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In short, Amazon Prime is amazing and yes it is absolutely worth every…single…penny.  Now let me break down exactly why we love it so much.

Have you ever had something that was super useful already, and then you discover yet another use for it that blows your mind and makes it that much more helpful?  Kind of like when I first learned about using zip lock bags as a piping bag in a pinch.  They have saved my butt on numerous occasions.  That’s how I felt today when doing a little research on Amazon Prime.

We’ve been avid users of Amazon Prime for years.  Mainly for the free 2-day shipping, Prime video streaming, and the occasional Prime book or song.  I’ll go into all of these in more detail below but today I learned Amazon Prime also comes with Twitch Prime (we watch Twitch daily), free unlimited photo storage that can be saved from your phone, computer or tablet (we just ordered a new memory card for my phone because I’ve run out of space mainly due to the amount of pictures I have stored on it), and 30 minute early access to Amazon’s lightning deals (I didn’t know what a lightning deal was but if it meant getting first dibs on super sales, I’m in.)  How did I not know about these things!?!?!?  I loved Prime enough to recommend it to others even before today but this takes it to a whole other level.  THIS IS STINKIN’ AMAZING!

If even one of the points below is useful to you, you should absolutely get Amazon Prime, as in right now. 😛 I have a feeling if one of the points is useful to you though, several of them are going to be useful.  I’m super excited to start taking advantage of the newly discovered features so here’s a list of things that make Amazon Prime worth its weight in gold.

Free 2-day Shipping

First and foremost, the FREE 2-day shipping, for us, is the most useful feature of Amazon Prime.  Sure, a lot of other sites are starting to offer free shipping now, some of them even with no minimum purchase requirements.  None of them, however, have such a wide selection of products with hundreds of reviews and ratings so you can be confident in the quality of what you’re purchasing.  They even make returns ridiculously easy.

Great for Holidays and Bargain Shoppers

Think about it.  How many times have you ordered a present last minute and it didn’t get to you in time or you couldn’t order a present you wanted to because the shipping would take too long?  Or how many times have you spent hours hopping from store to store to get everything on everyone’s wishlist?  When buying things for yourself, how many times have you bought something only to find out later there was a better version somewhere else that you missed?  Or you couldn’t find exactly what you wanted so you settled for what the store you were in had in stock?

Saves you Time and Effort

We don’t live in a tiny town, but we’re not in the suburbs or in a big city either.  What we have access to can sometimes be limited.  Being able to get on Amazon, have access to just about anything I can think of AND being able to read through other people’s reviews on the different items or ask questions about the item is exceedingly helpful.  Whether you live in a big city or the tiniest of towns, Amazon saves you time and effort.  Your fingertips can do all of the shopping and research for you.

Great for Pet Owners

For you pet owners, Amazon Prime delivers pet food as well!  Though I do occasionally feel bad for the delivery drivers that are delivering our 30 lb bag of dog food every few weeks FOR FREE, 😛 it is SO NICE to not have to make a separate trip to the pet store to pick up the better brands of dog food and haul it home.  PLUS, I compare the prices on our dog food constantly, cuz it ain’t cheap.  The price of our dog food on Amazon does fluctuate a little, but it has never been more expensive than it is in the pet store.  More often than not, it’s actually significantly less expensive than it is in the store and when it is, we’re sure to order more often to take advantage of the better prices.

So let me sum that part up.  You’re getting the same high quality dog food brands, for cheaper, and they’re being delivered to your house, FOR FREE, two days after you order it.  Even if I bought nothing but dog food from Amazon, that’d be worth it to me.  I know all of you giant breed dog owners feel my pain on this one.

Everything You Could Want at a Better Price

In my experience, things are generally cheaper on Amazon.  One of the few exceptions I’ve found are grocery store items.  They tend to be more expensive on Amazon so just buy your cereal and soup at the grocery store.  😛 Everything else you could think of that you’d need to make a separate trip for, Amazon probably carries it.  Computer stuff, got it.  Gardening stuff, got it.  Kitchen stuff, got it.  Exercise equipment, got it.  Tools, games, electronics, books, linens, they’ve got it all.  You’d really be hard pressed to find something the don’t have.

Just Look for the Prime Sign

Not everything on Amazon has free 2-day shipping but I don’t think I’ve ever had to pay for shipping for anything.  That’s how many items are included in Prime.  Just look for the “Prime” logo.  A quick browse through Amazon and you’ll see, a lot of items have it.

Amazon Prime Video

There are a ton of movies and TV shows you can stream for free on your TV, tablet, computer or phone.  For movies and shows that aren’t included with Prime, you have the option to buy or rent them through Amazon.  We use this all of the time to rent new release movies and there are dozens of Amazon Original TV series that are free with Prime.  I’m a big fan of Sneaky Pete and Mozart in the Jungle.

 Music, Books and Magazines

Similar to Amazon Prime Video, there are hundreds of songs, books and magazines available for free through Prime.  Anything not included is available for purchase so you still have the option to listen to/read anything you like through Amazon.

Twitch Prime

Apparently this is something newer and I’m super excited about taking advantage of it.  With Twitch Prime (included with Amazon Prime) you get a free monthly channel subscription, ad-free viewing, discounts on new-release and pre-order video games and all kinds of free characters/skins/loot for certain games.  I think I’m most excited about the one free sub per month.  You get to support your favorite streamers while getting all the other great stuff on this list.  WIN!

Unlimited Photo Storage

Phone cameras are pretty awesome nowadays but sometimes the amount of storage you have isn’t.  The Google Photos commercial that hits on this is pretty hilarious.  More and more places are offering free photo storage but you can never have too much available space.  Anyone who has been using their smart phone camera for a while can tell you, pictures pile up fast.  The “unlimited” part of Amazon Prime’s photo storage ensures you’ll never have to miss a shot.

Early Access to Lightening Deals

I haven’t become super familiar with Lightening Deals yet but I sure as heck intend to now!  After a brief glance at the Lightening Deals page, it looks like there are select items that are on sale for a short period of time (there’s a clock counting down under each item) and they only allow a certain number of each item to be sold at that price (it tells you what percent of the available item has already been sold).  So basically you get first dibs on items that only a few people are going to get a crazy discount on.  Sweet!

As if all that weren’t enough, there’s more!

In addition to everything above, I just found ANOTHER list of things included with Prime.

For Busy Families

  • Amazon Family
    20% off diapers subscriptions and 15% off eligible products from your baby registry, compliments of Amazon Family
  • Prime Pantry
    Everyday sizes of popular household items delivered for a flat delivery fee.
  • Prime Now
    One and two-hour delivery on tens of thousands of items from Amazon and local stores.
  • Prime Student
    Get fast, free shipping on over 50 million items, stream thousands of TV shows and movies, and get exclusive college deals.
  • Share Your Prime
    Share select Prime benefits with another adult in your household.

For Bookworms

  • Kindle First
    Choose one Kindle book of the six Editors’ Picks each month for free.
  • Washington Post Free Trial
    Limited time: Enjoy unlimited access to the Washington Post with a six-month free trial.
  •  NEW – Audible Channels
    Unlimited listening to original audio series and playlists handcrafted for every interest.

For Gamers

  • NEW – Member Exclusive Discount on Video Games
    Discounts apply to pre-orders and collector’s editions for PC, PlayStation 4, XBox One, Wii U, 3DS and more.
  • Shopping with Alexa
    Enjoy hands-free shopping with Alexa on millions of items on Amazon as an exclusive benefit of your Prime membership.
  • Release-Date Delivery
    FREE Release-Date Delivery on eligible pre-order items delivered on their release date to ZIP codes within the continental U.S.

For Everyone

  • Amazon Prime Store Card
    Earn 5% back every day with Amazon Prime Store Card.

Amazon Gives Back

On top of everything above, if you go to smile.amazon.com when you shop, you get to choose from a list of organizations that Amazon will donate to every time you make a purchase.  Currently, we’re donating to code.org.  Just one more reason to feel great about shopping through Amazon.

The Cost

You get a few choices.  If you pay monthly, it’s $10.99.  If you pay annually, it’s $99 which breaks down to $8.25/month.  We always pay annually to save the $32.88 over the entire year.  I know I save at least $8 every month in dog food alone so it pays for itself with just that feature  (We have two great danes so we go through a lot of food. ;P ) Not to mention I don’t have to haul it home myself.  Plus, we get everything else listed above!

Even if you’re not a pet person, there is surely some aspect of Prime that applies to you.  Books, music, video games, diapers, TV shows, movies, bargains, so many things!  When you think about the time and effort you’ll save by being able to research and purchase products from the comfort of your home, you have to admit it’s a crazy good deal.  So take advantage!  I can’t say enough good things about Amazon Prime.  It has saved us so much time and money over the years.  Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial and see for yourself!

Do you have other questions about Amazon Prime? What aspect of it is the most appealing to you?  What’s the one thing that would make your life easier if it were cheaper and could be delivered to your home free of charge?  Comment below!

2017 March 16
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