I Took a 1-Month Break from Amazon—Here’s What Happened

Dec. 31, 2024. I looked up at the clock and was shocked to see it was already 11:56 p.m. That left me only four minutes to log in to Amazon (AMZN), find a pillowcase, and make the purchase. I’d already told everyone in my life that I was taking a one-month break from the online megastore, which was due to begin at midnight. Here’s what happened during those 31 days.

The trap

My idea of a great shopping trip is running into a store, picking up what I need, and getting out in minutes.  The idea of strolling around without a plan or (heaven forbid) digging for bargains makes me nauseous.  By the time the COVID-19 lockdown was implemented, I’d already gotten into the habit of buying what I needed online. Fortunately, my husband enjoys in-person shopping, and as long as he was around, I had someone who’d take one for the team. 

Unfortunately, my husband worked in Texas during the pandemic while I held the fort down in our Kansas City house. As horrible as it was to hear when our neighbors became ill with the virus, I did have a pretty good excuse to buy everything online. And when I say “everything,” I mean everything. When I needed socks, lightbulbs, toothpaste, dental floss, or dog food, I’d log in to Amazon, spend less than five minutes placing an order, and move on with my day. 

My Amazon habit only got worse. By the time my husband and I moved to Illinois in 2022, it never occurred to me to visit an actual store to shop for the things we needed for the new house. I ordered nearly everything from Amazon. 

However, it wasn’t until November 2024 that I finally added up my average monthly spending with Bezos and company. To put what I found in perspective, there were months when the entire miscellaneous portion of our household budget was spent on Amazon. 

Here’s what happened

When I told my husband about my monthly average Amazon bill, he looked surprised. When I told him I was not ordering a single item from Amazon for the entire month of January, his expression changed to bemusement. I’m pretty sure he didn’t think I could stick with it — and who could blame him? I was excited to prove people wrong and show them I could get out of the Amazon rut. I was also curious to find out what life without Amazon was like. Some of what I found surprised me. For example:

• I cut miscellaneous spending by 43%. While I’ve known my average Amazon spending for months, I waited until last night to add up  January spending. I went through all payment sources and looked for any purchases I made that would have usually been made on Amazon. For example, if I picked up toothpaste and shampoo at CVS, I added it to the total. Perhaps because I took more time thinking about what I needed before leaving the house in January, I found that spending for the month was down by 43%. 
• I got out and visited local shops. I’ve been in Illinois for over two years and was surprised by the number of shops I’d never walked into. Not to sound too sanctimonious here, but may I tell you how good I felt about spending money locally? I’m reasonably sure Bezos has more than he needs, but those local shopkeepers appreciate the business. 
• I reinstated a cooling-off period. I used to have a rule: If I was in a store and saw something I wanted, I would give myself a cooling-off period. If I still wanted it the next day, I could get back in my car and go back and buy it. The truth is, I never did. By the time the next day rolled around, I was already thinking about something else. Now that I was back shopping in person, I reinstated the cooling-off period. 
• It sped up my bill-paying process. I typically put miscellaneous purchases on a credit card (to earn all those sweet rewards points) and pay it off each Friday. Before I pay the bill, I go through my statement line-by-line. Making fewer purchases meant spending less time verifying each line of my credit card statement. 

A few years back, I quit all social media cold turkey. It was the right thing for me, and I’ve never regretted it. I found the month without Amazon equally liberating. I’m not saying that I’ll never make another online purchase, but I do know that Amazon will never play the same role in my life. 

Why it matters

Life gets busy, and no matter how dedicated you are to shopping mindfully, it’s easy to slip into less-than-healthy habits. Not only is shopping locally good for communities, but it can also save you money over the long run. 

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