Patrick had a great post about Amazon last week, so this is building on his suggestions. I used to only use Amazon for books. Then it occurred to
me that other items might be cheaper there as well. We've found great deals on
Amazon for numerous items, including computer parts and other electronics, exercise equipment, and DVDs. It has also been great for items that were tough to find in a brick-
and-mortar location, like a baby food grinder. One of the more recent finds was a cell phone. The screen on my old phone
broke, and my first thought was that I would need to buy a new one from our
carrier—an expensive option since I didn't have any kind of phone insurance and
was not eligible for a new phone. I decided to check Amazon. It turns out that
you can buy an "unlocked." cell phone off Amazon for way cheaper than what you'd pay
from a carrier. I got a great phone for $30 (and free shipping). I didn't even need to contact the
carrier—just switched the SIM card to the new phone and it works great.
Of course, as with any type of shopping, you have to be careful to not buy things you weren't planning to buy and don't need. But as long as I'm getting an item anyway, it's probably worth checking online to see if it's cheaper.
This may sound obvious, but another huge benefit to Amazon and other online retailers is the convenience factor. Before having kids, I took for granted how easy it was to shop. It becomes exponentially more difficult with children. If I can price compare from my own home, order something that will arrive
at my doorstep in a few days, AND is cheaper than in the store, that's
an easy decision.
