Good morning everyone! It is Wednesday and if you are like me, you’re trying to get everything wrapped up before going out on holiday vacation! I have my pumpkin pies already for this week, so now I just need to wrap up work and then I need to keep my eyes watching the incredible Black Friday deals coming out.
Well I am here to give my best recommendations on deals that have currently come out, courtesy of Amazon. I’ve done the in-person shopping for Black Friday and truthfully, it is a tad disappointing. I feel you find significantly better deals and options when shopping online. The exception, of course, is when you’re shopping small businesses, although many towns down Small Business Saturdays these days. While online shopping is primarily the best options for your shopping needs, it is also important to include small businesses in your holiday shopping to support local business owners.
But now for my hot tips for this year; this is an assortment of personal purchases for you, but also some great ideas for those of you who might do office secret Santa but aren’t sure what to get them. So here they are!
Massage Gun
These were the hottest item for awhile, and I still see them all over social media as prime tools for working out the stresses of the day, or for recovering after an intense workout. Well, at this moment you can get one for less than $30, so this doesn’t break the bank for you, plus would fall under most Secret Santa price caps.
Second Monitor
This one was actually referred to me by a colleague, she got a portable monitor that can be connected to her laptop, giving her a second screen. She was a at a meeting and several people went ahead bought them right there because of how cool it was. There are several options out there, but she specifically referred me to this one that she got, and coincidentally it is on major discount for Black Friday. Highly recommend!
Reusable Rocketbook Notebook
My husband actually got one of these awhile back and thought it was pretty cool; this acts as a reusable notebook in that you can erase what you write. Where is the benefit? This links to an app where you can load up what you write down so it’s excellent for things like shopping lists, brainstorming lists, book ideas, or those moments in the middle of the night where you wake up an want to jot down your dream.
Jewelry Case
How many people actually have great storage for all of their jewelry, especially for traveling? I have bought plenty of earrings lately but still don’t have designated storage, so I feel this is a very good Stocking Stuff for almost anyone.
The Office Merchandise
Of course there is always the option for giving out merchandise from The Office to someone. My newest obsession is this magnet set that lets you set your mood based on which Michael Scott you are. A close second is the “What do you meme?” Office Edition.
Charcuterie Board
I know plenty of people who love a good charcuterie, but do not have a cute, bamboo board like this one to set their spread on. I have normally used plates or a cutting board separate from the one I am using to cut my cheeses and meats. Great idea for that coworker who loves to host! Or perhaps they like to have snacks for just themselves (guilty!).
Wireless Earbuds
I am sorry, but something like these does not need to cost over a hundred dollars like Apple insists their brand needs to be. They all work the exact same and at $15, they are great as a stocking stuffer or Secret Santa gift that can give you so much major kudos.
Bath Salts
I personally am not a huge fan of baths, like at all. I’m all about the shower, but there are plenty of people who enjoy a relaxing bath, and nothing adds to them like some bathsalts. I know bath bombs are still the “in thing” but the truth is they are really not that exciting, and typically just stain your skin and your tub. Skip the darn bombs and opt for some fancy salts; and if you go for a variety pack, you can opt to split them up as stocking stuffers for more than one person.
Crochet Kit
I have talked about the Woobles before and while they are typically considered the best out there, they unfortunately can be a bit pricy. Woobles are currently out on sale but I did want to call out this cute unicorn (and he has some friends) which are still at about half the price if you are looking for a cool craft to gift someone.
Cool Calendar
Calendars sound silly but they aren’t a bad gift, I’ve had a colleague gift all of us with a different calendar before. And my mom actually got all of us kids calendars at Christmas time, and she had wrote in each birthday and anniversary so we all knew them ahead of time. Now that is pretty impressive and while I cannot believe she took the time to do it, I absolutely loved it. The problem with calendars is that you can literally find a calendar of anything out there, so you have a lot of options. My calendar recommendation is this one of Australian firefighters which has been around for more than thirty years, and whose proceeds go to charity.
Coffee Sampler
If there are two things I love, it is coffee and an assorted sampler and here you have both! We all have a couple of people (friends, family, coworkers) who love their coffee so you can gift this entire thing to one person, or like the bath salts it is often fun to buy these sorts of assortments, knowing they’ll be split up between various people (I do it every year).
Gaming Controller
This is going to be more of a recommendation for you, but have you been meaning to get a new controller? Like this example, PS5 controllers are pretty pricey at $75 so now is a great time to save a bit of money on them. Which I think I better do myself because I know the husband has been wanting to get a new one.
Kindle Unlimited Membership and/or Kindle Device
Been meaning to get back into reading but do not know where to start? Well, with Kindle Unlimited you do this digitally through the Kindle app. You can do this on a phone or existing tablet, but Kindles are also on sale in case you have been meaning to upgrade your current one, or get one all together. Kindles are higher ticket items, but like items like video game controllers, they don’t often go on sale outside of events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday so it is good to jump on them when you can.
I hope my recommendations bore you some good fruit, but please let me and the other readers know if you find anything good this year! And until Friday, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!
