I have $40 to blow on Amazon. Help me find something fun for myself.

January 6, 2012 8:16 AM

I have a whopping $40 to blow at Amazon. What should I get?

My brother got me a gift for Christmas from Amazon that I couldn't really use, so I returned it and got a Kindle and a Kindle cover. Now I have $40 left to blow on something fun for myself. I don't really "need" anything, so I'd like to get something fun or whimsical, something I'd never think of buying myself. No DVDs or music please. More along the lines of self-pampering or something entertaining for adults. Any ideas? Some things I like are - dogs, languages, ocean, photography, collecting sea glass, jewelry making, maps. Thanks!

posted by Sal and Richard to Shopping (18 answers total)

save it, use it for when you have something you want to get rather than blowing it on getting for gettings sake
posted by edgeways at 8:18 AM on January 6, 2012 [14 favorites]

Best answer: 100 Suns is a great coffee table book of photos of atomic explosions.
posted by griphus at 8:18 AM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Buy $40 worth of dog/cat food and donate it to the local shelter, deliver it yourself and look at the pups while you're there.
posted by HuronBob at 8:24 AM on January 6, 2012 [5 favorites]

Use it for buying the next few books you want for your Kindle.
posted by maybeandroid at 8:28 AM on January 6, 2012 [11 favorites]

Having an Amazon card is rather like having a Walmart card... Next time you need to go to Walmart just order from Amazon instead.
posted by Folk at 8:28 AM on January 6, 2012

Yeah, buy a bunch of ebooks for the kindle.
posted by empath at 8:29 AM on January 6, 2012

Puerto Rico is a great card game that should keep some adults entertained.
posted by backwards guitar at 8:30 AM on January 6, 2012

Sorry, great board game.
posted by backwards guitar at 8:30 AM on January 6, 2012

The obvious suggestion seems to be to buy some e-books for your new Kindle.
posted by asnider at 8:36 AM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

How about buying a few copies of the same play and holding a reading in your living room?
posted by Jahaza at 8:42 AM on January 6, 2012 [3 favorites]

Best answer: You want entertaining for adults? Get a copy of Cards Against Humanity. It's basically the game "Apples to Apples" but with hilariously raunchy and inappropriate cards. Wait for it to come back in stock at Amazon and it'll be $25. If you enjoy Metafilter and the internet in general, you will love this game.
posted by cosmicbandito at 8:43 AM on January 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Seconding save it for books for your Kindle. It's a pretty magical feeling to hear about a book you'd like, immediately log on to your Kindle, read a sample and purchase it instantly. I used to love using the gift cards my parents got me from Amazon for that purpose. It's somehow more fun than spending "real" money.
posted by peacheater at 8:46 AM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]

Amazon credit never expires - wait until you actually want something!
posted by mskyle at 8:51 AM on January 6, 2012 [2 favorites]

Best $50 I ever spent on amazon was on a memory foam topper for my mattress. You'd have to throw in a few extra dollars, but my goodness it is awesome.
posted by dpx.mfx at 8:57 AM on January 6, 2012

Best answer: I'm pretty sure I learned about this from Mefi Projects:

Amazon Used Deals Finder - scours your wishlist for the deepest discounts

It's found me some good deals.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 9:07 AM on January 6, 2012 [7 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks all - griphus and cosmicbandito, something like that is exactly what I'm looking for. And thanks for the tip, SuperSquirrel.
posted by Sal and Richard at 11:18 AM on January 6, 2012

FYI in case you didn't know this, you can use your Amazon GC for Kindle reading purchases.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:59 AM on January 6, 2012

A ceramic knife!
posted by custard heart at 11:09 AM on January 7, 2012