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Happy Deal Day!

June 21, 2021 by Lazy Man 1 Comment

[Note: Many people call this Amazon Prime Day, but other retailers are having deals as well. Just because Amazon sets the day doesn’t mean they get to have all the attention. I’ll be updating this article throughout the day. I find it is better to publish quickly, so you don’t miss the deals before they sell out.]

Amazon Prime Day 2021

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.

Filed Under: Deals Tagged With: Prime Day

The Best Prime Day Android Phone Deals

July 16, 2019 by Lazy Man Leave a Comment

Yesterday, I wrote about a number of Prime Day deals, many of them are still running today (7/16). However, today I’d like to focus on just the Android deals as I researched exactly what upgrade was right for me.

One of the biggest problems was that there were so many deals and so many choices. With everything 30-40% off, these are the cheapest these phones have been – perhaps by $200 or more in some cases.

Since I don’t know you, I can’t really say which is the right phone for you. However, there’s a phone at almost any budget, so if you are a Prime member with an old Android phone it’s probably the best time to upgrade.

The best phones have gone up in price, but the cheaper phones above have gotten more and more capable at low prices. The bargain hunter in me wants to go with a cheap phone, because I’m a no-frills kind of guy. That’s one of the things that helps me b so frugal. However, since so many use their phones so often it makes sense to spend more for a better experience.

Without further ado…

The Best Prime Day Android Phone Deals

Starter Android Phone – Moto G6 ($110 – save $130)

If I were buying a first phone for my kids or maybe a senior citizen. My wife does so well with the previous generation of this phone (that she paid over $220 for) that she doesn’t feel the need to upgrade. So certainly this phone is useful for the Average Jane as well.

I compared my current phone’s processor, a 2015 Moto X Pure and found it to be about the same as the Moto G6. My phone also has almost the same 3GB of RAM as this G6. Of course, I’m looking to upgrade my phone, but certainly $110 phone can do a lot.

Best Overall Deal – Moto G7 ($200 – save $90)

The Moto G7 is probably the phone I should get. It is a faster processor and has 4GB of RAM. It’s essentially what you’d expect from a phone that’s a generation newer. It would be a noticeable upgrade for me. The camera won’t win any Instagram awards, but I think smartphone cameras have been amazing for years. Of course, I remember digital cameras that took floppy disks.

Best High-End Deal – LG V35 ThinQ ($400 – save $500)

This was going to be the Samsung S9 at $350, but it appears to be sold out. It may come back in stock, so give that link a check. Update: It’s back in stock! Last year’s $800-ish flagship phone at a $350 is often a good deal. You can still get a S9+ for around $450, but I feel that’s a different price point than what I wanted for this.

Instead, we’ll go with the LG V35 for $400. It has last year’s fastest processor (SnapDragon 845) and plenty of RAM (6 GB+). CNET’s review calls it a “worthy Galaxy S9 Plus competitor doesn’t quite get there”. That’s appropriate, because the price is slotted right between the expired S9 and the still available S9+.

Best Gaming Phone – Razer Phone 2

It has the best processor that was available last year and 8GB of RAM, but the display is what sets this apart. With a 120Hz refresh rate, it’s supposed to be the best for fast-pace gaming. I only catch Pokemon and match gems, so this phone isn’t for me.

Best Flagship Prime Day Android Phone – Samsung S10 ($600) or LG G8 ($500)

I’m against spending $1000 a phone/mobile computer. (I want to stress the mobile computer part, because few people judge devices based on their ability to make phone calls.) Fortunately, this is a relatively recent phenomenon. You got my attention if it’s possible to a phone that’s nearly a thousand dollar value for $500-$600. That’s what Prime Day has.

I put two phones as winners because they are almost the same phones. Both have the best processor available, abundant memory (6GB or more), superb cameras, and extras like wireless charging and water proofing. The LG has some military-grade shock protection and Qualcomm’s QC 3.0. The Samsung S10 has a third camera, 8GM of RAM, and can charge other devices wirelessly.

In a lot of ways you could flip a coin between the two. However, review after review favored the Samsung S10. The LG G8 just wasn’t reviewed as much and most of the reviews said it was a great phone, but the gimmicky extras didn’t add much. Also most of the phones were looking at it as a $850 phone instead of a $500 phone. I tossed and turned for quite a long time on which phone I should go for.

This video comparison of the two phones helped:

Finally, I felt that the Samsung S10 would retain its resale or trade-in value better. In a few years, I should be able to still sell it for something and use that money to upgrade to the S13 (or whatever it is called then.) While writing this up and seeing that the S9 was sold out, I jumped on the S10 before it sold out too.

Filed Under: Spending Tagged With: Amazon, Prime Day

Prime Day: What I’m Buying

July 15, 2019 by Lazy Man 4 Comments

Since I’m likely to be updating this article throughout the day, if you are reading this in your email, you might want to click on the live web version with the updates. The deals in this article apply to Amazon Prime members.

Amazon Prime Day

There are going to be approximately 1.34 billion articles written about Amazon Prime Day (today). One reason is that there really are some great deals. Another reason is that Amazon pays a referral fee, so writing about it can make a writer a few dollars if you decide to buy. (It doesn’t get more full disclosure than that, does it?)

I’m usually not one for the hype, but I’ve had my eye on some things for awhile. If I’m going to buy something anyway, I might as well take advantage of a sale, right?

What I’m Buying on Amazon Prime Day

A Gift Certificate to Myself

Amazon is offering a free $5 in promotional credit when you buy a $25 gift certificate. This deal probably won’t last long since it is essentially a free $5.

Let’s Go Eevee for the Nintendo Switch

I don’t have a Switch, but the kids love Pokemon and a Switch is likely in the mix for Christmas. They’ll need a game and Let’s Go Eevee is $30 – a 50% savings.

Upgrading an Echo Dot (2nd generation) to the new Echo Show 5 for under $25

The Echo Show 5 is Amazon’s latest attempt to perfect the Alexa alarm clock. It has a 5″ screen for video and better audio than a normal Echo Dot. Normally it is $90, but for Prime Day it’s on sale for $50. However, when you trade in another Echo device (such as the 2nd generation Echo Dot that I have lying around), you get 25% off a future Echo device. Amazon does that off the top, so it’s a $22.50 promotional credit. You also get $5 for the Echo Dot itself, but the real value is that promotional credit.

You have to take a little leap of faith in trading in the device for the promotional credit, but a number of people on Slickdeals, including myself, are making it work without a problem.

The math looks like:
$90 – original price
-$40 – Prime Day discount
-$22.50 – the 25% promo for the trade-in
-$5 – Credit for the 2nd generation Echo Dot
Total = $22.50

Sold Out A FireTV and Echo Dot for $12

Normally this bundle would cost you $75 or so, but it’s just $12 (probably a pricing mistake) with a discount that appears at checkout. Click here to buy. It will sell out quickly, so just buy if at all interested.

I think one could easily resell them on Ebay in a few weeks to make $30 or so.

Amazon Fire HD 10

I’ve long said, You Should Consider Buying an Amazon Fire HD 10, because when it’s $100 (the lowest it usually ever gets), it is the best computing bargain around. Even at full price it is a very good value. It’s almost impossible to find a 10″ full high-definition tablet for under $200. Of course one of the reasons why it is so cheap is so that Amazon can sell you stuff.

On Prime Day, the Fire HD 10 will be back to it’s lowest price of $100 (buy it now at that price. However, you can also buy 2 for $180 or $90 each (just add them to the cart). That’s the deal that I’m looking at. With two kids, our tablet is getting a lot of use. The kids tend to want to play at the same time (monkey see, monkey do). That means someone is stuck with our 5-year old Nexus 7. That was a good enough tablet for the time, but it’s noticeably slow nowadays. It seem like people on Ebay on are still willing to pay $75 for it, so to get half our money back (and nearly the price of a bigger, newer Kindle Fire) after all this time is a big win.

Some could (correctly) argue that the Fire HD 10 is nearly 2 years old and that it runs an even older version of Android. I’m sure that Amazon will update it a couple of months after I buy these. It seems like technology is always like that.

While I’m worried about the kids getting glued to the tablet too much, I feel it is somewhat inevitable. At least so far, they’ve been using our existing tablet for learning apps like ScratchJr, DuoLingo, and ABC Mouse. You’d think that maybe one tablet would be best so that they’d each have one. However, I’ve been customizing ours with the Google Play Store and I’m looking forward to having my own set of apps like Gmail and WordPress.

I’ll be shopping with my Amazon Prime card for another 6% back.

A New Cell Phone

My Moto X Pure is old 2015 technology and getting really slow. So slow that even my wife says that I shouldn’t “cheap out” and get something really good. I think the most I should spend on a cell phone is around $300.

It looks like there are going to be some deals on Pixels and Nokias, but from what I’ve seen it’s nothing too amazing. Since I’m writing this before the deals go live, I’m speculating on news leaks, but I think the sources are trustworthy. I’m not sure if I want to pull the trigger on a Pixel 3, when the Pixel 4 will be released in a couple of months – making the Pixel 3 likely much cheaper.

If I find a cell phone that’s worth pulling the trigger on, I’ll update this article.

Update:

Now that the smart phone deals are out, I’m more impressed than I thought I’d be. There are some excellent Samsung, Motorola, and this very tempting top of the line LG G8. I didn’t think I wanted a LG phone and $500 is more than I wanted to spend, but in the world of $1000 flagships, a $500 one seems like a good deal. I am heavily leaning towards this phone due to the latest SnapDragon 855 chipset and 6GB of RAM. It should future-proof me for a few years.

The Samsung S9 and S10 are both on sale. The S9 is $349 while the the S10 is $599. One could make the argument that I should spend another $100 to get the S10, but the LG G8 seems to be close to the same quality from all the reviews I’ve read.

A Moto G7 for $199 is extremely tempting too. The G7 would be an upgrade in every way, at $100 under my budget.

It looks like there’s a very good phone for almost any budget… $200 (Moto G7, $350 (Samsung S9), $500 (LG G8), $600 (Samsung S10).

What would you choose?

Something Else?

I’ll be going through my wishlist (which mostly includes STEM games for my kids) to see if there are any big bargains. If I find anything that’s particularly good, I’ll update this article. If you are reading this in the morning, you might want to give it a refresh in the evening.

One thing that I’m considering is waterproof Paperwhite for $85. It’s perfect for the lazy river at the Aruba Marriott and lowest price it has ever been. I just get the feeling that my wife would get more use out of it than I would. I’m a slow reader and don’t have a couple of months to read a book. I’ll probably jump on this as well since there is a 25% cash back when using an Amazon’s Prime Credit Card. For around $60, it seems worth the plunge.

Filed Under: Spending Tagged With: Amazon, Prime Day

Prepare Now for Amazon Prime Day

July 6, 2016 by Lazy Man 2 Comments

[Editor’s Note: Even though article is about Amazon Prime, it’s actually most useful for people who aren’t already, and don’t intend to become, Prime members.]

Last year Amazon had a Prime Day that was, by all measures, enormously successful. I think I picked up $200 in electronic deals (the highlight being a very cheap Kindle Fire.) If I hadn’t already owned an Amazon Echo, I would have bought one. Then again, I run an Amazon Echo fan site, so that’s to be expected.

Prime Day this year is July 12th, next Tuesday. This year Amazon says it is going to have 100,000 deals. I’m sure that like anything else, there will be some really good deals and some that are questionable as to whether they are deals at all. However, with that many deals, there’s bound to be a few things that are worthy of your dollars, right?

To participate in Prime Day, you have to be an Amazon Prime Member. (Makes sense, right?) If you aren’t a Prime member, you can use this link for a FREE trial. (You’ll want to set your calendar to cancel it before you are billed.)

I recommend taking them up on the trial now as Amazon’s leaking some deals early.

And if you do sign up for Amazon Prime, you can watch Room for free. That’s been on Mrs. Lazy’s “to-watch” list since it was nominated for four academy awards.

Aside from Prime Day, Amazon has really been surprising me with good deals of late. I wanted to write about one in particular that caught my attention, but it didn’t seem worth for its own article. So here goes…

Amazon has released a few new discounted cell phones. You can save an extra $50 or so off of the best price elsewhere. The catch? You’ll have to agree to Amazon’s advertisements and lock screen offers. I have these on my Kindle Fire, and they’ve never bothered me. I don’t even notice the ads except for the lock screen, which I quickly ignore. So it seems like a good way to save a little cash.

If you are looking for a discount low-end phone, here’s a BLU R1 HD for $59. For $179, you can get the latest generation Moto G which is an above average phone for the money.

I’ve been thinking of picking up the $59 one and putting in a FreedomPop sim chip I have that comes with free data. I have no practical reason to have another phone, but the tinkerer in me thinks it could be a good project.

Filed Under: Spending Tagged With: Amazon Prime, Prime Day

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