We’ve been in our new smart house for just under 2 months now. While, we had Alexas previously, our new house is far more automated. I think my favorite uses are announcing when dinner is ready, and using the call feature like an intercom. I can’t tell you how tired I was of yelling upstairs b/c it sounded like At-Ats were coming through the game room floor!
I’d love to be able to order take out, but haven’t figured that out yet.
So what’s your favorite, or most used, skill for your smart device?
You can program it to say something specific when asked a particular question. My husband programmed it so that if I ask “tell me about Mr. Kiddie” it replies he is so wonderful etc.
I like repeating events. At 7:15am every day, while I am drinking my coffee, Alexa announces the weather. Also, at 7:58am M-F, she used to announce: “XXX, time to get your things together for school” when he (my youngest child) needed to leave at 8:05 to be on time. I was home, usually sitting right there, but better Alexa to be the nag than me!
First, we immediately changed our setting to call it Amazon. It’s surprising how many times Amazon, either the river or the business, has come up in conversation.
My husband’s office is in another building on my property. He uses it as an intercom.
Of course, we have many of the outdoor lights hooked up to it, especially the path lights for those early nights.
Hubby made all his CD collection digital, so we can listen to that on demand.
I love the shopping list. “Alexa, add a bottle of rum…” 
The only thing she struggles with for some reason is the word “dozen.” She just cannot comprehend “a dozen eggs.” Of course, we can just say “eggs,” but it is odd.
I also love asking her to play music.
My kids are paranoid that she’s listening to us, so we have put her in a separate room. I think once our last kid is gone, I will move her back to her central location.
She is. 
I find those devices to be very creepy, therefore, I don’t have one! My sister spends a good deal of time ‘chatting’ with Alexa, and my H’s second wife is Siri. A few things I know you can do with Alexa, is program it to give you a daily ‘This day in history…’ you can do a daily buzzword and I think you can do meditation.
I like the whisper function. I use Alexa to turn on and off our bedroom light as the switch on the bed died. I often come to bed after my husband who will go to sleep with the light on, so I whisper “Alexa, turn off plug one.” And the light goes off.
I like saying, “outside lights on” as I’m walking to the door to let the dog out and the lights flip on before I get to the door. Agree on the handy lists too- I’ll start a list, add to it and my husband will be able to look at it when he’s at the store. We have a device in our bedroom and then three others scattered in the house and I’ll add to the list wherever I am. I use the timer all the time for cooking, for my smoker, to remind me to turn off the sprinkler, etc.
I have the one set in my bedroom that when I dismiss the alarm on weekday mornings, Alexa tells me the weather, adjusts the A/C, what my appts for the day are, and to have a lovely day. At night I have it set up to lock the doors, adjust A/C, and tell me I’m Pj Fabulous!! LOL
Our ceiling fans have yet to be installed, so that will be next
There’s an evil little feature I recently discovered. Little S was being a snot about getting up and moving. So I used my Amazon Music app to turn up the volume on his bedroom Alexa and Rick Roll’d him at top volume. He was SO Not happy with me!!!
Thanks for these! I am going to use the intercom one for sure! H uses it far more than me, mostly for music, news, and weather. He does love the Question of the Day.
I can sympathize with @ChaosParent23 S. H used to have some kind of thing set where he’d have “our song” (Used to Love Her/Had to Kill her) set to go off at full volume when I got home from the gym in the morning, and he was gone for school. It was always set to the time when I had just plopped down and wanted to QUIETLY relax for 2 minutes before rushing for the day. But the problem was that Alexa is in our kitchen. It was not in a place where I could tell her to turn it off without getting up. Ugh!!! I was not amused, especially since it took MANY times for him to get it through his head that I was not amused.
Alexa’s best trick at our house is speech therapy. My husband is generally tech-phobic but he is willing to try with Alexa. He cannot slur his words or she either doesn’t understand or completely misunderstands. Great for stroke recovery. (She also helped identify his second stroke but that is more suited to a different thread!)
So I tried the whisper feature since H was asleep…
“I HEAR YOU’RE WHISPERING…DO YOU WANT ME TO DO THAT?”
(She didn’t like my answer…)
I am really simple, I just use Alexa to “calendar my hair appointment on July 30 at 1:40”. I love that feature. I haven’t even explored what everyone else is doing, that’s wonderful!
“Alexa, ask baby Groot what time it is?”
It makes my day.
Not Alexa, but Google Home, can I chime in?
H and I run or walk almost every morning, right after we get out of bed.
Question 1: Hey Google, what time is it? (assuming I’m too lazy to look at the clock)
Question 2: What’s the weather? (I’ve got it set to “conversational” so I don’t have to say “Hey Google” each time). Answers with the temp and a summary forecast.
Question 3: Is it windy? (I hate running if its windy) Answers with Yes/No, followed by the windspeed and direction.
So, now we know if we’re running or walking, how long we should go (if I’m late or not), and what to wear!! 
I could also set aGoogle Home routine to answer all 3 questions at one prompt, but I haven’t done that yet.
I like asking Alexa to sing Happy Birthday to my kids. (Having her lead the singing makes it easier for the “musically challenged” to join in. My kids like to ask her silly questions (if you ask her to fart, she will?) or to tell jokes. Weather report is also useful. I also find them kinda creepy. Never really wanted them and don’t use them much. S got them free for some promotion.
Sorry, @gouf78 - you do have to teach her to whisper, after that she will whisper back to you when you whisper to her.
You can play Twenty Questions with Alexa, but only if you think of an animal.
Also, I was telling husband how my new dentist told me carrots were good for my teeth. So I asked Alexa “what are the health benefits of carrots?” OMG, she rattled off a list that included almost every one of my health issues ( only missed arthritis). It’s a miracle food! Thank you, Alexa.
We have a few lights and the TV controllable thru Alexa, so we have a goodnite routine where it turns off the TV if it is on, turns off the lights in the house and the one on in the bedroom.