As part of our Shop Better series, we’re highlighting all the ways you can use Amazon Pay to Shop Smarter in 2022. That means saving time and money by getting smarter about the way you shop, which starts with creating a budget and sticking to it, then making helpful shopping lists to guide your purchases.
One of the easiest ways to shop smarter is by using Amazon Pay to check out safely and securely on third-party sites. You get not only Amazon Pay’s A-to-z Guarantee and fraud protection but also fast, hassle-free convenience: Amazon Pay uses the same payment method that’s already stored in your existing Amazon account, so you never have to waste time filling out shipping, billing, or account information. You can also track and manage all your purchases in one place.
Make sure 2022 leaves you in the fiscal win column by getting prepped and making sound financial decisions. Here’s how to Shop Smarter in a few easy steps.
1. Create a budget
To avoid overspending, it helps to break down your monthly expenses into two basic categories. The most important of these is your fixed costs, which include unavoidable things like rent or home payments, loans, utilities, groceries, household essentials, cell phone bills, any health insurance or medication needs, and transportation costs like car payments, insurance, and gas.
Once you’ve accounted for your fixed costs, it’s much easier to decide how much you can afford to spend on what are called variable expenses, which range from gifts and entertainment to gym memberships, eating out at restaurants, holiday travel, and savings.
When you plan ahead, you can put money aside for things you both want and need. And when you track your monthly spending, you can see how much your outlay compares to what you’re earning and cut costs accordingly.
2. Write a shopping list
Creating lists is one of the simplest and most effective ways to shop smarter. Planning meals and making a grocery list can help you avoid spending more than you intended—particularly when you’re shopping hungry. And even when your budget is generous, making lists for everything from clothing purchases to home decor can take the stress out of shopping.
Making a gift list in advance not only makes it easier to organize and plan the perfect something for your loved ones but also reduces the chances of overspending. Add special occasions to your calendar and start doing your research early—it almost always results in better gifts. It also helps to think about who you usually buy for and when, whether it’s annual dates like birthdays, anniversaries, religious holidays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or Valentine’s Day, or major upcoming events like births, graduations, and weddings. When you make a gift list, you never forget.
3. Spend less with deals
With a good budget and shopping list, you’re well prepared to hunt for discounts that will affect your bottom line — the ultimate way to shop smarter. Luckily, Amazon Pay retailers always have great deals.
Take advantage of deep savings on bestselling phones, tablets, headphones, consoles, CDs, DVDs, books, games, and more at MusicMagpie, which offers new, used, and refurbished electronics and media at affordable prices. And in something of a virtuous circle of consumer sustainability, they’ll also give you cash for your own used electronics and media.
One great way to give yourself a break while maintaining your financial peace of mind is to take your next holiday to the great outdoors. Camping under the stars is a fun way to save on expensive hotel rooms, and LeisureOutlet has everything you need for a proper outdoor adventure, from tents and sleeping bags to camp furniture, cooking essentials, torches, and survival gear.
4. Save time, shop online
No waiting in lines. No unnecessary spending on gas or parking. The convenience of making purchases on the go or from the comfort of your sofa. Shopping online saves you time and money, and when you use Amazon Pay to make purchases, you’re shopping the smartest way there is.
Another way to shop smarter this year is to try nonalcoholic spirits that help you live a cleaner lifestyle and avoid drinking and driving. CleanCo’s delicious range of sophisticated alternatives to gin, vodka, rum, and tequila have all the flavour of the real thing, without the hangover, sugar, or empty calories. Their flagship Clean G gin alternative is crafted with aromatic botanical ingredients and crisp juniper, using a traditional distillation process that helps replicate the mouthfeel of standard-proof spirits — so your cocktail will never be the wiser.
And to help you shop even more efficiently online, try two-for-one products like this Wireless Charger Stand from Anker. It saves you both time and space by freeing you from a tangle of chords while offering high-speed wireless charging that allows for full access to your phone in both portrait and landscape mode.
Give your home a smart upgrade, too, with this 2K HD video doorbell from Eufy, which employs dual radar and infrared motion sensors to detect people and objects using body heat and sound waves, reducing false alarms by 95%. With cameras facing frontward and downward, you’ll never miss another delivery. It will instantly scan packages and notify you when they arrive. You’ll also receive alerts when anyone approaches, but with Family Recognition technology, it can tell the difference between trusted friends and unknown visitors.
Shopping Better means shopping smarter with Amazon Pay, the safe, fast, and convenient way to pay. Wherever you shop online, enjoy the familiar checkout experience you’ve come to trust from Amazon.
Shopping Better means shopping smarter with Amazon Pay, the safe, fast, and convenient way to pay. Wherever you shop online, enjoy the familiar checkout experience you’ve come to trust from Amazon.