowing like crazy outside. I didn’t feel like going to the supermarket (or even outside), so I decided to try out Amazon Prime Pantry, a service for Prime members that lets you pick a box and then fill it up with home essentials (in my case, mostly junk food). There’s a flat-rate delivery fee of $5.99 (Why the heck isn’t it free? We’re already Prime members…) and you also get discounts on the items you fill it up with. Although I never used Prime Pantry again, I will say it’s extremely convenient especially if you don’t have a car. Original price: $64.76. Reward points used: $64.76 How much I paid: $0.00.
I’ve hated snow boots since I was a kid. They’re usually heavy, clunky, rubbery and ugly. Basically, everything I hate and would never want to wear on my feet. After much research, I ended up picking these classic snow boots from Sorel. I was psyched to receive them, but man are they stiff. They need to be broken in this year and actually worn. Hopefully it’ll happen this year. Original Price: $152.43
One of my favorite movies of all time (top 10, for sure). Jurassic Park terrified me as a kid. The T-Rex and the velociraptors were absolutely fucking scary. This was before CGI was abused and practical effects still ruled. Jurassic Park did use some CGI for the ending T-Rex scene, but it was all blended so well you couldn’t even tell it at the time. I’m a sucker for nostalgic especially when it’s cheap. I know I really shouldn’t waste space with Blu-rays, but I can’t help it when it’s so cheap. And that metal box! Original price: $10.88
A lot of people hated Walter Isaacson’s “Steve Jobs” biography because of the tone or whatever. I found it insightful, full of wise nuggets and advice. This second biography is full of great quotes and Job-isms that dive deeper into the visionary and the world’s most valuable company. It recounts the rise and fall and then rise of Apple. There’s much to be learned from how Apple built itself an empire and the people who ran (and run it). I’m not sure why I rushed to pre-order it. I guess I was feeling generous to pay for a book. Original price: $19.60
I know, I know, physical media is supposed to be dead, but I like having full ownership of my favorite movies. Netflix is great, but I don’t even watch enough of it to justify paying for it. (I borrow my friend Richard’s account! haha). “The Sting” is my favorite movie, so it was a no-brainer. “The Hustler” is in my top 5. “The Color of Money” is a good sequel, but not nearly as great as “The Hustler” and “An Education,” well, I somehow fell in love this movie because of my ex. I think Carey Mulligan is an amazing actress and the story of naivety, greed and choosing the quick road just resonated so well with me. Original price: $44.63. Reward points used: $29.43. How much I paid: $17.25
I don’t have any recollection of this. Somehow I scored a $100 Amazon gift card for $20.56? Is that even right? Probably not. Looking at the next order (below), it looks like I got a $20.56 gift card somehow. Why the heck would I gift myself a gift card? I have never done that. Was I drunk? I’ll probably never know. Original price: $20.56
My parents needed a new TV antenna. Yes, they still mainly watch broadcast TV (they’ve never had cable and neither have I…shocker, right?). All the ones they had were bunny ears-style ones and they always broke and sucked and could barely pick up a signal. These flat antennas are way better. Not sure why I picked this one…probably from like a Gizmodo deal alert or something or maybe Slickdeals… Original price: $43.54.Gift card used $20.56. How much I paid: $22.98
Bought these two items for my Raspberry Pi 2 review on Mashable, where I built a 3D-printed spy bow tie. It was pretty cool, but I completely forgot to expense this stuff and so I ended paying for it with my own money. FML. Original price: $36.24
Look at that jump! I didn’t buy anything from Amazon in April, May or June. The only reason I bought this was because Amazon threw a bullshit “Amazon Prime Day,” which it touted as having bigger deals than Black Friday would. It mostly turned out to be a dud with shitty deals. I’ve been wanting a Job Gorillapod for a while, hey, it came out to free with Reward points, so NBD! Original price: $40.27. Reward points used: $40.27. How much I paid: $0.00
Why do I keep buying electric toothbrushes? The brush heads are expensive and you have to charge them up, and they alway seem to run out of battery right when you need it the most. Ugh. Never again. A regular toothbrush works just fiiine. Original price: $31.57
I haven’t watched new anime in years, mostly because I don’t have time for it. In high school (or was it college?) Full Metal Alchemist was the shit. It was such a dark story and even my little sister who hates gore and scary stuff (like me) was into it. Back then we watched pirated versions. I wanted to pay my dues and buy the series. The creators deserve as much. I still haven’t opened it. But I’ll make the effort this year. Original price: $38.10. Reward points used: $38.10. How much I paid: $0.00.
All my jeans/pants decided to fall apart (fly zippers, buttons, rips) and whatnot at the same time for some reason. Never really order pants/jeans online since I can’t try them on. Went for it and only ended up liking two of them. Returned the middle pair. Believe it or not, Levi’s keeps changing the cut on their jeans even though they’re the same damn style. WTF Levi’s? Stop it! Original price: $108.47. How much I paid (after refund): $68.48
Mad Men is my favorite TV series of all time. I already own the Season 1–4 on DVD (purchased yearssss ago), but I wanted to the whole collection on Blu-Ray. I figure I’ll give my sisters the DVD version. This complete boxset normally sells for $99.99, but because of all the Amazon Reward points I accrued, I didn’t have to pay full price. It comes with two glass tumblers and some kind of art book. I didn’t buy any Christmas gifts for myself last year, so I this was a nice treat. Original price: $99.99. Reward points used: $64.55. How much I paid: $44.21
While in London in November, my Sony A6000 I bought last year broke. The screen just went kaput, although the EVF still works. I needed a new camera and Amazon had a deal on Thanksgiving for cheap, so I pulled the trigger. But I was full of regret and decided to return it all. (Still have until the 1/31 to return the body). I mean, the A6000 successor has got to come out this year (there was no new model last year) and I can wait a little longer. In the meantime, I’ll just have to use my Sony RX100 Mark III, Nikon D7000 and my busted A6000. REFUNDED
My cousin in Paris needed these study guides for the CPA exam she’s taking in the spring. Wanted to buy these and bring them to her on my visit in November, but they’re not sold in book stores and she told me at the last second so shipping them to my home was too late. Oh well. Anything for cousins you actually care for, right? Shipping two books to Paris was expensive AF tho… Original price: $120.59. Reward points used: $59.99. How much I paid: $60.60
I’m a huge fan of Jack Purcell sneakers, even though I always wear them out in record time. The originals are nice, but I always lean towards the limited editions, the ones you can’t and won’t find on someone’s feet. A few years ago it was the Undefeated/JC collection and this time it’s this pair of black leather and cross stitch. I’ve been needing a pair of black sneakers for a while, so these were long in the coming. Original price: $84.99. Reward points used: $34.07. How much I paid: $50.92
Final sub-total for Amazon purchases in 2015 was: $876.65. Like last year, I didn’t actually pay that much everything. I actually paid $538.72 because I accrued and used $351.73 from Amazon’s Reward points.
So I managed to cut my Amazon spending in half from last year, which was great, but since my rent went up, all that savings went right into someone else’s pocket. How lovely…
Still, I’m pretty satisfied with my savings. Looking back, it looks like I bought mostly Blu-rays. Hah! I could have done without them, but I’m a dork for physical media.
Keep in mind, this is just spending on Amazon. If I really dug into my credit card bills, I know I’d find purchases made elsewhere. Most of the higher-priced purchases were made elsewhere…
