I’ve seen a few people do these posts and I’ve loved them! So today I thought I’d jump in and add mine.
I read somewhere recently that the average millennial gets 28 packages per year. That made me laugh, it was so low. Want to know how many Amazon orders we placed in 2018?
Drumroll please…..131! Dead. I can’t decide if it’s funny or horrifying. And guys, that was just Amazon! Not even Target.com! AH!
I’m going to go ahead and play my Mom card here and blame this mostly on Ben. Between our Subscribe and Save diaper and wipes delivery, toys, and necessities, it was mostly him.
Today I’ll be sharing all my non-baby related favorites though, so don’t run off thinking I’m about to go off about sippy cups (again). Ha.
This post is obviously not sponsored but does contain affiliate links. Can I get sponsored by Amazon? Because obviously they’re making a ton of money off of us and I’d be down for a swap situation HA.
Swiffer Reusable Microfiber Pads
I like the ease of use of the basic Swiffer but with a baby crawling around, I worried about the chemicals in the brand name wet pads. I wanted to use the Swiffer itself but be able to clean my floors with homemade cleaner.
Enter: these simple reusable pads. The velcro is super strong so they stay on and you can easily throw them in the washer. I’ve washed them dozens of times and they still work great!
Avarelle Acne Cover Spot Patches
I was skeptical about these but based on the reviews, I had to give them a try. They work! And you can barely see them once you put them on.
The key is that you have to place them on pimples that are almost (or are) popable. Instead of popping (something I’m always tempted to do), I put one of these on it overnight and somehow the patch winds up having the white gunk on it in the morning and your pimple is much smaller.
If you’re tempted to pop or pick, these are great for stopping you and helped heal my pimples much faster.
Plant Therapy Essential Oils
I originally bought peppermint oil because I’d read that it is a natural pest repellant. I don’t know if that’s true or not but I did spray it all over my house when we had a pest issue.
Now I put a drop of peppermint oil on my temples when I get headaches. It feels really really good. I won’t say it’s a replacement for medication but It provides some relief while the Motrin kicks in.
Of note, from what I’ve read Plant Therapy is a legitimately good essential oil company (they do third party testing) and is significantly cheaper than some other essential oil offerings. I have found them to be incredibly potent and high quality. I later bought the Plant Therapy Tea Tree Oil, Lavender Oil, Citronella Oil, and Lemon Oil. If you’re interested in essential oils but don’t really want to go down the rabbit hole, Plant Therapy is a fantastic place to start.
Slow Feeder Dog Bowl
This is our second slow feeder dog bowl for Archie but he got too good at his old one. This one definitely seems to slow him down more. We bought the orange spiral one because it seemed the hardest.
Thermos Sipp 16 oz. Bottle
N pours his coffee in this at home and then has about an hour commute. When he gets to his desk at work and drinks his coffee, it’s still hot. We saved a ton of money this year by packing N’s lunch every day and him bringing coffee from home instead of visiting the Starbucks in his building.
Amazon Basics Nylon Braided iPhone Charger – 6 Feet
Guys, how many times have you hung out by an outlet in an awkward place in your house because you were on your last percent? At some point this year I caved and bought a 6 foot cord and it is a game changer. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner.
This is Amazon’s brand and it absolutely works (it’s certified by Apple) and I’ve never had that “unsupported device” message that you get with cheapy chargers.
Saucony Women’s 8-Pair Performance No-Show Socks
For reasons I can’t begin to explain, I’d be getting by for years (literally years) on mismatched, holey, and stretched out socks. I don’t know why. Socks are not an absurdly expensive item. It just isn’t a fun thing to spend money on.
One day I’d had enough and I bought these and they are fantastic. I love the little tabs on the back of the heel to prevent heel rubbing and I like that they’re knit in a way that feel like they provide arch support. If you’ve been putting off buying something silly like socks, just do it. It’s so much easier to be able to just grab a pair and not scrounge around for my two “good” pairs.
Linen Throw Pillow Covers
After years of constantly swapping out different throw pillows, I finally decided to just do something simple that I wouldn’t get sick of. I bought the $4.99 feather pillow inserts from Ikea and these linen pillow covers (I bought four). They’ve held up beautifully! They look much more expensive than they are and the light linen matched our couch nicely.
Alexa
2018 was actually our first full year with Alexa. We got her for Christmas last year. She actually creeped me out at first but now I don’t know what I’d do without her!
Ben and I always start our mornings with “Alexa, what’s the news today?” and she starts The Daily podcast from The New York Times and then does Reuters top headlines, followed by the weather.
I ask her for the temperature a lot. I haven’t set a timer on my phone all year. And I like that she keeps me updated on when our (ahem, 131) packages are being delivered. She’s here to stay.
So there you have it. Our thrilling Amazon purchases for 2018. A thermos! Socks! Swiffer accessories! Am I 30 or what?
What was your most random or useful Amazon purchase in 2018?