What I bought Monday: the best cheap vacuum on Amazon, a supplement that prevents sunburn (seriously), and comfy shoes for Disneyland!
I save a lot of money buying almost everything our family needs on Amazon. Since Amazon’s review system is pretty crappy lately thanks to millions of fake reviews, I like to share what I bought on Amazon, and what I really think of the products. Hopefully this information is helpful to moms who are interested in the same things I am that make my household and body run smoothly! These are items my family really uses, not sponsored reviews.“
This post includes affiliate links to Amazon products with free shipping with Amazon Prime. Get a free month of Amazon Prime with my link here.
This frugal blog was updated 1/5/2020.
Here are the items I bought; keep reading after the photo links for my reviews and tips for each item.
Bissell Cleanview model 1831: the best cheap vacuum on Amazon
Skechers Meditation sandals: comfy shoes for Disneyland!
This supplement prevents sunburn! BioAstin Astaxanthin
The best cheap vacuum on Amazon: Bissell Cleanview
This is the third time I’ve bought a Bissell Cleanview vacuum, but that doesn’t mean it’s a crappy vacuum. Quite the opposite: I love this vacuum so much, I keep buying it.
I bought my first Bissell Cleanview on Amazon about 15 years ago, back when Amazon was mostly known for selling books. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend on a vacuum. The super cheap Dirt Devil vacuum I bought at Walmart didn’t have any suction, and I couldn’t afford to keep buying vacuum bags. I needed a cheap vacuum that actually worked and didn’t need bags or replacement filters. Back then, bagless vacuums were newfangled.
The Bissell Cleanview has washable filters, which means that once you buy the vacuum, you don’t have to spend money to maintain the vacuum. Bissell recommends replacing the HEPA filter every few months, but I actually don’t replace the HEPA filter because we vacuum daily and we don’t have allergies, so I feel like it’s a gimmick. I’ve had the same HEPA filter in my Bissell Cleanview for more than 5 years with no problem. (If you want to replace the HEPA filters, the cheapest HEPA filters that fit Bissell Cleanview model 1831 are usually about $4 each in a 4-pack on Amazon.)
My first Bissell Cleanview broke where it wouldn’t stand up. That was OK with me since the vacuum still worked great. But after almost 10 years, the vacuum belt broke. I didn’t know how to change a vacuum belt, so I took the vacuum to a shop. They wanted more money to replace the belt than it would cost to buy a new vacuum. So, I bought an identical vacuum on Amazon.
My second Bissell Cleanview also broke where it wouldn’t stand up! I was pretty annoyed by that, but we just made do since it is a really great vacuum (that can’t stand up!) After about 5 years (15 years total struggling with a vacuum that can’t stand up) I finally decided it was time to replace the vacuum. I read hundreds of reviews on all the major vacuum brands, spent an hour in Costco trying to figure out how to put an expensive Shark liftaway vacuum back on its base, and used my sister’s Shark vacuum that she loves (I hated it). I decided my best bet was to buy another Bissell Cleanview.
This new model (Bissell Clearview 1831) seems to have fixed the problem of breaking so it doesn’t stand up. There is a strong “snap” when you stand the vacuum up, and the top of the vacuum leans forward on its base so it can’t tip over backward. We have a Tom Sawyer chore situation going on here, with everyone fighting for a turn using the new vacuum. It looks a lot more space-agey than the older model.
My kids have to vacuum daily because we have a super furry German Shepherd mix dog. I expect to keep this vacuum for at least 10 years, but let’s say it only lasts 5 years. Cost per daily use over 5 years = 5 cents a day. A $300 vacuum would cost 15 cents a day. That’s a huge price swing and the Bissell has fantastic suction—the Bissell Cleanview is the best cheap vacuum on Amazon for sure.
You can also buy this vacuum at Target/Walmart (search for Bissell Cleanview 1831), but it was cheaper on Amazon because of Ebates cashback, and I buy all of my items on Amazon using discounted gift cards for an extra 13%–20% off. (Read more about that here: Best Frugal Practices: How We Use Gift Cards to Meet the Minimum Spend for Credit Card Bonus Offers.) Check the prices everywhere before you buy so you get the best deal.
Comfy shoes for Disneyland! Skechers Meditation sandals
I have a post about comfy shoes for Disneyland here. Skechers Meditation sandals are my tween daughter’s and my new favorite shoes to wear all day at Disneyland, since Reef stopped making the Ginger Slim flip flops. The Skechers Meditation sandals are like Sanuk Sling sandals but the Skechers are usually about $10 cheaper than Sanuk.
Skechers Meditation look pretty, squish nicely, and are super light so my feet don’t get tired.
My daughter has really narrow feet so most flip flops and sandals give her blisters; the Skechers Meditation/Sanuk Sling sandals are the only ones that don’t rub her feet raw or give her blisters. (Note, only buy the regular Sanuk Sling, don’t buy the “Ella” Sling because the knot really hurts!)
We bought the black Skechers Meditation—they never look dirty, and black goes with everything. There are a ton of other colors available.
My regular shoe size is 8.5/9, and my daughter wears an 8.5. We ordered a 8 and a 9 since there are free returns on this item, and the 8 fit better for both of us. Always check that the exact size and color you choose for shoes (or clothes) on Amazon says “free returns” under the price.
You can also find Skechers Meditation sandals at Kohl’s/Macy’s/etc., but Amazon usually has the best price and free returns.
This supplement prevents sunburn! BioAstin Astaxanthin
I need to do a long post about astaxanthin soon, but here’s the bottom line:
- I am super white.
- I live in Phoenix.
- I take astaxanthin every day and I can sit in full sun in the summer for more than two hours without getting sunburned.
I take the 12mg astaxanthin. It’s available on Amazon, but Costco usually has it for $10 cheaper a couple of times a year, so I buy 6 bottles at a time at Costco on sale for $40 per bottle of 120 capsules. (Costco’s regular price is $50 for 120 capsules of the 12mg astaxanthin; compare that to the current Amazon price.)
My kids take the 4mg astaxanthin, which is always cheap on Amazon. They have not used sunscreen (except at the beach) for three summers, and they do not get sunburned. They’re in and out of the pool at home all day.
It takes several weeks for astaxanthin to work well, so don’t test it by staying out in the sun without sunscreen until you’ve been taking it for a while, and use common sense when testing your sun tolerance with astaxanthin.
More money saving posts with frugal tips on All Day Mom:
Adding up credit card points $934! Found Money #4
How we stopped living on 26 paychecks and built our vacation fund from $0 to Disney!
Pool supplies 50% cheaper than Leslie’s on Amazon! What I Bought Monday #2
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