From the Editor's Desk: My little Black Friday victories

Ticking off those shopping list checkboxes.

Well, we made it through another week, and there aren't too many more of those left this year. That's probably a good thing considering what a mess 2020 has been, but this week was a special one here in the U.S. because it was Thanksgiving week, a time to sit back, collect our breaths, and consider all the things that we are still thankful for in our lives.

I hope that you were able to celebrate the holiday with family or loved ones, even if it was better and safer this year to do so at a great distance or even virtually. After all of the turkey (or tofurkey) and pie has been consumed, the next item on many people's agendas is to start shopping for holiday gifts on Black Friday. Typically, I avoid physical stores like the... er, plague... on a normal year, but this has not been a normal year by any stretch of the imagination. Therefore, I've had my eye on all of the Black Friday sales, and not just because I write about this stuff for a living. No, there were a few key items that I really wanted to get for myself, and I didn't want to miss out on them like I did during Prime Day. The good news is that I was mostly successful!

Filling out my wish list

I have been lusting over the Lenovo Chromebook Duet since I first laid my hands on Ara Wagoner's review unit earlier this summer, and ever since, I've been scheming and planning to purchase one of my own. I meant to grab one when it went on sale for $224 during Amazon's Prime Day event, but then I missed my chance.

Thankfully I came across this deal that my colleague Andrew Myrick found, and I was able to get it for just $229, or $60 off the regular retail price on Lenovo's website with the promo code TURKEYDUET. It sadly expired Saturday morning, but there's a chance we'll see another Duet deal tomorrow on Cyber Monday.

The other items I was lucky to get on sale were the Amazon Echo Buds. I got my first pair of Echo Buds over a year ago now, and I wore them every day for ten months until I accidentally destroyed one of them (#sad). Again, I had planned to pick up a new pair during Prime Day last month, but I'd been using the 1More Colorbuds and really liked them, so I sat out that sale. But then this past week, Amazon announced a long-awaited and long-speculated feature drop for the Echo Buds - Alexa-powered fitness tracking!

Once I heard about that new feature, I just had to get another pair, and lo and behold, they went back on sale for $50 off for Black Friday. After learning my lesson with the Chromebook Duet, I jumped all over this deal as well, and now I'll have Alexa whispering sweet nothings in my ears in no time.

Consider a holiday donation

Now I don't want this post to be all about my selfish interests, so allow me my soapbox moment here for a brief minute. Yes, Black Friday is a great time to save your hard-earned money on gifts for the holidays, but it is also a great time to think about how you can give to those people and causes who really need your support during these trying times.

Please consider donating what you can to a worthy charity or cause this holiday season.

If you are able, please consider donating what you can to a cause or a charity that you are passionate about. Maybe that's a local food bank, women's shelter, or an international health organization helping COVID-19 patients. Perhaps you want to support a climate campaign, protect animals, or help purchase holiday toys and clothes for underprivileged youth. Whatever your passion, there is most certainly an organization that could use your support, no matter how much or how little you can give.

One of the organizations I'm donating to this week is the Hill Country Conservancy (HCC) here in Austin, TX. The HCC is charged with protecting wildlife and wildlands in the Texas Hill Country where I live, including the beautiful and volunteer-supported Violet Crown Trail that I hike or run on nearly every day. Just $25 can go a long way toward keeping this land clean and pristine, and I'm happy to be able to help do my part.

Okay, that's my preachiness for today. Thanks for listening!

Cyber Monday is almost here

What about you - what were your Black Friday victories? Did you find everything you were looking for, or were there items that eluded your search? Let us know in the comments below.

You have my sympathy if you didn't get everything you wanted on Black Friday, but hey, there's always Cyber Monday tomorrow!

- Jeramy