Why I Made the Decision to Break Up with Amazon & I’m Not Looking Back

If you find yourself wishing you could stop contributing to the growing wealth of billionaire Jeff Bezos, you're not alone. Here's how I broke up with Amazon, and you can too!

Amazon Prime Used to Be a Lifeline for My Neurodivergent Brain

Admittedly, I have been part of the problem. I was an Amazon Prime user for several years. As a neurodivergent with the memory of a goldfish, subscription orders were a lifesaver to ensure that I never ran out of some of my must-have household items for my Indiana home.

Getting "Influenced" Has Caused Unnecessary Amazon Spending

I am also just as guilty of spending unnecessarily on things I didn't really need but that I had been "influenced" to purchase by some random internet stranger's TikTok or Facebook Reel.

Get our free mobile app

Hi, I'm Kat, and I Am 60 Days Amazon-Free

In January, I made the decision to break up with Amazon. I canceled all of my subscription orders. I canceled my Prime membership, and I have not purchased a single thing from Amazon since. While it may not be as convenient to actually have to physically leave the house and go to the store, I have actually saved a ton of money on the things I don't need/haven't impulse purchased.

How to Break Up with Amazon

You may be thinking that you can't break up with Amazon. I promise you can, and I'll share some ways to make the post-breakup blues a little bit better.

Make a Decision to Shop Elsewhere

Make the decision to shop from other retailers and grocers. Most of us have local options to shop in person. If there's something you really want on Amazon, search it on Google. The odds are that you can purchase it straight from the company's own website or from a different online retailer.

READ MORE: FInd Out Where Companies Donate Their Political Dollars

Other Options for Shopping Off Amazon

Depending on what you're in the market for, there are plenty of other online options for shopping, but perhaps one of the best things you could do is source and shop locally. See if there is a small business in your community that sells the things you need.

What About All of My E-books?

One of the perks of being a Prime member is the ability to download E-books using Audible, but you don't need Amazon for E-books! Almost every local library includes the use of apps like Libby or Hoopla when you get a library card. (By the way, you can stream movies with Hoopla too!)

Books, Books, and More Books

Another big draw of Amazon is the ability to buy physical books, but you probably have a local indie bookstore that would appreciate your consumer dollars a lot more than Jeff Bezos (and they probably are giving back to your own local community, too). Want the convenience of shopping online? Check out Bookshop.org to support indie book stores or Thriftbooks.com if you want to buy used books.

Speaking of Thrifting - It's Good for Your Wallet and the Environment

Another great way to break up with Amazon is to shop second-hand. Not only can you avoid paying full price, but by shopping second hand or thrifted, you are helping to keep consumable goods out of our landfills.

Just Consume Less

This last tip is one that I am really trying to implement more in my personal life. The amount of random, useless stuff collecting dust in my house is rather obscene. In a world of more is more, sometimes more really means less. I am trying hard to curb my unnecessary spending and to be much more intentional with what I do spend on and where I spend it.

I hope you'll consider being more intentional in your day-to-day life too.