So have you heard about Amazon?

Of course you have.

Who hasn’t heard of this wonderful online store that ships anything you want to your door?

I mean, maybe if you lived under a rock for the many years they’ve been in business…

Nope. You’ve probably still heard of them.

They’re only the world’s largest online retailer selling books, movies, music, games, electronics, toys, apparel, tools, groceries, and other home goods. They sell almost anything you can think of. In fact, any time I’m out grocery shopping or running errands, if I’m going to buy something—I always price check on Amazon. Quite often, the items I’m looking for are cheaper when purchased through their online store.

Time and Money

Not only are their prices usually cheaper, but they have quite a few extra ways to save you extra money this holiday season. Extra money you can use to buy Christmas gifts!

Plus, Amazon can save you time by allowing you to shop virtual shelves from the comfort of your couch rather than braving the actual brick and mortar store aisles. With the holidays coming up, shops are always packed with customers. Whether looking for gifts or holiday decor, there are more shoppers this time of year than any other! Do you really want to wade through that?? If I can skip driving to the store (with an infant who hates being in the car), competing with others who want the same things, waiting in long lines, I’m all for it!

Below are 7+ Different Ways to Save you Time and Money by kickin’ it with Amazon.

#1. Prime Memberships

I’ve actually been an Amazon Prime member for most of my adult life. As a prime member, expect a list of benefits:

Free 2-day shipping
Instant video streaming with Prime Video
Ad-free Prime Music
Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Drive
Unlimited books, magazines, and more with Prime Reading

Heck the free 2-day shipping is worth it alone, in my book! All the extra benefits are just gravy!

Normally becoming a prime member costs $99/year. When you consider all you’re getting, that’s not bad. Especially if you use it as often as I do! But, it’s always nice getting quality services for cheaper prices. Here are several ways you can cut that cost:

Amazon Student – if you’re currently a college student, you can get Prime Membership for only $49/year, all you need is a .edu email address.
Free Super Saver Shipping – if you want to avoid the membership cost, you can always stick with this option. When purchasing super saver eligible items, if your order is over $35, you get free shipping. This is definitely a go-to option if you’re saving money by forgoing prime. It’s not as fast as the 2-day, but you’re still saving time and energy by having the items delivered to your door rather than running errands to a storefront.
Subscribe and Save – we’ll talk more about this in a bit. But if you tend to buy the same items often, like groceries or other household goods, you can opt for this membership and save 15% plus get free shipping.

#2. Prime Pantry

If you’re a Prime member, you’ll also have access to tons of items on Amazon labeled as “prime pantry” options. These are everyday essentials you’re already buying, but at lower prices, often discounted even more when Amazon offers their weekly deals and extra coupons. Each item fills your pantry box up a certain percentage, but there’s no need to fill it to 100% (Prime Pantry boxes can hold up to 45 pounds—that’s a lot of toilet paper!). You can buy as much or as little as you need. If your order includes at least 5 select items, your order qualifies for free shipping.

#3. Subscribe and Save

No need to be a member for subscribe and save. Thousands of items available on Amazon are eligible for the subscribe and save option, including things like diapers, face wash, laundry detergent—things you’re already buying over and over. Simply select your delivery frequency for the item anywhere from 1-6 months, and create your subscription. You can always skip these deliveries in the future or cancel the subscriptions completely. You should also receive reminder emails before any order goes through, letting you know the current price and if there are any applicable discounts available. This is especially convenient when you combine these savings on say, diapers, with Amazon Family.

#4. Amazon Family

If you’re a prime member, you can save 20% on baby diapers and other family items. Which certainly comes in handy with all the diapers we go through! The Amazon Family page really helps with holiday shopping because it recommends age appropriate items for your children (but of course Amazon has their gift guides, too). It also offers free kids music and movie streaming, family coupons, and more. This is probably my favorite Amazon discount. (Of course!) And certainly the most useful for all you mamas out there. Combining these discounts with subscribe and save items, or prime pantry, can really save you money.

#5. Registries

Having a baby? Planning a wedding? No need to peruse store aisles to create a registry—just surf virtual ones at home! Creating a registry on Amazon comes with several perks. Not only do they have millions of items to choose from, but your registry can also be set up and accessed via mobile. You’ll also be given a discount toward completing your registry and purchasing any items you didn’t receive as gifts—15% for baby, and 20% for a wedding. And, of course, free shipping and free returns—within 90 days for a baby and 180 for a wedding.

For a Baby Registry –

you’ll receive a welcome box, free parenting eBook, discounts from Tiny Prints, maternity savings, not to mention the Amazon family perk mentioned before. Enter your desired shipping-to address and whenever someone purchases an item for you, they can choose for it to be delivered to them, or right to you—with greeting card attached!

For a Wedding Registry –

Amazon says you’ll receive bonus gifts when you register for items from certain vendors. Check them out here. We love love love the Amazon Wedding Registry (Review here)!

Wish Lists for the Holidays

We can’t forget wish lists! Creating a wish list on Amazon may not offer special discounts or coupons for completion (then we’d all be making them) but they do come in quite handy when relatives start asking “What does such-and-so want for Christmas??”. Have your kids create wish lists and you can direct Grandma to look at those for gift inspiration.

#6. Amazon Fresh

If you consider your time valuable—and I know most moms and mompreneurs do—then have you ever looked into grocery delivery service? This is not the kind of speedy-grocery program where you order items online but still have to drive up to the store front to pick them up (does your Wal-Mart do this? I’ve heard awful things.) This is the kind of grocery delivery service that delivers right to your door, saving you from having to make any trip to the grocery store. Plus, they deliver the items in chilled totes. I mean, if that doesn’t say quality service, I don’t know what does. Shop your entire grocery list and have it delivered as quickly as the same day or tomorrow morning.

There’s also a pretty nifty thing called Amazon Dash. It’s like a voice recorder and store scanner all rolled into one. Plus, it’s magnetic. You can use it to scan the items you need or record the name of the item to your shopping list. It automatically adds these items to your cart. Now you won’t have to write any grocery lists! As the website says, “Dash remembers so you don’t have to.”

#7. Amazon Launchpad

Stay ahead of the game by browsing and shopping from Amazon Launchpad ~ where you’ll find “unique and unexpected products from today’s brightest startups.” Not only is this great for customers who are interested in the newest innovations, but it’s also pretty cool for those who believe they have a great product and need a platform to showcase it in. Amazon helps you launch products, market them, share your startup story, and earn customer trust, just like the big brands.

I’m probably most excited about this because of the unique gift aspect. I love shopping for unique items, not only for myself but also to give to others. (One of the reasons I love handmade creative businesses so much!) With Amazon Launchpad, you’ll be shopping for quality products with that unique quality to them, because they aren’t as popular-yet.

Whether it’s holiday season or not, Amazon.com has lots of ways to save you time and money.

Become a prime member, subscribe to items, have your groceries delivered fresh, but most importantly, keep more money in your wallet and use your extra time to spend with those you love!

7 Ways to Save Time and Money this Holiday Season (with Amazon!)