I used to ignore Black Friday, brushing it off as another marketing, consumerist gimmick to get people to buy stuff they don’t need to impress people they don’t know. When I needed stuff, I just bought them, without discount. But that was when I was younger, more self-righteous and had an overly-idealistic and poor view of money. But over the past 1-2 years, I had done some work on re-evaluating my relationship with money and consumption, and I’d say, had arrived at a more balanced view.
My take now: If I’m going to spend money on luxury items, I might as well spend it on a day when things are cheaper. Money saved means more money on other things that matter to me. If I’m going to consume luxuriously, I might as well consume on as pre-defined days instead of letting loose throughout the year. Kinda like a cheat day. Be good as much as possible for most of the year, and have a cheat day on Black Friday. (Of course I buy luxury stuff on non-Black Fridays too throughout the year, but with as much restraint and/or necessity as possible. Black Friday is when I can loosen that valve a bit.)
So, time to share that shopping list! These are some of the stuff that I’d been deal-hunting for:
Carrd.co - 50% of Pro plans till 6 Dec
Carrd is a sleek website builder made by @ajlkn. It’s super easy to use, and allows you to make beautiful, fast websites within minutes. Seriously, even though I know how to code things myself now, but sometimes you don’t want to commit too much time to an idea that might not even work in the first place. I’d always wanted to get on the Pro plan for Carrd, so that I can make MVPs of ideas I have, with as little time invested as possible. 50% off on the $49 Pro Plus annual plan is just crazy affordable for a tool that can potentially give me so much more returns.
Vessi - $99 for first pair (usual $179) till 3 Dec
Ever since I backed this Kickstarter project, I’d been a big fan of their waterproof knitted sneakers. It rains a whole lot in Singapore, and I hate walking around the whole day with wet socks. Ever since I got this sneakers, I even hop onto puddles without a care in the world. #firstworldproblems
Perfect Keto Bars - 50% off for 5 items till 2 Dec
I still crave for a sweet snack from time to time, and these keto bars are great for those moments. It doesn’t kick me out of ketosis, and they taste great. Only problem, it’s not available easily in Singapore and they are not cheap. Happy to have a chance to buy more this time!
Field Notes - no promo code yet
I have a whole collection of them at home but I still can’t get enough of them. Field Notes are my go-to note books of choice, for everything from reflections, idea journals to project notebooks. I start a new book for every project I start. Every year I start a new one too. The designs are awesome, the craftsmanship is inspiring, and I love the whole grassroots genesis story behind it. It’s not to surprising then that there’s a cult following for Field Notes, on par with or maybe even more fervent than Moleskin notebook fans I’d say.
Bellroy - $60 discount if you sign up till 30 Nov
I have one of their slim wallets and really like their thoughtful, minimalist design and practical, clever compartments (like for SIM cards, a pull tab to get cards out of a slot easily, etc). So am already a fan, and going for their crossbody bag seems a no-brainer.
I recently discovered this free Chrome extension that crawls the internet for promo codes and adds them to your cart automagically. PayPal recently acquire this company for $4B, so that’s says something. Great tool when you’re shopping around and might have missed out on promo codes, and not just on Black Friday.
Ice cream maker
Also in the market for an ice cream maker to make keto-compliant ice cream… anyone knows any good deal on it?