Here's What CNET Staffers Are Buying During Prime Day 2023

I am an absolute sucker when it comes to the compact versions of Amazon's Alexa. I have an Echo Dot in just about every room in the house except the bathrooms, or at least I did. Now, the bathrooms are going to have one of these little guys so we can bathe and shower with music, podcasts or anything else Alexa can provide.

-- James Bricknell

Growing up, Sorry! was an all out war in my family. We even kept score so we could brag about who had won the most times. I had a long standing alliance with my mom where we would try and sabotage my dad. Truly family bonding. Now that our son is old enough and understands the game, he's part of this ongoing tradition and is very into it. Add a Disney theme to the mix and this game is a must-have in our household. I look forward to arguing over who gets to be Maleficent. Spoiler alert: It's me.

-- Danielle Ramirez

Summers have been getting hotter. And for those really sweltering days, you can never have too many fans on hand, especially if you don't have air conditioning (which I don't).
Vornado's 630 fan is powerful, but not too loud. And it's a great size for just about any room. A bonus is that it comes with a generous 5-year warranty.

-- Desiree DeNunzio

My previous Panasonic cordless phone system is literally dying after 18 years (yes, I still have a landline), and this seemed like a good replacement for not too much money. It features Link2Cell technology so you can pair your cell phone with it via Bluetooth and make cell calls through your landline.

-- David Carnoy

I said I wasn't going to buy anything, but I got a Callaway rangefinder. It probably won't improve my golf game, but at least I'll know the distance to the pin that I won't come close to hitting! Almost 50% off too.

I have a Garmin watch that tracks golf. The golf app tracks the distance from the pin where you are located within the course and hole. It isn't as accurate as a rangefinder since courses typically change the pin for each golf hole.

Hopefully it helps my game!

-- Dillon Payne

My iPhone-owning teen-ish daughters always lose their earbuds, and I've gone through a few ultra-cheap ones. Perhaps they'll take better care of decent ones that cost a bit more (at least that's my ignorant hope).

I'm planning to give one to my middle daughter to replace her latest lost ones and hold one in reserve, just in case. Fingers crossed.

-- David Katzmaier

I have 4-year-old twins. In two weeks, we're going to drive eight-plus hours to the beach. Last year, the trip was a total nightmare. This year, we're going to bite the bullet and give them tablets loaded with Peppa Pig.

The Amazon Fire 7 Kids tablet is so cheap it's basically a no-brainer. $60! And that's for the bigger capacity! It has a colorful case. If they ever want to watch anything other than Peppa Pig (unlikely) there are plenty of free options. They'll love them. Probably a bit too much, but that's a problem for future us.

-- Nick Hide

My parents are finally breaking up with their expensive cable provider. This means they needed a streaming device that's both easy to set up and use. In my experience, Amazon Fire TV products are the perfect place to start, especially for people who are used to cable. With the Prime Day sale, I opted to upgrade them to a Fire TV Cube, rather than just a Fire Stick.

The octa-core processor is faster and the added storage is sure to come in handy. The overnight shipping was just an added bonus. 

-- Taylor Leamey

This pocketable magnetic battery pack charges my iPhone while doubling as a mini travel stand, thanks to the fold-down backing. I actually bought this a month ago, but Prime Day has dropped the price back to an enticing $40.

-- John Falcone

I wanted to get a small indoor camera for my living room to monitor my pets. It's also good to have on hand to make sure the maintenance staff at my apartment aren't doing anything weird. But home security equipment is so expensive! I'm not paying $70-plus for a singular, tiny indoor camera. That's ridiculous. So, I waited until Prime Day to see if I could get a good deal. And I think I did. I got the camera at 50% off (around $30), which is probably the best deal I'm gonna get for that camera.

-- Sarah Drolet

I bought my last MacBook in 2016, and it was on its last leg. I'd been eyeing an M1 device for a few months. Decent discounts on MacBooks are rare, so when I saw the M1 Air model was 25% off, I jumped on it. It was delivered in less than 24 hours, and I was able to start using it the day after I purchased it. I also bought AppleCare through my Amazon purchase.

-- Nick Wolny

My sisters and I were Barbie's biggest fans when we were little. This collection has most of the classic Barbie movies that we grew up with, so I thought it would be fun to have a Barbie movie marathon with my sisters. Plus, it's hard to beat the price on this -- 10 movies for $14 is a steal. Considering just one Barbie movie is around $15, how could I possibly pass this up? Did I need this? Absolutely not. Did I buy it anyway? Yes, and I have no regrets.

-- Sarah Drolet

I've been using Sengled's smart light bulbs for years because they work with Google Assistant (my virtual assistant of choice) and my Xfinity Home security system. Although, so do others from Philips Hue and Lifx.

However, Sengled's options start off costing less than its competitors'. And, of course, Prime Day deals drop the prices even more. Even better: Sengled added a 7% coupon on top of the deal price. If this four-pack doesn't work for your needs, Sengled has other bulbs available that are also discounted for Prime Day.

-- Josh Goldman

We make regular use of an air fryer in my kitchen, but counter space is at a premium and it's a bit bulky. This skinnier version of the Instant Vortex caught my eye because it features a narrow design that'll save space while still offering enough capacity for our needs at 6 quarts. Big sales like this are extra helpful when you can hone in on a specific model and still catch a nice discount.

-- Ry Crist

I'm closing on a house next month and wanted to take advantage of Prime Day deals on home security equipment. This Ring Doorbell and Echo Show bundle at $65 was a no-brainer for me. I'll be able to monitor my front door from inside the house with the Echo Show and from anywhere using the Ring app on my phone.

I also saved $100 on my Prime Day purchase of the Ring Alarm 8-piece security system for additional peace of mind.

-- Attila Tomaschek

I bought the matching full Caraway cookware set a few months ago during a sale and love them. The pans in that set are all large so I've been missing my smaller saucepan and frying pan.

The quality of Caraway is amazing, but with that comes a pretty big price tag. I've been hoping to get these smaller pans on sale, and was so glad to see them included in the Prime Day sales for 20% off!

-- Erica Devaney

I've tried coffee pods from various non-Nespresso brands before, but this kind really impressed me. I ordered another discounted pack during Prime Day before I had even gotten through all 120 pods in my initial pack.

It's a pretty hefty supply of coffee pods for a bargain price, and I don't get the sense that I'm compromising on the taste of my coffee.

-- Meara Isenberg

I have been eyeing a silk or satin pillowcase for awhile. I have flannel and cotton pillowcases and the material causes friction and irritation to my hair and skin. Satin or silk pillowcases are light -- perfect for the summer and hot sleepers (like me). I also like that the smooth material reduces hair breakage.

I was able to grab a queen pillowcase for $6. I only bought one just to test and see if I like it. For only $6, I couldn't resist. 

-- Caroline Igo

I regularly buy 3 or 4 of these bags of beans every other month, just to keep myself properly caffeinated with my preferred roast. Just for grins I checked yesterday to see what they were going for, and found they were nearly $3 off per pack from what I had last paid for them. So I ordered several. And today it appears they've gone up again, by nearly $1.20 apiece, so I am feeling smug. 

-- Jim Hoffman