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Amazon offers easy savings and convenience on thousands of items, delivered right to your door! Wondering what to buy on Amazon? Check out the 16 items you should purchase there!
Wondering what to buy on Amazon? Check out these recommendations!
For many of us, Amazon offers easy savings (and convenience) on thousands of items, delivered right to our door. But it's important to know what items really are great prices, and which items are worth heading to your local store for.
My general rule of thumb is to check Amazon for anything I would make a quick trip to Walmart for, because so many items end up being less money, with no stress. I love that!
However, remember that Walmart DOES offer delivery now with their Walmart Plus Membership. We've really been enjoying using that service as well!
16 items you should (almost always) buy on Amazon:
1. Toilet Paper
Amazon consistently offers great prices on toilet paper, just about every single day. While these savings may not be quite as good as shopping at your local grocery store with a coupon (although often they win!), they are frequently less than Sam's Club or Costco, plus you get the convenience of having them delivered to your door!
To make sure you're getting the best price, scan the “$.xx/count” on this page for the lowest price per count and check for any extra coupons they're offering. I usually like to pay less than 2¢ per square foot.
TIP: I almost always keep my order of Quilted Northern priced at 46¢ per double roll when you choose to subscribe and save. It stays around that price almost all the time, and while I occasionally find better deals with coupons, this is a great price and I don't have to worry about hunting down a deal!)
2. Diapers, Swim Diapers, & Pull Ups
Amazon's prices on diapers are so good, unless you get a crazy fun deal at the drug stores using coupons. However, I've often calculated Amazon's price per diaper and found them to beat even prices at local stores after coupons, so it's definitely worth watching for their sales! To find the best price, do the math to find the lowest price per diaper on size 1 diapers HERE, and know that your price will go up per size.
TIP: Typically I aim to find a deal priced around 10¢ per Size 1 diaper for Luvs, or 12¢ per diaper for Huggies or Pampers – after coupons and Amazon's subscribe and save program.
3. Baby Wipes
Occasionally local grocery stores offer a great price on smaller packed wipes after a high value coupon. However, you can usually find baby wipes on Amazon from 1¢ to 2¢ per wipe after you subscribe and save (and clip any eligible coupons they have available.) If you have babies or small children and go through large quantities of baby wipes, this is a great (easy!) way to save!
Note: On Amazon subscribe and save items, you'll need to subscribe to shipment for an item, but can cancel your subscription once your order arrives in the subscription section of your Amazon account. I usually set mine to ship 6 months apart so I have plenty of time to cancel an order if I need to!
4. Books
Amazon has fantastic prices on most books just about every day (especially when they have their special book promotions!), and if you don't mind buying used you can save a bundle on those as well! However, be sure to note shipping prices on used books as those sometimes negate the savings on the book themselves.
Go HERE to search Amazon's extensive book selection (Interested in the book above? Check out Grace Not Perfection by Emily Ley. It's a fantastic read with lots of practical tips!).
TIP: Prefer listening to books? New Audible customers with an Amazon Prime account can try Audible completely free and get a free audiobook download credit!
5. Blu-Rays & DVDs
There are hundreds of deals every day on DVDs and Blu-Ray movies on Amazon, and you can find a huge selection available for less than $5! These often go up and down in price, so be sure to follow the PPP Facebook page to keep up with quick price breaks when they happen.
6. Department Store Makeup
If you wear department store makeup (Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, etc), and an item you need is not part of a special free gift promotion, Amazon is a great way to easily get your makeup.
I order my Estée Lauder foundation from them just about all the time (my one big splurge!), mostly because it saves me a trip to the mall and it's just convenient. Plus, some brands are eligible for subscribe & save, which will save you an additional 5-15% with free shipping!
7. Drug Store Brand Makeup
If you're a fan of brands like CoverGirl, L'Oreal, Wet n Wild, Almay, or Revlon, Amazon has a huge selection of makeup that goes on sale pretty heftily every month with their special coupons and promotions.
Plus, many brands are eligible for subscribe & save, which will save you an additional 5 – 15% with free shipping! I usually can't beat those savings even with coupons, so this is a great convenient way for me to save without leaving my house!
8. Personal Care Items
If you watch Amazon's extra coupon savings, they regularly have clippable coupons on shampoo, conditioner, feminine care products, body wash, and more. By watching for those savings, I've gotten them on sale for substantially less than I would pay at Walmart, and of course love that they bring them to my door!
To grab these savings, be sure to bookmark our Amazon page! They don't happen all the time, but if you subscribe to PPP daily emails I'll be sure to alert you when I see these savings.
9. Select Office Supplies
You can often find crazy low prices on writing utensils and office supplies during back to school season. However, Amazon does offer some great deals on select items if you know what to look for. In fact, I've seen fantastic prices on Elmer's Glue, Bic writing supplies, Ticonderoga pencils, graphing calculators, and more (be sure to watch for $10 off $25 writing utensils promotions that roll around!).
10. Select Cleaning & Household Products
There are dozens of household & cleaning items that Amazon offers high value coupons on each month, which offer some great savings (and prices just about always less than Sam's or Costco – so you don't need a membership!). Here are a few of my favorite household deals that you can grab:
11. Toys & Games
There are typically great deals on toys and games, but it's worth taking a few minutes to do some research before ordering. I usually compare the Amazon prices to those at Walmart and Kohl's to verify they really are a great deal, but most of the time Amazon either meets or exceeds their savings.
You can also check out CamelCamelCamel.com to see a price history of items on Amazon to know if you're really getting the best price (just be sure to check Amazon's price drops and not 3rd party sellers).
12. Pet Toys & Treats
I have consistently found great prices on pet toys and treats on Amazon, compared to the crazy high price you'll often see at specialty pet stores. If you're curious, our dog's favorite toy is this one – he loves it!
I haven't seen decent savings on pet food (although some folks have told me to watch for good prices on dog and cat food too?), but if you're looking for just toys or treats you can save a bundle.
13. Housewares & Kitchen Items
Not every item at Amazon is always at the lowest price in their housewares department, but if you do a little research you can often get great prices by waiting for a deal. I've purchased most of my Pyrex, all of my pots and pans, and of course my Crockpot when they've been deeply discounted on Amazon.
Not sure how to find the best deal? I watch Amazon deals every day for you – go HERE to see a running list, and subscribe to free daily emails so you never miss these deals!
14. Grocery Items
I love being able to shop for back to school snacks, grocery items, and pantry staples on Amazon and have them delivered to my door. In fact, I often stock up on Gatorade, fruit snacks, chips, lunchbox fillers, cereal, and other pantry staples on Amazon and pay less than what I would at the store!
15. Clothing
If you're looking for cheap cute clothes you can shop for online, Amazon offers lots of fun, trendy items with great prices! Plus, I love that shipping is fast, provide tons of reviews and photos to help you decide, and the return policy is fantastic (I love that you can return clothing at your local Kohl's!).
Check out tons of my favorite Amazon clothing pieces HERE! (If you're looking for other clothing options, I love Stitch Fix! However, it is less affordable and not for everyone.)
16. Gift Cards
Amazon occasionally offers special Deal of the Day Gift Card deals (especially around the holidays!), which typically will save $5-$10 off a $50 gift card. Combine those savings with a restaurant coupon and it can really add up!
Other ways to save on Amazon:
Shop Daily Deals
Amazon has fantastic Deals of the Day available daily, and they just about always offer them for the lowest price that sale item has ever dropped to. Go HERE to see today's daily deals.
Watch for Daily Lightning Deals
In addition to Amazon's Daily Deals, they also have Lightning deals that last just a few hours each day with a limited supply, and can offer some pretty substantial savings. Plus, if you're a Prime member, you'll get access to these deals 30 minutes before they go live to everyone else. Go HERE to see those deals.
Grab Completely Free eBooks
Amazon has hundreds (hundreds!) of free ebooks available every day – go HERE to see what's included today. Plus, Amazon Prime members get to choose TWO free Kindle Books every month through their First Reads program. These eBooks are usually valued at $5 each or more!
Watch Free movies courtesy of Amazon Prime Video
If you're an Amazon Prime member (you can try it completely free here!), you can stream hundreds of free movie and tv shows from your computer, or even on the Amazon Prime Video App. I use this almost every morning at the gym (have watched Downton Abbey, Parenthood, and dozens of movies on it), and love that I don't have to have a separate Netflix account to watch these.
- TIP: Check out these completely free Amazon Prime Free Videos for kids! You can also get a free trial of Amazon Prime Video here.
Love Amazon? Don't miss these six ways to make money from Amazon.com.
See more Amazon Deals, and remember when you subscribe and save to 5 or more items in one month, you’ll also save an additional 15% on all of your subscribe and save purchases.
Remember that pricing on Amazon is subject to change at any time.
Toliet Paper
To make sure you’re getting the best price, scan the “$.xx/count” on this page for the lowest price per count and check for any extra coupons they’re offering. I usually like to pay less than 2¢ per square foot.
What is this “$.xx/count” ?
And it is not priced per square foot so how do you compare?
Great Post Laurie thank you. I am looking for and specific to Amazon products a printable PDF tracker. Does anyone know of where I can get something like this? Be well, Julie
I started pricing toilet paper by square which helps bc rolls are all different sizes and that allows me to get the cheapest regardless of roll size or pack size. I usually pay .0017 cents per sheet I believe- is been a while since I stocked up
I’ve got two babies in diapers and was given an Amazon gift car for my birthday. I decided to stock up on diapers and wipes but the price difference from Amazon to Walmart is so much, I can’t even make myself spend the money on Amazon. There is almost a $12 to $15 difference from Walmart prices.
Talor – it DEFINITELY goes up and down in prices but we often find really good deals on diapers on Amazon. Howeve SOME of the diaper deals on amazon aren’t good at all – you just have to do some price checking! Here’s just one example of a good deal:
Pampers Baby Dry Size 1 Diapers 120 ct:
https://amzn.to/3SpgYXT – Amazon $21.99 after clipping the eCoupon
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pampers-Baby-Dry-Extra-Protection-Diapers-Size-2-112-Count/27280866 – Walmart $27.99
https://www.target.com/p/pampers-baby-dry-diapers-select-size-and-count/-/A-53414314?preselect=14719732#lnk=sametab – Target $27.99
I hope that helps – and please check our Diaper Deals page often as we post at least a deal week when we find it! https://passionatepennypincher.com/category/amazon_deals/amazon-diaper-deals/
I am on Medicare and my Blue Cross Advantage Card comes with a savings card good for $50 per quarter at the pharmacy. Or, you can go online and order. I like going to CVS, using my extra bucks, and coupons then paying with this card first. I sure can buy a lot of items: personal care, first aid, vitamins, OTC meds and more.
Thanks for sharing Donna! 🙂
Do you know where I can find the steel, handheld juicer I keep seeing on fb?
I love Amazon/prime video . I wish they had fuel discounts like Walmart+(-$.10 off each gallon of gas, whether you use cash, credit/debit at Murphy Express).
W+ gas stations, you can load a Walmart gift card and use it to buy gas.
Member’s Mark toilet paper is great, and without a sale is 1.5 cent per SQ. Ft.
Laurie, what type of mascara did you say you wear?
Usually L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara Sharon, but you can also see some new types our team tried out here! 🙂 Hope that helps! –> https://passionatepennypincher.com/tiktok-makeup-trends-worth-trying/
Since Covid, we have depended on Amazon and Sams Club plus for quite a bit of our shopping . We found that Amazon was overpriced on many of the hand sanitizer, antibacterial items at the beginning of Covid . Crazy overpriced!! It’s better now, so hoping they weeded out some of the suppliers. We buy a lot of our household items, vitamins, laundry pod and electronic related items. We have had prime for years and it has always paid off for us. I had a daughter across the US from me and it worked out so well for birthday presents or gifts, etc… I recently had a baby shower to buy for and found an Amazon baby card with gift card in it to send to the Mom since we are not currently getting out. I have also received flowers from my daughters from Amazon, gift cards so I can pick whatever I want. Love Amazon
Hi! We buy all our vitamins and melatonin for the kiddos With the subscribe and save option we get name brand products usually at the same price or even less than store brand prices!
Good to know Erin ~ thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Great post! Laurie, what shade of Double Wear Estée Lauder do you use?
Hi Susan! Fresco 🙂