Last week, I was on vacation. I thought I’d be able to continue writing, but “Surprise!” the tiny bed-and-breakfast place on Block Island didn’t have wifi working as it had in previous years. It’s great to be back behind a keyboard with a working internet connection.
It’s also great timing for it, because it’s the annual Amazon Prime Day deal madness. As usual other retailers have stepped up to compete, so definitely give Target and Walmart a look and maybe Best Buy as well. Deals are happening fast and furious, so I’ll get right to them.
My Target Purchases
By 5:30AM (I just happened to wake up early), I placed my first three orders on Target. I shop at Target about once a year, because there are none local to me and I don’t see too many good deals. Buying this early means there’s something special. That is:
- KitchenAid Professional Stand Mixer – $299 – (Normally: $419) – My wife mentioned the other day that she would like one and to look for a deal. I knew people love these, but I didn’t know about pricing. It seems that Amazon’s are always $499, never a discount to be had. The model they have there is slightly better with a bigger bowl (6qt) and a motor (600 watts vs. 525 watts), but for $200 off, this is a rare, rare find for the KitchenAid Professional series.
My kids are getting into cooking, so it will be a gift for the whole family… except for maybe my stomach if they make 9 dozen cookies (the max capacity of this thing).
- Magic Tree House Boxed Set: Books 1-4 – $4 – (Normally: $15) – We might already have these books as my mother has given us some in this series. However, for $4, I’ll buy first and look later. We can always add this to a birthday gift or donate. There’s a chance that this sparks the kids’ interest in reading the series over summer.
- LEGO Creator Sunset Track Racer – $11.47 – (Normally $16-$20) – This is a basic Lego car, perfect for my 7-year-old. It’s ~200 pieces and can be built three different ways (one is a boat!) so that’s good for the price. I was a little on the fence, but this is the time I buy and squirrel away gifts for Christmas and birthdays.
Note: Unlike many websites that earn a commission if you buy anything, I don’t earn anything from the Target links above. It’s so rare that I recommend anything from there that I haven’t looked to set up a publisher account. When you get to the Amazon recommendations below, I may earn a commission on those.
Amazon Prime Day Recommendations
I should note that these are for Prime members, because, that’s the name of the day. That’s a lot of people out there. If you aren’t a Prime member, you may want to skip this section.
As usual, this is the best time to buy any of Amazon’s own devices. I’m a fan of the Fire HD 10″ tablet (Review), which is a steal at it’s $80 price. If you own a previous Amazon device there’s a trade-in program that might be worth looking into.
- Purchase $40 Amazon Gift Card & Receive $10 Credit – I sent a gift card to myself, so this is a free $10 credit to use in a couple of days.
- Fire HD Plus 10″ – $110 – (Normally $180) – I wrote about the regular version above, but this version packs an extra GB of memory and wireless charging. I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra $30 over the regular version, but the wireless charging and a stand might make it a good digital photo frame.
- Showtime/Starz/Paramount+ for $0.99 – (Normally around $10) – You only get 2 months of this $0.99 promotion price, but it’s enough to binge a series or two. During the start of the pandemic my wife and I streamed The Affair on Showtime and it was good.
I know there are a lot more Amazon deals to be had, but after years of buying them, maybe I just don’t need as much “stuff” anymore. I haven’t listed any WalMart deals yet, because I’ve found that website hard to navigate and figure what is truly a good deal.
Great idea to check out competitor sites! Never even occurred to me!