One person’s necessities are another person’s…future necessities. Here’s the stuff that Amazon has brought to my door in 2017.

They say you can tell about someone’s life by looking through their trash.

I say, there’s a neater way: look through their Amazon order history.

No, I am not about to give you (or my kids) (wait, I’d probably give it to you before my kids) my Amazon password.

But, I will take a look at my history and take you along for the ride. It gets kind of intriguing, believe it or not. Who knew? Our purchases can be colorful. And if they arrive with Prime, we are in business.

There’s no escaping the convenience of 2-day (or faster) shipping. In this weather, I shall wait for my diapers and not step outside. Besides, chances are that when I do venture out to get stuff (diapers, let’s say) I will end up with yes, diapers, and 122 things I had no idea I needed but suddenly seeing them made me totally need them. Sounds so logical, because it is.

Sometimes I wonder how our parents survived. They actually had to go to stores, imagine that. Ima, I have a newfound respect.

Trouble is, my kids have picked up on my relationship with Amazon Prime and they know that “Ma! But you can totally get it on Amazon!! See???” has a 75% chance of success. But, enough of that, let’s get to the fun part. Let’s explore 2017 in a way that no magazine, Instagram, or whatnot has ever done before. As far as I know.

And, after you are done reading about all the things we buy, tell us what you get. Because…Prime! Need we say more????

Mylec Folding Hockey Net

My first purchase of 2017.

Best purchase ever.

Kept my boys occupied for hours on end. They both love rollerblading and have used it outdoors and indoors (yes, I allow my children to rollerblade indoors) (in my basement) (shhh, no judging. Winters are long and treacherous in NJ, they need some exercise)

So easy to assemble and take apart that we shlepped it upstate in the summer and it was no shlep at all actually. Just hours and hours of healthy fun.

Plumeet Alarm Clock

So simple, so functional. This alarm clock just works. Small and inconspicuous enough to place in any room (guest rooms too) and easy enough for children to use daily. Ringer is just right and not too annoying. I see I ordered 8 of them throughout 2017. Not sure why. They did not break, not that I recall. I think we traveled with some and they never made it home…Regardless, a great buy.

Quimica Nail Hardener

If you are like me and suffer from thin, chipping nails, get this product. Not sure what’s in it, but it works. Apply a coat every day for two weeks and see it transform your nails.

This is fun, shall we continue? It’s really fun to look at my year through Amazon’s eyes.

In February we got lots of Purim items (not interesting).

After that I see lots of the “regular” stuff I guess I was restocking. Wonder what my regulars are? Here are products that we get on Amazon all the time:

Lavazza Espresso Coffee Beans

My favorite coffee of all time. My coffee machine uses only whole beans and after lots of trial and error, I found this gem. Creamy, delicious, and just the right roast.

RAW Parchment Paper Squares

These pre-cut parchment paper squares are simply amazing. I use them when layering cookies in a cookie jar, or for wrapping small items like caramels. They come in two sizes (5×5 and 3×3)

Nielson Massey Vanilla Bean Paste

This is the best vanilla bean paste out there. Yes, it’s quite a splurge and I don’t only use this one. I have the Kirkland (Costco brand) vanilla extract on hand too for most of my baking. But, when a dish like meringues or creme brulee calls for vanilla I will use this one. When you can distinctively make out the vanilla flavor, you need to use this. The vanilla dots are visible here and the flavor so rich. You are getting the closest thing to a freshly scraped bean.

Thermos Funtainer Replacement Straws

A long time ago, I took a trip to Target with wayyy too many kids (Always a mistake. Always.) I remember it was right before day camp season and I instructed everyone to pick a drink bottle they can fill each morning with water and ice. Of course, my daughter picked the most expensive one there ($18.99??? Helloo00??), and even as I tried to say, “No,” I knew this was a lost cause. The bottle had Elsa and Anna on it; I was not gonna win this one.

Once I got home, I realized that the fun wasn’t over yet. It was made out of metal which meant I needed to make a trip to toivel it as well.

Well, all that effort paid off because it is 3 years later and guess what, we still have that Thermos Funtainer cup. It is great quality (I prefer it to the Contigo ones) and when the straws get too yucky to clean you can easily order a replacement. I have added a few of these cups to the collection now and all I need to do is change the straws every now and then.

Now, back to my list. We are getting closer to Pesach season, which meant lots of swiping. And by swiping I meant from left to right on my Amazon app.

Disposable Counter Liners

Lots and lots of counter liners were used throughout the Pesach season. They were a revelation to me thanks to this post, and I have to admit, between the studio and the kitchen these have become a household staple.

I  can tell we are approaching camp season by all the paraphernalia that was ordered on Amazon. One of my favorite tricks is ordering drinks, nosh, and tissues directly to camp, therefore, avoiding the packing and the schlepping. And it’s always much more fun to get packages in camp, right?

Wizgear Phone Magnet

Sometime during the summer I see I reordered this phone magnet. I guess we did lots of traveling…It’s the best phone car gadget ever.

Well, that covers the first half of the year. Do you want to hear how the year finished?

I would love to hear what your Amazon order history tells us about you!