I’ve never been much of a shopper. I do love to window shop, casually passing time as I wander through stores or browse online, but when it comes to the actual shopping part, I’m easily overwhelmed by decisions, second-guessing my choices and eventually talking myself out of most purchases. But Amazon shopping? That’s a different story. The free shipping and easy returns—not to mention the ease of shopping from my phone at any time—override my usual hesitancies, and it’s a rare week that doesn’t see an Amazon purchase or two arriving on my doorstep. Amazon is my go-to spot for toiletries, clothing, school and craft supplies, gifts, home decor, party items, and occasionally even groceries. If I own it, chances are good that it came from Amazon.
I’m also familiar with all the UPS stores on my usual routes, because at least half of my Amazon purchases end up getting returned. But there are definitely some winners that make the cut. I love hearing about other people’s great Amazon finds, so today I’m sharing some of MY favorite Amazon purchases that I’ve made this year.
CLOTHING
I’m in the process of overhauling my closet, and numerous trips to Goodwill have made space for some new clothing that wasn’t purchased in the early 2010s. (I’m not sure if I should embarrassed or proud that I’m finally letting go of many of the clothes I wore in college and even high school!)
1. Amazon Essentials Crew-Neck T-Shirts and V-Neck T-Shirts You can’t beat the price of these casual tops (two shirts for around $10!), and the quality is excellent—thick, soft, and stretchy, and available in nearly any color under the sun. (I have the crew-neck in olive, oatmeal, red, and blue-striped, and the v-neck in burgundy and pink.) Size down for a more fitted look.
2. Crewneck Pleated Blouse Cute, flattering, and also available in numerous colors (I have the purple). Even the Small is pretty over-sized on me, so I find this looks best with a more fitted pair of jeans or shorts. (Long live the skinny jean, an outdated trend that I refuse to let go.)
3. Dressy Lace Summer Top Another cute and flowy top that pairs easily with a skirt or jeans and looks much fancier than the price tag would suggest. I’m a big fan of the army green I bought for myself, but the red is also pretty.
4. Smock Layered Tiered Maxi Skirt This beauty is fully lined, comfortable, and easy to dress up or down—and it has pockets! I bought it in cream (pictured below) and loved it so much I bought a second skirt in black.
5. Slide Sandals These slides are some of the most comfortable sandals I’ve ever owned. I have them in the nude and they work well with almost any outfit.
6. Square Toe Flip-Flops These are pretty basic sandals, but I feel like the heel and the glossy leather look elevate them to outfit-status, not just shoes you throw on for the pool (though they’re certainly comfortable enough for that, too).
7. Stretchy Jeans I have to admit that these are not be the most flattering jeans in my closet, but they are on trend and—here’s the clincher—they feel like pajama pants. In fact, they may be more comfortable than my actual pajama pants. I wear these when I’m wishing for a cozy-clothes day but need to at least look like I put some effort into getting dressed.
8. Oversized Square Sunglasses I first bought these sunglasses three years ago. After near-daily use, the glasses had been put through far more than any pair of sunglasses should have to endure, suffering a few cracks and some scratched frames. It was time for a replacement (three years was a good run for a $15 pair of sunglasses!), and I liked them so much I simply reordered the same pair. I also ended up buying a pair of Aviator shades as backups, and while they’re cute—and may be a great inexpensive option for others—they don’t fit my face very well.
9. Lace Eyelet Dress I bought this in bright pink to wear for Mother’s Day (pictured below); it was a bold purchase, but I got so many compliments at church that I think I made the right choice. It’s super comfortable and breezy, and it has pockets (how much do we love that this seems to be the norm with women’s skirts and dresses right now?!).
FOR THE KIDS
10. Portable Dry Erase Boards I bought one of these for each of the kids to use in place of scratch paper during math and other lessons. Ours are kept in our school cubbies, but they’re lightweight and fold flat, making them easy to toss into backpacks to serve as “doodle boards” on the go.
11. Jumbo Poster Markers The kids have enjoyed working together to make giant posters using these markers. They’re not washable, though, so this is one craft item that they can only use with supervision.
12. Extendable Pointer Finger Sticks We use these pointers for identifying map locations when practicing our geography memory work. Since they come in a 6-pack, each child can have his/her own pointer—no fighting over a single stick (though I do have to keep sword fighting in check).
13. Extra Large Pencil Boxes We’ve had a weirdly difficult time finding pencil boxes that are sturdy and also big enough to hold all of the kids’ crayons, pencils, markers, and other daily school supplies. Amazon to the rescue, and at a better price than anything we saw in stores. Each child has one, and they stack nicely in our school cubbies.
14. MAGNA-TILES Travel Set We are huge MAGNA-TILE fans, and this travel set was too cute to pass up as an Easter basket stuffer. We’ve since purchased sets for friends as birthday gifts.
15. Building Blocks Travel Case This is another clever creative building toy that offers plenty of on-the-go fun. Perfect for LEGO fans who need something more portable for the road.
16. Boys Crew Athletic Socks Charleston is very picky about his socks. These are the only ones we’ve found that are comfortable, don’t fall apart after one wash, and hit his ankle at just the right spot.
17. Baby Moccasins These darling moccasins are the ONLY shoes that Nico will wear (thankfully he has two pairs). They are easy to put on AND they stay on his feet, a surprisingly difficult combination to nail. I’ve preferred soft-sole shoes like these for all of my babies when they’re learning to walk, since the design promotes natural foot development.
18. Skip Hop Baby Snack Cup Many snack cups advertise themselves as “no-spill,” but the Skip Hop snack cups are the only ones I’ve found that actually are, while still being easy enough for tiny fingers to open and close. Plus they come in tons of adorable animal-themed styles! We’ve had some version of these since Charleston was little and I’ve bought more with each kid so that we can keep one (stocked with Cheerios and Goldfish crackers) in the diaper bag, another in the pantry, and emergency back-ups in both cars for when Nico gets hangry.
MISCELLANEOUS FINDS
19. Bug Bite Thing Suction Tool This one is a bit of a cheat for this list because I didn’t actually purchase it myself; it was a gift from my Mother-in-Law, but it IS from Amazon, and it’s amazing at providing relief from the mosquito and ant bites that are the bane of our existence in the summer. Just a few seconds of suctioning is all it takes to ease itching far more effectively than any other anti-itching remedies I’ve tried. If you’re influenced to buy ONE thing from this list, I hope it’s this tool (and at under $10, you’ve really got nothing to lose other than some summer itching).
20. DVD Holder My parents gifted us a handful of Disney DVDs, and I bought this convenient holder to house them all in as little space as possible. So much nicer than hanging on to dozens of movie cases. An added bonus to our purchase is that Charleston taught Sully alphabetical order as they worked together to organize our movie collection when transfering the DVDs to their new home.
21. Vintage Floral Paper Bowls We had an ice cream sundae bar when we hosted family for Mother’s Day, and I got these charming bowls to fit with my theme. They’re pricy for paper goods, but the pleated rim detail and unique pattern were too cute for me to pass up. These would be perfect for a garden-themed bridal shower or tea party.
22. Bamboo Serving Trays These trays were another Mother’s Day hosting purchase, and the smaller tray was perfect for presenting our ice cream sundae toppings (pictured below). The rimmed sides and comfortable handles make these trays ideal for carrying heavier dishes, but they would also work well as TV dinner trays, charcuterie boards, or ottoman displays. I love that the two trays nest together for easy storage.
23. Righteous Fellon Craft Jerky Variety Pack I always get Luke an assortment of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but this year I didn’t want to derail his current healthy-eating efforts, so this jerky was my substitute gift of choice. The jerky has since become his go-to snack, and we’ve reordered several times in the past few months.
24. 3D Printing Accessory Tools This was another gift for Luke, and one I found when Googling “what to get your husband who is obsessed with his new 3D Printer” (or something like that). I can’t say that I understand the tools that come in this kit, but Luke is happy with it, so that’s enough for me to give it my stamp of approval. We definitely like the handy case that keeps everything in one tidy space!
25. Rain Gauge It is weirdly entertaining/satisfying to measure the amount of rainfall we got during our massive thunderstorms. Not to brag or anything, but we’ve maxed out the 7-inch gauge in just a few hours on more than one occasion! But word to the wise: bring this inside if your temperatures are predicted to dip below freezing; this is actually Rain Gauge 2.0 for our family, a replacement for our first one that shattered after a freezing rain storm last winter.
26. Quilt Bedding Set We were due for a bedding refresh, and I love the bright colors and light weight of this set. Even the prettiest bedding can’t entirely make up for the fact that our mattress is on the floor for co-sleeping purposes, but it definitely helps.
27. tarte tartelette tubing mascara and L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Panorama Mascara I’ve been layering mascaras for as long as I can remember. I always thought this was a strange personal quirk, but I’ve had friends tell me that they, too, like to double up mascara brands, so maybe this is a thing? The tarte mascara is probably my favorite mascara find of all time, but I like it even more when topped with a second coat of the L’Oreal (which is pretty awesome for a drugstore mascara). Each of these is great on its own, of course, but together they give me the longer, fuller lashes I’m looking for.
28a. Electric Air Balloon Pump After a year of borrowing my sister-in-law’s balloon supplies for every family party, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a pump of my own—which was not a huge sacrifice, as I paid less than $20 and it’s small and easy to store. The pump is simple to use and comes with a convenient tying tool to help save your fingers when filling dozens of balloons at once.
28b. Balloon Column Stand Kit This was another item that I borrowed many times before purchasing my own. The collapsible towers store flat, and assembly is a breeze. I’ve had a lot of fun creating balloon towers for the kids’ birthdays; they are way cuter and far less expensive than the bouquets of HEB balloons that were our former birthday party staple.
Bonus Find: I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, just before Prime Day. I never find the Prime deals to be very good, but I did make two purchases: a Color Stack game as a birthday present for my nephew and a bottle of Dime 7 Summers perfume, which I’d had my eye on since seeing it shared by a few other bloggers. I snagged a bottle at half the price and am totally smitten with the light scent that is a little floral with hints of vanilla. I don’t like to spend a lot of money on fragrances so I don’t know that I would have paid full price; that said, I think I might have finally found my signature scent, and it’s hard to put a price tag on such a significant find!
Are you an Amazon shopper? (That seems like a silly question; isn’t everyone?!) What have been some of your favorite recent Amazon finds?