Author Topic: Quit Amazon Prime  (Read 23211 times)

jnw

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Quit Amazon Prime
« on: March 01, 2023, 05:48:17 PM »
I know there is already a long thread about this here on the forum.  In that thread I said there was no way I was going to give up prime, the benefits were too good etc..  i.e. fast shipping, amazon prime video & 5% cash back on Amazon Prime Credit card.

But I cancelled as of the end of 2022.  Saving $139.99.   It's been 2 months and ya know what? I don't miss it at all.  I just make sure to get $25 worth of stuff in the cart before placing an order, to avoid a shipping fee. It comes soon enough. If its less than $25 I just leave it in the cart until I need a second item then buy it.  Or I might combine a regular purchase I get each month with the order: e.g. liquid stevia and my multivitamin.

I haven't really missed the videos.  There's already too much free content elsewhere keeping me busy.  But once the next season of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel finishes, I'll probably subscribe to it briefly.

I am constantly being offered to try Prime for one week for $1.99.  I will use this offer if there is something I need shipped to me really fast and then binge watch the new season of Mrs. Maisel that same week, cancelling before they charge me the $14.99.

I don't use kindle unlimited, photo storage or amazon music so I am not tied to the platform.  I use google drive for the images.

I'm still getting 3% cashback on my Amazon Prime purchases from Chase.  I am finding I don't buy as much from Amazon now that I don't have a subscription which is a bonus.   Finding a lot of their stuff is priced too high anyways.

Here's the link to the $1.99 special for prime for a week:
https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime
« Last Edit: March 01, 2023, 05:50:09 PM by JenniferW »

stoaX

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #1 on: March 01, 2023, 06:08:34 PM »
Good for you!  I've never had Amazon prime, so this reinforces my decision to go without it.

EchoStache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2023, 06:45:07 PM »
Cancelled mine last year as well.  Good riddance to another subscription fee!

The only ones still clinging to me are Netflix, which I just halved to $10 monthly, Peacock for $1, and Spotify for music for $12.99.  Seems like nothing but still almost $3k over 10 years!!  It's crazy to think how much those who have no control over their spending, are spending on subscriptions.  It's the new way not so new way for corporations to bleed people dry without them realizing it.

Some are spending:
Cell phones: $300+/month
Cable/Internet: $200
Streaming of all kinds: $100....in addition to cable
Meal subscriptions, monthly nails, hair, eyelash, etc(sorry ladies, but its true for so many)

Just the first three come to over $70k in ten years.....for literally *nothing*.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2023, 06:48:24 PM by UltraStache »

BeanCounter

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2023, 06:47:19 PM »
I want to do this too. (also love Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) Honestly the shipping benefits aren't that good anymore. Everything I order is delayed.
What I'm not sure what to do about is my music play lists I've created with Amazon. Can you just subscribe to Amazon Music?

draco44

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2023, 07:46:08 PM »
Welcome to the resistance, OP! I've never had Amazon Prime myself but I see the appeal and respect someone who announces they've changed their mind about something upon further consideration. If you have any interest in further reducing or eliminating your spending at Amazon, this blog post spoke to me: https://www.bitchesgetriches.com/stop-feeding-amazon/. I'm also in the "it can wait 'til what I want in my cart is >$25" crowd of Amazon user, but try to stay away all together and was very pleased with a 2022 personal best (low) of about $75 in annual Amazon spending.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2023, 08:09:41 PM »
Thanks for the replies.  When I first signed up Amazon Prime was only $69 per year and you didn't have to pay sales tax on the items either.. and they arrived in 48 hours consistently.  That's all changed now.  They come way late, you get charged sales tax (which I agree is a good thing for the brick & mortar companies.. Amazon really destroyed them unfairly) and they got crazy and decided to go to $139 from $119.. That was the last straw.. stupid move if you ask me.. I bet they are losing a lot of subcribers perhaps.

Just not finding the deals like I used to on Amazon.  Also I noticed today that Aldi is starting to not be such a great deal anymore either. I keep a price book and Walmart has them beat in pricing on many things now.  I'll just have to keep going to both and keep eyes on prices at both places, and pick the best.  I also do this with Sam's and Winco. E.g. eggs at Walmart are now $2.47 but Aldi wants $3.10.   Frozen blueberries are a couple cents per oz more expensive at Aldi compared to Walmart.. Winco is the best by far on teh frozen blueberries.

I am not sure what to do about the music, I usually buy CD's for 50 cents to $1 at flea market and rip them on my computer and listen in Music app. Or watch a free music video on youtube.   I've never used the music app on amazon nor with apple.


« Last Edit: March 01, 2023, 08:13:00 PM by JenniferW »

Chris Pascale

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #6 on: March 02, 2023, 08:40:54 PM »
Took advantage of it as a student for free, but never felt like I needed it.

I always opt for free shipping that I wait for, and often stuff comes ahead of schedule.

eyesonthehorizon

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #7 on: March 02, 2023, 10:26:49 PM »
I used a trial month early this year to use up a Christmas gift card from work but canceling was a no-brainer. I have a great public library for books & some streaming movies, free streaming for the rest, & rarely shop beyond groceries. Most of the time I can find products on other sites with free shipping for the same price & Amazon has terrible labor practices anyway so I regard them as a last resort.

It’s nice to see that cash flow improve, right?

Finances_With_Purpose

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #8 on: March 02, 2023, 10:33:19 PM »
We have and love it only because we have a legacy free subscription. 

I'd have a much harder time paying for it.  I would have to see if it balanced out against the gas that we would spend on store trips for certain things: it might, or it might not, and I really don't have a strong sense of which it would be.

Instead, we're thankful for our free prime and hoping that it lasts as long as possible. 

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #9 on: March 02, 2023, 11:22:26 PM »
I used a trial month early this year to use up a Christmas gift card from work but canceling was a no-brainer. I have a great public library for books & some streaming movies, free streaming for the rest, & rarely shop beyond groceries. Most of the time I can find products on other sites with free shipping for the same price & Amazon has terrible labor practices anyway so I regard them as a last resort.

It’s nice to see that cash flow improve, right?

I've never seen a trial month, just a trial week for $1.99 or the student prime offer -- not a student here.  I guess the reason I don't see the trial month offer is that I haven't been unsubscribed long enough?  I imagine they think I'll come crawling back on my own... bwahaha.. NOT!
« Last Edit: March 02, 2023, 11:24:16 PM by JenniferW »

MasterStache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2023, 04:51:24 AM »
I used a trial month early this year to use up a Christmas gift card from work but canceling was a no-brainer. I have a great public library for books & some streaming movies, free streaming for the rest, & rarely shop beyond groceries. Most of the time I can find products on other sites with free shipping for the same price & Amazon has terrible labor practices anyway so I regard them as a last resort.

It’s nice to see that cash flow improve, right?

I've never seen a trial month, just a trial week for $1.99 or the student prime offer -- not a student here.  I guess the reason I don't see the trial month offer is that I haven't been unsubscribed long enough?  I imagine they think I'll come crawling back on my own... bwahaha.. NOT!

You can typically get a trial month once or twice per year. Between my spouse and I we usually end up with free Amazon Prime at least two months out of the year. I'll occasionally pay for a week for $1.99 if I need something quick that I can't get locally and I'm in the middle of a project. You can set a reminder in your phone or wherever to check once per month for a free trial.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2023, 06:50:03 AM »
You can typically get a trial month once or twice per year. Between my spouse and I we usually end up with free Amazon Prime at least two months out of the year. I'll occasionally pay for a week for $1.99 if I need something quick that I can't get locally and I'm in the middle of a project. You can set a reminder in your phone or wherever to check once per month for a free trial.

Thanks, where do you check for the free trial month?  In the same URL I gave above which offers me the $1.99 one week deal?

MasterStache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #12 on: March 03, 2023, 07:24:35 AM »
You can typically get a trial month once or twice per year. Between my spouse and I we usually end up with free Amazon Prime at least two months out of the year. I'll occasionally pay for a week for $1.99 if I need something quick that I can't get locally and I'm in the middle of a project. You can set a reminder in your phone or wherever to check once per month for a free trial.

Thanks, where do you check for the free trial month?  In the same URL I gave above which offers me the $1.99 one week deal?

I typically just Google "Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial" I think it's the first or second link. Probably a dedicated link but I'm just lazy about it. Ha!

Metalcat

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #13 on: March 03, 2023, 08:26:10 AM »
Thanks for this thread.

I totally forgot that since I'm a student I could get prime for free for 6 months.

trollwithamustache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #14 on: March 03, 2023, 08:36:36 AM »
We quit during the pandemic. Deliveries were slow, Target was the same price/cheaper. Lots of junk/knock offs.  We never used the video portion either.  (certainly I understand if you do use prime video instead of Netflix it's not a bad option/maybe cheaper after the Netflix price hikes?)

What absolutely fascinated me was the number of people who would defend amazon and tell us we need to stick with prime. I started casually mentioning canceling prime to anyone I could to get more reactions. Almost everyone defends Amazon and says you *should* have prime.  Amazon is not a big faceless company that people sort of don't like, it's a big faceless evil company that people love.

eyesonthehorizon

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2023, 10:58:52 AM »
... What absolutely fascinated me was the number of people who would defend amazon and tell us we need to stick with prime. I started casually mentioning canceling prime to anyone I could to get more reactions. Almost everyone defends Amazon and says you *should* have prime.  Amazon is not a big faceless company that people sort of don't like, it's a big faceless evil company that people love.
I wonder if the reason for this is BECAUSE it’s increasingly known as an evil company. If people object to any of the ways it’s harmful but want to keep using it themselves, they need to believe “everyone” does, for diffusion of responsibility. Not dissimilar to the irrational anger at others when they say they don’t want to spend money, drink alcohol, eat junk - it puts the lie to the idea that you “can’t get by” without doing so.

roomtempmayo

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2023, 01:27:40 PM »
We dropped our Prime membership as part of our new year financial housekeeping after 10+ years.  I think we got it when they first offered it, and it was worth it then.

What we discovered was that somehow we had both ended up with separate memberships.  No idea how it happened, or how long it had been going on.  Amazon certainly never brought it to our attention.

We haven't missed it a bit, and we're saving more than the membership fee because we're not tempted to order something for $5.99 pronto.  The neighborhood doesn't need one more delivery van.

englishteacheralex

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2023, 01:33:13 PM »
I'd really like to drop Prime, but I think I probably should keep it. In Hawaii it's one of the very few free shipping options, and also Amazon is a place where we can reliably source things that can be really hard to find anywhere else for us. Hardly anyone else ships free to Hawaii, and for many items (especially home furnishings), the shipping can cost almost as much as the product.

Telecaster

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2023, 01:50:59 PM »
And it is fairly fast shipping to Hawaii too.  Or at least it can be.   I just ordered a light fixture which will take a week, but I've ordered other items that only took a couple of days.   

SpinWave0704

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2023, 04:23:04 PM »
Ooooh I don't post much, but I am eager to add my STRONG FEELINGS about Amazon Prime. I had Prime for years, then cancelled in ~2017.

I pause/unpause my Prime membership a couple times a year, for Prime Day sales, Christmas shopping, or one TV show. Overall, I'm not impressed by the catalog of shows/movies available on Prime.

Like @JenniferW and @draco44, I also add items until my cart reaches $25. My purchases are rarely urgent. Once or twice a year, I may pay for shipping fees if I need something urgent, and it's still cheaper than paying for Prime. One of my biggest pet peeve is when people referred to the "free" shipping. IT'S NOT FREE!!! You paid $12/mo.

Shortly after I cancelled (paused, technically) Prime, I was texting with my friend. BFF was telling me about how her younger sister, a grad student, was feeling broke. I excitedly told her how the sister could save $100+/yr by cancelling Prime. My BFF's hilarious response: "she's poor not a savage", haha. But yeah, most people in my life pay $139/yr very matter-of-factly - you know, like paying the water bill, heating bill, Prime bill. (insert eye-roll here)

In a previous job at a big tech company, I worked in the payments org. A coworker was presenting on best practices re: subscriptions, and asked the audience to guess which companies have the highest renewal rates. IIRC, Amazon Prime had the highest renewal rates by far, like 95%+. Even Verizon, Xfinity, and other service-based subscriptions had renewal rates that were much lower.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2023, 04:58:34 PM by SpinWave0704 »

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2023, 03:09:37 AM »
Oh wow, I was saying I haven't run across a 30 day free prime trial but I just got one, just now. Only 2 months after quitting, lol. Good timing because I need a new computer mouse which costs $13.99 and don't want to have to wait :)   I wonder if I can cancel immediately after subscribing and not lose the subscription, or if I should setup a calendar event a few days before the 30 days are up.

EDIT: I wonder if Amazon is somehow tracking what I say on forums about Amazon prime and me wondering when I am going to get the 30 day offer.  Wouldn't surprise me lol. Maybe that' swhy I got the offer that is.


« Last Edit: March 04, 2023, 03:19:18 AM by JenniferW »

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #21 on: March 04, 2023, 03:13:51 AM »
Oh wow, after subscribing to prime wit this free 30 day trial, the price of the mouse dropped from $13.99 to $11.99 hrm.. interesting.   I didn't know they lower the price if you have prime membership.  But getting for $11.99 and 5% cash back on that instead of 3%.. all for free.. truly free. for 29 more days that is.
« Last Edit: March 04, 2023, 03:20:04 AM by JenniferW »

MasterStache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #22 on: March 04, 2023, 05:48:33 AM »
Oh wow, after subscribing to prime wit this free 30 day trial, the price of the mouse dropped from $13.99 to $11.99 hrm.. interesting.   I didn't know they lower the price if you have prime membership.  But getting for $11.99 and 5% cash back on that instead of 3%.. all for free.. truly free. for 29 more days that is.

That's awesome!!! We are rocking the Amazon Basics wired mouse and have been for several years. It was dirt cheap. 

trollwithamustache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #23 on: March 04, 2023, 08:06:46 AM »
Oh wow, after subscribing to prime wit this free 30 day trial, the price of the mouse dropped from $13.99 to $11.99 hrm.. interesting.   I didn't know they lower the price if you have prime membership.  But getting for $11.99 and 5% cash back on that instead of 3%.. all for free.. truly free. for 29 more days that is.

Amazon does a lot of dynamic pricing. I seem to recall getting one price at home (cookies in the browser?) and on mobile/different IP getting different prices. If you are out, ask friends to go on amazon and tell you the price. It will be different. They adjust to get you to buy or their sense of your desperation to buy.

tj

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #24 on: March 04, 2023, 08:06:54 AM »
Thanks for this thread.

I totally forgot that since I'm a student I could get prime for free for 6 months.

And discounted for a few years after that.

englishteacheralex

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #25 on: March 04, 2023, 08:52:02 AM »
Oh wow, after subscribing to prime wit this free 30 day trial, the price of the mouse dropped from $13.99 to $11.99 hrm.. interesting.   I didn't know they lower the price if you have prime membership.  But getting for $11.99 and 5% cash back on that instead of 3%.. all for free.. truly free. for 29 more days that is.

Amazon does a lot of dynamic pricing. I seem to recall getting one price at home (cookies in the browser?) and on mobile/different IP getting different prices. If you are out, ask friends to go on amazon and tell you the price. It will be different. They adjust to get you to buy or their sense of your desperation to buy.

Just go on camelcamelcamel. It will show you the history of the price of any item on Amazon. If the item is priced too high, put it on your wishlist and wait for it to drop.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #26 on: March 04, 2023, 10:52:42 AM »
Oh wow, after subscribing to prime wit this free 30 day trial, the price of the mouse dropped from $13.99 to $11.99 hrm.. interesting.   I didn't know they lower the price if you have prime membership.  But getting for $11.99 and 5% cash back on that instead of 3%.. all for free.. truly free. for 29 more days that is.

Amazon does a lot of dynamic pricing. I seem to recall getting one price at home (cookies in the browser?) and on mobile/different IP getting different prices. If you are out, ask friends to go on amazon and tell you the price. It will be different. They adjust to get you to buy or their sense of your desperation to buy.

Jerks , how annoying, lol.  I think I’ll have to check camelcamelcamel (as suggested here) for each and every purchase.  Amazons gonna learn fast I’m not desperate.

secondcor521

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #27 on: March 04, 2023, 12:13:56 PM »
I wonder if I can cancel immediately after subscribing and not lose the subscription, or if I should setup a calendar event a few days before the 30 days are up.

My experience has been that you can cancel now and still use the subscription for the full 30 days.  They are very clear about the fact that you've canceled; I think they send you an email confirmation.  They may not do a good job elsewhere in their business, but the Amazon cancellation experience is really good.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #28 on: March 04, 2023, 01:00:45 PM »
Oh goodie, it looks like they are paying ME for this 30 day free sub :)


GilesMM

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #29 on: March 05, 2023, 04:26:10 AM »
We not huge online shoppers but the Prime video is worth it for us. The shopping perks, including Whole Foods, are just a bonus. I tend to use my prime day for shipping to keep deliveries as infrequent as possible and to minimize waste. I let orders pile up in my cart for a while before placing orders.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #30 on: March 06, 2023, 04:38:26 PM »
So I bought another item from Amazon to take advantage of that $5 off coupon.  A smart light switch, so it automatically turns off / on lights depending on time of day. This will pay for itself in a few months.   It was like $15.    But I saw no way to redeem the $5 credit .. they said I could do it after the item ships, but there was no way.  So I contacted support and he issued the $5 credit to my account manually.   

Metalcat

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #31 on: March 06, 2023, 08:37:31 PM »
So I bought another item from Amazon to take advantage of that $5 off coupon.  A smart light switch, so it automatically turns off / on lights depending on time of day. This will pay for itself in a few months.   It was like $15.    But I saw no way to redeem the $5 credit .. they said I could do it after the item ships, but there was no way.  So I contacted support and he issued the $5 credit to my account manually.

Just curious, how does the math work for the switch to pay itself off? I'm assuming you have LED lights? Don't they cost only a few dollars to run 24/7 for an entire year?

Even an incandescent bulb, according to Google, only costs about 20c/day to run 24/7.

So how many lights are you leaving on when you don't need them that this will pay itself off in a few months??

Am I missing something? Genuine question, not being facetious, I just can't figure out how this would work.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #32 on: March 06, 2023, 09:08:23 PM »
If you leave a 13 watt LED bulb on 24/7 it costs $13 per year to run if I recall correctly. I have 5 bulbs on the circuit ( 3 in the dining room and 2 out on the back patio -- all on same circuit).  $5 x 13 = $65.  If they run half the time it's $32.50.   They don't need to be running during the day.  So I can setup Alexa to automatically turn them on/off on sunset/sunrise, with this light switch.

I like the dining room lights on at night as well as the porch light.. for our protection, to light up the back yard, to let people know we are here.  I also leave the front porch led bulb on at night.

I used to have the Phillips smart bulbs and had a schedule to where they would turn on and off but over the years they broke down and I'll never buy those hue bulbs again.  So it's been over a year where I use regular bulbs and well with this $15 automated light switch I won't have to manually turn them on/off every day.. I often forget and well I don't to have to make it a routine; I just want it to be automated.  The switch will definitely pay for itself in a year.

(I know a lot of people would freak out about leaving 3 bulbs on in the dining room even 12 hours a day, but I don't care. I like them on at night for safety and so I don't accidentally trip on things; to me it's worth it to spend the extra $15 or so per year just to have them on instead of constantly fiddling with them every time I go from one room to the other.  At least I have a motion sensor for the 5 bulbs in the kitchen.. which turn off after 5 mins of no motion.. but the dining room joins the living room and is part of the overall light in the main area here, and a motion sensor wouldn't work for the dining room.)

EDIT: When you get to be over 50, things seem to get darker and need the light in the house.  Even the 3 x 60 watt equivalent bulbs in the dining room seem a bit dim these days.  I am also often up to 1 or 2 AM, our in the living room, so the dining room lights need to be on then anyways.  If I go to bed at 3AM, then I'd have to set an alarm at 7AM to wake myself up to turn off the dining room lights etc.. So I've just been leaving them all the time 24/7 because it's a hassle .. it was all automated before and I want that again.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2023, 09:33:17 PM by JenniferW »

Metalcat

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #33 on: March 06, 2023, 09:56:35 PM »
Okay, those numbers are much higher than I found online, and I get wanting the lights off during certain times, but were you not turning them off before? How does the timer save you money? I can see it saving you hassle of turning off lights, but how often were you just leaving lights on that it would make that much of a difference to your bill?

$15 is very little to pay for a daily convenience, I'm not casting any judgement on your purchase, and there's really no point in my nitpicking your numbers. I just can't help myself when things don't make sense to me. It make me feel like I'm missing something, like I just don't understand for some reason.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #34 on: March 06, 2023, 10:19:48 PM »
Okay, those numbers are much higher than I found online, and I get wanting the lights off during certain times, but were you not turning them off before? How does the timer save you money? I can see it saving you hassle of turning off lights, but how often were you just leaving lights on that it would make that much of a difference to your bill?

$15 is very little to pay for a daily convenience, I'm not casting any judgement on your purchase, and there's really no point in my nitpicking your numbers. I just can't help myself when things don't make sense to me. It make me feel like I'm missing something, like I just don't understand for some reason.

13 watt bulb = 13 * 24 = .312kwh per day.  0.312kwh * 365 = 113.9 kwh per year.   At 12 cents per kwh it comes to $13.68 per year.   So around $13 per bulb per year if on 24/7. 

Yes I've been leaving on 24/7 not turning them off, ever since my hue bulbs broke just over a year ago.  I want them off 12 hours of the day and the way I am going to accomplish that is with this smart switch I bought for $15.   The switch will be paid for within 6 months, with the savings in electricity.  And from then on I'll be back to saving $32.50 per year for the five bulbs, like I was when the hue bulbs were working.

The $15 figure I came up with is roughly half of the $32.50 for the bulbs being on 12 hours, assuming I could just keep them on only 6 hours per day, with a bunch of manual turning on and off of light switch every day.   But I want the lights on all the time at night for the various reasons I mentioned and to me that's worth $15 per year.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2023, 10:26:08 PM by JenniferW »

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #35 on: March 07, 2023, 01:25:02 PM »
So you just were never turning any lights off? I wasn't expecting that answer...

Psychstache

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #36 on: March 07, 2023, 01:48:26 PM »
So you just were never turning any lights off? I wasn't expecting that answer...

Yeah, very unexpected. I go around the house turning off lights like it is my side hustle. It's important to me since we start every Quarterly Council of Dads meeting with a report about how many unused lights you turned off last quarter. I work very hard to stay on the top of the leaderboard. =D

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #37 on: March 07, 2023, 03:01:37 PM »
So you just were never turning any lights off? I wasn't expecting that answer...

I guess you read it wrong, I was having it automated up until a year ago; until my Phillip Hue Smart Bulbs died. It turned them off 12 hours per day automatically. 

And like I said, I like them on al night long for the reasons I mentioned. Others can disagree but I really don't care.   To me $15 annually is worth it to protect us from intruders, to avoid tripping on things in the middle of the night etc.. I value my life more than $15 per year.

I can't believe we are having an argument for $15 a year especially when it's for safety.   I will not sacrifice my comfort or safety when it comes to frugality.  I will use toilet paper, I will leave certain lights on, I will keep the house 70-73F all year round, I will use my clothes dryer.  I just save thousands upon thousands other ways.  Doesn't make sense to save $200 per year on electricity and risk having a heat stroke; I'm here all day.  Doesn't make sense to me saving $50 per year for uncomfortable starchy clothing. etc..  I realize it makes sense to others and I respect that but I dont ridicule them if they don't do things I do to save money; how many people deglaze the fond from fried hamburgers and save for soup stock reducing cost of boullion by $28 per year?  That's just one example of things I do.  I switched from coffee, cream & liquid stevia to black tea & powdered stevia and saving $1000 / year that way.   I switched from finish tabs to powder and saving around $35 per year; etc..    I save thousands per year by eating out at most a couple times per year. I don't expect others to do that and respect them.. but for me it seems like a waste of money.

Antoher silly thing people do for some reason, is unplug surge strips every day for things they aren't using.  They dont realize they are probalby just only saving $2 per year.  Seriously not worth $2 for doing that 365 x 2 times. They will spend more than that replacing the surge strip from turning it off and on so many times.

I always calculate things out and consider how much is saved, how much time it takes along with comfort and safety issues.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2023, 03:32:07 PM by JenniferW »

Metalcat

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #38 on: March 07, 2023, 03:31:54 PM »
So you just were never turning any lights off? I wasn't expecting that answer...

I guess you read it wrong, I was having it automated up until a year ago; until my Phillip Hue Smart Bulbs died. It turned them off 12 hours per day automatically. 

And like I said, I like them on al night long for the reasons I mentioned. Others can disagree but I really don't care.   To me $15 annually is worth it to protect us from intruders, to avoid tripping on things in the middle of the night etc.. I value my life more than $15 per year.

I can't believe we are having an argument for $15 a year especially when it's for safety.   I will not sacrifice my comfort or safety when it comes to frugality.  I will use toilet paper, I will leave certain lights on, I will keep the house 70-73F all year round, I will use my clothes dryer.  I just save thousands upon thousands other ways.  Doesn't make sense to save $200 per year on electricity and risk having a heat stroke; I'm here all day.  Doesn't make sense to me saving $50 per year for uncomfortable starchy clothing. etc..  I realize it makes sense to others and I respect that but I dont ridicule them if they don't do things I do to save money; how many people deglaze the fond from fried hamburgers and save for soup stock reducing cost of boullion by $28 per year?  That's just one example of things I do.  I switched from coffee, cream & liquid stevia to black tea & powdered stevia and saving $1000 / year that way.   I switched from finish tabs to powder and saving around $35 per year; etc..

Antoher silly thing people do for some reason, is unplug surge strips every day for things they aren't using.  They dont realize they are probalby just only saving $2 per year.  Seriously not worth $2 for doing that 365 x 2 times. They will spend more than that replacing the surge strip from turning it off and on so many times.  I always calculate things out and consider how much is saved, how much time it takes along with comfort and safety issues.

I guess you read wrong the part where I said I wasn't judging you and totally understood spending $15 on convenience.

I couldn't make sense of your numbers, that's all, no need to get your back up, I'm not arguing with you. In fact I don't think I have ever argued with anyone here about their spending. Contrary to popular opinion, we don't actually do that much here. Not unless people specifically ask for it, like in case studies.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #39 on: March 07, 2023, 03:33:41 PM »
Sorry it was just starting to feel like I was getting ganged up on over the lights. :)

I admit I was wasteful for a year. I should of gotten that automated light switch a year ago.  I waisted $32.50 of electricity :(  Just because I was used to having it do it automatically for me.

Btw, I got the switch today;  they actually sent me a pair of them in a single box, was only expecting one.. so I got two for $15 .. $7.50 each :)  The other will go in the bathroom.. that way if I forget to turn off bathroom light I can yell at alexa to turn it off :)
« Last Edit: March 07, 2023, 03:38:20 PM by JenniferW »

Metalcat

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #40 on: March 07, 2023, 03:45:06 PM »
Sorry it was just starting to feel like I was getting ganged up on over the lights. :)

I admit I was wasteful for a year. I should of gotten that automated light switch a year ago.  I waisted $32.50 of electricity :(  Just because I was used to having it do it automatically for me.

Btw, I got the switch today;  they actually sent me a pair of them in a single box, was only expecting one.. so I got two for $15 .. $7.50 each :)  The other will go in the bathroom.. that way if I forget to turn off bathroom light I can yell at alexa to turn it off :)

I feel like you think folks here will judge your spending choices a lot more than we actually do. For the most part, people here are pretty hands off about people's lifestyle spending unless as I said, they ask for feedback, or they are spending something fucking outrageous and making insane excuses for it.

We nitpick details because that's what we do. We'll analyze your math to death, but no one here would ever gang up on anyone over a $15 light switch unless that person was spewing some serious bullshit about it.

SpinWave0704

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #41 on: March 07, 2023, 11:29:40 PM »
For the Whole Food shoppers, has anyone been tempted to stay with Amazon Prime because of the Whole Foods Prime sale prices? (Yes, Whole Paycheck is often a ripoff.)

cats

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #42 on: March 08, 2023, 05:59:59 AM »
For the Whole Food shoppers, has anyone been tempted to stay with Amazon Prime because of the Whole Foods Prime sale prices? (Yes, Whole Paycheck is often a ripoff.)

So I do not have prime as a regular thing and I historically have not been a regular whole foods shopper, but I was on a 30-day trial earlier this year AND it just so happens that my kid has music classes across the street from Whole Foods AND it just so happens that with inflation blah blah blah Whole Foods now has some of the cheapest eggs in our town, and also pretty cheap tofu. So I am suddenly popping into Whole Foods weekly for eggs and tofu and of course looking around at other stuff to see if there are other items that might be of interest.  Anyway, although the extra prime discounts on sale items are a nice perk, they just aren't consistently on things I would buy, so I'm not convinced that I would wind up saving $12/mo (the cost per month of an annual membership).  They did have a good sale on baguettes one week, so I saved a couple dollars then.  I'm sure this is highly individual though--in my area I do have access to grocery stores that are much more affordable for most of my regular purchase items (e.g. Aldi), aside from this recent eggs and tofu development.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #43 on: March 08, 2023, 06:18:29 AM »
Starting to not be a fan of the whole "pay money to save money" membership paradigm.  Thankfully my BF's mom has us on her membership for Sam's card.  So we are free from this for the time being.

My brother thinks he's getting a great deal at Sam's and does the majority of his shopping there. He gladly pays the gold membership fees (or whatever it is called) and gets his 5% cash back or whatever using a membership credit card etc..   But the thing is, he's being fooled, he's not saving money.. most of the stuff at Sam's is priced higher than other stores in town. I do the whole Amy Dycyczion (sp) thing and make a price book and buy in bulk from multiple stores, in a single circular route.

EDIT: perhaps it is a psychological thing. "Hey I got this membership here I am paying for so I better just buy everything here to get my money's worth."
« Last Edit: March 08, 2023, 06:21:29 AM by JenniferW »

NotJen

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #44 on: March 08, 2023, 07:30:40 AM »
My brother thinks he's getting a great deal at Sam's and does the majority of his shopping there. He gladly pays the gold membership fees (or whatever it is called) and gets his 5% cash back or whatever using a membership credit card etc..   But the thing is, he's being fooled, he's not saving money.. most of the stuff at Sam's is priced higher than other stores in town. I do the whole Amy Dycyczion (sp) thing and make a price book and buy in bulk from multiple stores, in a single circular route.

EDIT: perhaps it is a psychological thing. "Hey I got this membership here I am paying for so I better just buy everything here to get my money's worth."

Does he buy gas at Sam's?  I'm single, living alone, and I haven't been inside a Sam's Club in a long time, so I know nothing about prices.  But I noticed that my local Sam's had gas a full $0.50/gal cheaper than all the local gas stations recently.  I thought about doing the math to see if a membership might make sense just for gas, but decided against it since I'll be out of town (not near a Sam's) for 6 months soon.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #45 on: March 08, 2023, 07:48:19 AM »
Does he buy gas at Sam's?  I'm single, living alone, and I haven't been inside a Sam's Club in a long time, so I know nothing about prices.  But I noticed that my local Sam's had gas a full $0.50/gal cheaper than all the local gas stations recently.  I thought about doing the math to see if a membership might make sense just for gas, but decided against it since I'll be out of town (not near a Sam's) for 6 months soon.

That's interesting, quite a difference in price.  However where we live the prices are about the same as other gas stations.  But gas is relatively inexpensive here in Oklahoma compared to other states.

jpdx

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #46 on: March 08, 2023, 05:55:44 PM »
You can get 50% off Prime membership if you are on Medicaid, national school lunch program, and other government programs. I submitted my child's Medicaid card years ago and it has been discounted ever since.

TomTX

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #47 on: March 10, 2023, 07:27:31 AM »
I like the dining room lights on at night as well as the porch light.. for our protection, to light up the back yard, to let people know we are here.  I also leave the front porch led bulb on at night.
I much prefer having outdoor security lights on a motion sensor. Makes it very obvious if someone shows up in the yard. I don't believe the "lights on all the time" approach increases security at all.

jnw

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #48 on: March 10, 2023, 07:46:23 AM »
I like the dining room lights on at night as well as the porch light.. for our protection, to light up the back yard, to let people know we are here.  I also leave the front porch led bulb on at night.
I much prefer having outdoor security lights on a motion sensor. Makes it very obvious if someone shows up in the yard. I don't believe the "lights on all the time" approach increases security at all.
Well we don't have to agree, that's fine.  I like being able to peek out into my backyard from the blinds in the dining room without having to go outside to trigger the motion sensor..  I think it provides extra security having them on all the time.

Anyways, this thread is about quitting Amazon Prime, so let's just quit talking about the lights?  I don't want to people reading this thread to be distracted with arguments about lighting preferences.
« Last Edit: March 10, 2023, 07:49:31 AM by JenniferW »

TomTX

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Re: Quit Amazon Prime
« Reply #49 on: March 10, 2023, 07:51:17 AM »
I like the dining room lights on at night as well as the porch light.. for our protection, to light up the back yard, to let people know we are here.  I also leave the front porch led bulb on at night.
I much prefer having outdoor security lights on a motion sensor. Makes it very obvious if someone shows up in the yard. I don't believe the "lights on all the time" approach increases security at all.
Well we don't have to agree, that's fine.  I like being able to peek out into my backyard from the blinds in the dining room without having to go outside to trigger the motion sensor..  I think it provides extra security having them on all the time.
Ah. For mine, the lights come on for about a minute anytime the switch goes from "off" to "on" - making it super easy to turn the light on for a peek outside.