I was never that into online shopping. The idea of putting my financial information online, somewhere hackable, still gives me the heebie-geebies.

No. I don’t want to scan my credit card.

I don’t want the website to “remember my data.”

I want to live off the “grid,” in a cabin with non-traceable wifi in the middle of the woods.

…

But I also really like shoes.

And books… and random kitchen gadgetry.

So when Amazon became popular and trustworthy, I entered my credit card information. I stored it for later use.

The purchases started off small… household needs, toiletries, music, gifts for loved ones. I signed up for Kindle, Audible, and eventually bought an Amazon dot, so Alexa could serenade me whenever I asked.

Slowly I started getting advertisements on Facebook aligned with my quirky purchases and interests. I’d succumb to the click bait of “20 most popular quirky things on Amazon,” and end up buying at least one.

My husband and I would step over the ever-increasing stack of boxes on our doorstep, and our drawers and cupboards slowly filled up to maximum capacity (click here for how I purged the clutter from our lives.) All the while, my husband was nice enough not to say anything while his own store was slowly being pushed out of existence by the online monstrosity.

Things really changed when I wrote a paper for my Master’s program about Amazon, and how the e-commerce market has impacted the brick and mortar establishments. My findings, and learning real-life examples of how Amazon is changing everything, made me less eager to complete my order…

The next budgetary epiphany happened when a co-worker reminded me of Mint, the software I signed up for 100 years ago, (I remember because it was very difficult to enter my information there as well,) and haven’t looked at since. She told me how she and her fiance were really getting strict on spending, and prioritizing all disposable income on their home improvements and upcoming wedding.

So that night I went home, cracked open a beer, and dove headfirst into the analytics of my spending patterns. The app lets you apply different filters to analyze trends over time. Mint tries to determine the type of purchase you are making, and once you categorize all the miscellaneous activities, you have a complete picture of your financial health. So I filtered on all purchases made to Amazon, over the last year and hit enter.

I was flabbergasted.

And a bit embarrassed.

I’m not going to tell you how much money I’ve spent on inconsequential Amazon purchases. I’m not sure I want to admit it out loud (or write it down), but at that moment, I cut my Amazon practices cold turkey.

I deleted the app from my cell phone and tablet, so it was more difficult to complete any transactions. I started utilizing the notepad feature in my cell to track purchases that I absolutely needed, and would search all available sites for the best price. I was surprised that although Amazon Prime has free shipping, it doesn’t always have the lowest price.

Since the Amazon break-up, my monthly credit card bills have been substantially lower. Our house is less cluttered and there has been no impact on the functionality and efficiency of our kitchen. In short, life does go on after Amazon.

There are other easy ways to budget smarter and do your part to reduce waste: pack a lunch, make your own fancy-schmancy coffee, resell clothing and products on sites before buying new stuff, and research all options before you buy anything from travel, to TVs.

I’ll keep posting other budget and planning ideas moving forward, but it’s important to periodically dig into your financials and determine your priorities,  whether you emphasize travel, concerts or the highest rated egg timer in the world.