Amazon Prime Membership $99 per year
This hundred dollars per year breaks down to $8.25 a month, which is less than a subscription to Hulu, Netflix, iTunes or Spotify. *They do have a monthly option for $10.99 per month. Get the annual membership (or Free Trial!) because, unless you are positive that you are ONLY going to order items for one month and then never order online again, paying monthly will just end up costing you more in the end.
You can read all about all the benefits you get as a member: 
> I can’t even tell you the amount of money I save in shipping. It WAY more than pays for the $100 investment. If that is the only feature that you utilize, it will be worth the investment.
>Love the two day shipping. So many times I’ve been able to order something I needed, when I thought of it, and then had it delivered to my front door before I would have had a chance to take a trip to the store where they may not have even had it. Plus, if you’re a smart Amazon shopper you know all of the PRO TIPS to save you even more money and get the highest quality products for the best prices.
FREE RETURNS :
Short of re-purchasing an item you already own, ALWAYS buy items that have “Free Returns.” Sometimes the shipping along on sending something back can cost half of the cost of the item itself.
REVIEWS & ANSWERED QUESTIONS :
Always buy the version/brand of whatever product you want that has the most stars. If you haven’t seen the product in person, take a few minutes to read some reviews (good and bad) and look at the photos that customers post in their reviews to get a real life sense of what it’s going to look like. I find this is especially helpful with clothing.
STUDENTS :
You get an even better deal > 50% off ($49/year) so, no excuses.
WAREHOUSE DEALS:
If an item offers a “Warehouse Deal” this LIKELY means that the product is unused, brand new and the box is a little banged up. Totally worth the savings you get for buying a ‘used’ product. If it is available, it’ll be just off to the right, by where you can add the item to your cart.
= buying a $20 item with only a few reviews, getting it, not liking it, then finding out that returning it will cost you $7 to ship back. Don’t get stuck with something you don’t actually want, because isn’t worth the money to ship it back. ^ Follow all of the Pro Tips to avoid this!
> We all buy stuff, but maybe more stuff than we would like to admit. Luckily there is a huge movement right now towards more intentional and minialistic living. I like to think of this not only in terms of what I buy, but also in terms of how I spend my time. Please watch the “Minimalism” documentary. Here is the trailer:
http://www.theminimalists.com/
Another really encouraging and inspiring resources is “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”
Once you watch/read this material you may feel some internal conflict.
I came home from work to four Amazon boxes the night that I sat down to watch “Minimalism.” Talk about feeling conflicted…
‘I should send all of these packages back right away…shouln’t I?
But I actually am going to use these things and if I sent them back,
I would still need to re-order or go out to the store and purchase them.’
Following the tips and tricks I mentioned in this article help me to feel less guilty about purchasing things that I want. PLUS they save me enough money to buy, or sometimes do (minimalist travel tips coming soon) the things that I’m really excited about.
Couple the ideals of being a more efficient consumer with the desire to enjoy your life to the fullest. Being a minimalist can start with tiny changes. I’m not a minimalist yet, but I’m on my way.
I’d love to chat with you and share ideas!
instagram: @lovelyminimalist
Jana Kate 