I have had a heart-pounding morning, because I arrived at my computer with my coffee to find that MANY, MANY ITEMS in my Amaz0n cart were on sale—including ALL the Melissa & Doug things I had put there as ideas for the preschooler we’re buying gifts for this holiday season. The doctor playset! The dentist playset! The tiara/crown set! The dress-up dolls! The dinosaur Water Wow! The ice-cream counter playset! The farm cube puzzle my own kids played with! The dinosaur drawing playset! ALL OF IT SUDDENLY MUCH CHEAPER.
Well. My first impulse was to buy up every single item. But also I DO want to be sensible, and we are NOT supposed to be deluging the child with toys (they will receive more toys from another community program). I tried to breathe slowly and choose what I ACTUALLY thought were the best items for this particular child, WITHOUT thinking too much about “But it’s such a GOOD DEAL!!,” and I ended up buying the vet playset, the tiara/crown set, and the dinosaur Water Wow.
(image from Amazon.com)
I chose the vet set because it seemed to me it had everything good about the doctor set, plus the vet concept. I wanted to buy half a dozen Water Wows, but who knows if she even likes those? The dinosaur drawing set was SO reduced—but, looking at it closely, I thought it seemed too old for her. The ice-cream counter is SO fun, but since her list specifically mentions Little People, I want to put the other part of the toy gift budget toward something there. Etc.
(image from Amazon.com)
I also bought her the same Wild Republic Cuddlekins triceratops I bought for preschool Elizabeth when she was in HER dinosaur phase. I was going to buy it even at its usual $15, but it was down to under $10. It is SO nice and huggy; I used to cuddle it myself when I was feeling low.
A note about Amaz0n. Sigh. I have mentioned before that I am trying to buy less from there. And I am succeeding: there are now many things I used to buy at Amaz0n that I buy at local stores or through other websites. I am also succeeding at STOPPING AND THINKING before automatically buying from there: can I buy this somewhere else? is the amount I save worth it? etc. This all made me feel as if I should not put Amaz0n links on this blog, even if I did buy those things from Amaz0n, because it felt like…setting a bad example? or enabling, or something? But the thing is, I DO still buy things there, and especially at Christmas. So I am just going to go ahead and link to things, and know that you are adults who can make your own decisions about your own purchases, and also that we all understand the difference between a REDUCTION and a TOTAL CESSATION, and that I don’t need to mention it every single time. And I hope that those of you who HAVE succeeded in a total cessation will not think less of me—or that it will be only a small amount less, a little sigh’s worth.
I feel like if you use Amazon to buy things for a kid that might not get them otherwise it doesn’t count against you (not that I’m counting any of it against you btw).
I am totally against amazon. Except I have these reflective vests that are awesome for walking in the dark/winter. They are more like suspenders that don’t attach to pants. Can go over anything — sweater, yep; bulky coat, yep; tshirt, yep — and are adjustable and stretchy. And like $2 — $5 on Amazon. Hard to source anywhere else. I bought like 50 to give away because people wearing black jackets and black pants in the dark in the winter are impossible to see. So, Amazon it was. https://a.co/d/88qCfAC
Do the best you can. And even cutting back is helpful.
And it sounds like you did really well. Someone or a couple of someones are going to have a lovely Christmas because of you.
Check out Proviz! They’re a European (German?) company, but all their stuff is super reflective and there always seems to be something on sale. I have a jacket, headband, and leggings for walking the dog in the evenings at this time of year. The dog has a coat from them too, which makes me feel so much safer walking in the dark. I try and recommend them to everyone I can.
We have that vet set and it is WONderful. Excellent choice.
My kids loved that vet set as preschoolers!
I have succeeded in cutting out Amazon (since January) but I know that it helps that I live in Chicago with a million other shopping options and lots of great small businesses. My sister in law who lives in rural WA keeps using it because there aren’t many other options, which I totally understand. I’m sure something will come up eventually that will be so much cheaper on Amazon I end up buying through them, but so far I’ve had good luck finding things elsewhere.
I have managed to stop buying from Amazon entirely, but I do not judge because I have taken the same reduction-but-not-cessation approach to Starbucks. In fact, I talked myself into getting a latte this weekend because Starbucks may be going on strike soon and I wanted to do my best to make lowered sales during the strike notable by buying coffee beforehand (or so I told myself– it also had something to do with the fact that it was a 70-degree afternoon in November and I was thinking I should have my last iced latte of the year).
My online friends and I recently had a discussion about this very thing and I thought one of the responses was very insightful: (paraphrasing) “Essentially, boycotting is like vaccination- not everyone can get vaccinated, so those who can need to do their part to help protect those who can’t by avoiding getting and spreading disease. Some people who have the means and time and energy to boycott or donate or protest need to do it on behalf of those who don’t have that luxury, but every effort counts.” Also, to use one of my favorite metaphors of yours, every time you choose to shop elsewhere, it’s a drop IN the bucket. You may not be able to (or want to) shop elsewhere every single time, but when you can, the drop is in the bucket and it counts.
I live in a small city/large town, where we have Walmarts, a Target, and your various Menard’s and farm and fleet implement stores. I try to avoid Walmart, I’m still boycotting Target. I’m kind of at a loss as to where even to shop anymore. I mean, yes, local stores. But there aren’t lot to choose from here. Etsy, if they seem to share my values. But are there any “general store” places to shop online that are okay to shop at as a replacement for Amazon? I’m really struggling.
I am similarly situated, and having a similarly difficult time. I am finding my grocery store has a lot of the practical things (toilet paper, shampoo, acetaminophen) I used to buy at Target—not ALL, but a lot. Some of them are at about the same price, or close enough to be worthwhile; others are much higher in a way I find difficult to manage. And it turns out our local hardware store has a surprising number of things I didn’t realize they had. And sometimes I look online and find I can buy an item right from the manufacturer, or from a site I hadn’t heard of that has good prices! But…otherwise, this is why I still end up on Amazon sometimes, or at Walmart, especially at Christmas.
I have been buying more often directly from the manufacturer website, and then sometimes it ends up getting fulfilled by Amazon anyway.