Do you ever think something in your head and immediately think “why did I think that? Now it is going to happen.” Every time I think “wow, it is weird I have not gotten sick yet,” I end up getting sick. During what is one of the biggest months of my new career/job/source of income. Of course.
I do love working for myself, but I am still not used to everything being so condensed in like two weeks. This is my fourth Black Friday on My Sister Made Me Buy It, but my first one without a full-time job. And I think I was more productive when I had the pressure of a full-time job. I ignored everyone and just worked like around the clock. I also had insomnia from grief, so that helped to.
I am trying not to do that anymore. I took on more paid partnerships for brands I use and like so I could ease up the pressure on myself. The problem is that I LOVE Black Friday week. I love gathering sales and explaining why things are my favorite. I love being the salesperson I wish I had featuring the products I forgot I needed.
I have a hard time not overspending during this time of year, but I am really trying to get back on a budget because I think we are finally feeling the effects of me leaving my job. I miss my benefits - especially a 401k. However, I do love the freedom I have for working for myself. I just need to learn to live within my means vs trying to work harder to make more to afford things I don’t really need just to keep up with the trends. Like the whole point of me leaving my job and doing this was to spend more time with my family.
How I approach Black Friday Sales
In years past I would make a spreadsheet of all of the brands and where you could find them the cheapest, but it is too overwhelming and time consuming. Instead, I just focus on brands, stores and things we love. So let’s get to it!
My favorite humidifiers
Carepod is my favorite humidifier brand. A few years ago I opened up our Crane humidifier and was so grossed out by what I saw, I threw it away. We need a good humidifier because Rebecca’s eczema flares in the winter time and she is prone to nose bleeds. I thought “there has to be a better humidifier that I do not throw away every year.” I became hyper-fixated on finding the perfect one - one that worked, had low maintenance, no nooks and crannies and was easy to clean.
I watched a lot of Youtube tutorials and was almost convinced to buy the Canopy humidifier. But you had to buy filters and I kept reading reviews that it leaked on their nightstand. I ended up finding this humidifier company and I ordered one because I love how it was clear, easy to clean and didn’t require filters.
Enter the… Carepod Mini.
The Carepod Mini is the first humidifier I tried. It worked. I even bought a hygrometer to ensure that it was the proper humidity levels because it seemed too good to be true. I have had mine for over 2. years now and have not had any issues with it, but I do only use in winter time. I do try to use distilled water only or will use filtered water - I try not to use straight from the tap. I know a lot of people who have them just use tap water and have no issues. I just have an irrational fear of tap water having brain eating amoebas.
Carepod has three different humidifier options and they are all easy to clean and easy to see if there is any looming mold or brain eating amoeba. Haha, JK. I know you cannot see them.1
How do I know which humidifier to get?
They have three models, and besides which humidifier just looks the best for you, you want to ensure it would cover the square footage of the room you are putting it in. While we usually have a 15% off code, it is not stacking this year. However, the best deal is if you need to buy multiples. That is when you really save the most money.
Carepod Mini - 350 sq ft/ unit | Cool mist: The smallest and cheapest option. This is the one we bought for our room and Rebecca’s room as we do not have an open house plan.
Carepod One - 500 sq ft/unit | Cool mist: This one is about twice the price of the mini, but is made of stainless steel. Missy has this one and you just take the stainless steel water resevoir out and stick it in the dishwasher. In fact, you can can put all three pieces in the dishwasher.
Carepod Cube - 700 sq ft/unit | Cool + Warm mist: Neither Missy nor I have tried this one, but I think I am going to buy during this sale for our first floor living room. Rebecca’s eczema is already starting to get bad again, and she spends a lot of time in there. This one would be the one you grab if you have a bigger room or a more open space.
The Black Friday code should already be applied when you go to check out - no other code needed.
Let me know if you end up buying one or if you already have one and love it, leave a comment! Would love to hear your experience!
reminder to NEVER use tap water for sinus rinses. That for sure is a recipe for potential brain eating amoeba.
I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks about brain eating amoebas :)
I so appreciate your honesty and transparency about why and how you do things. Besides your awesome recommendations and detailed explanations, it’s the reason I follow you two!!