Episode #51: Insider Cyber Monday Deals

Purchases to Consider for Those Who've Read my Recommendations

November 29, 2021

With Cyber Monday arriving, the peak American shopping season has officially begun.

#Barf

I’m not much of a consumer in the old-fashioned, American buy-a-lot-of-shit-that-you-don’t-need kind of way. However… I’m always down for saving money on the services and products that I DO need and use when it comes to my technology needs.

This episode is dedicated to the deals & discounts I know are currently available on the hardware and software which I’ve already recommended to all of you in my earlier episodes. 

So I’m 100% transparent, please know two things:

  1. Every item on this list is a product or service that I’ve paid for and currently use.

  2. If you purchase anything I recommend, I get a small commission. It’s a fun way that you can financially support this newsletter and not spend a penny extra on the products and services. Even better, you’ll even save money on some of these purchases because I have access to affiliate sale prices that the general public does not.

The Deals

Back in Episode #27, I shared about how thieves broke into our home in the middle of the night and stole two of our computers. While we slept. #Creepy. One of the “insurance policies” that we got right prior to the theft was backing up our computers to the Internet. For years, my wife and I have used iDrive to upload all of our most important data to the company’s servers.

The decision saved us heartache and tons of cash in several situations, including restoring some very precious data from our two stolen computers. And, by precious, I mean pics and videos of our newborn child.

Readers who use this link will get 90% off the cost of the service for the first year. No, that’s not a mistype. That means you’ll get 5TB to store your backup data for $8.00. That’s an amazing price to audition this service. And 5TB of space is EASILY enough to back up 2-4 computers.

If you like the software after a year, the cost goes up to $80/year which is $6.67/month, or — if you compute math using Starbucks — a bit less than two tall lattes.

In Episode #7 and then again in Episode #44, I wrote about why I use VPN software when surfing the web including increased privacy from my ISP, increased ability to reach previously unreachable websites, and hiding my true IP address from any website I visit.

I also put significant time into researching the criteria I use when choosing a VPN provider. Based on my own research, I’ve paid a yearly fee to Nord for many years. They continue to be my VPN provider of choice because they’re one of the most secure AND easiest to use, providing intuitive apps for all major desktop and mobile platforms.

By clicking this link, you’ll score the company’s Black Friday deal and save 68% off their regular price. That gets you 2 years of Nord’s exceptional service for $89 or $3.71/month. I repurchased Nord about 18 months ago and actually paid more than that, so grrrrrrr. 🤬

I currently use the Gryphon Guardian router in my acting and improv studio. I chose the Gryphon because it’s ridiculously affordable and has most of the security features I want in a device to keep my network safe from categories like porn, gambling, drugs, or weapons. You set the controls to suit your environment, something I love. Best of all, it’s all controlled from my smartphone, a much easier and more personal experience.

Fun story: if you go to the Gryphon website store, you can purchase their Guardian router for $79. That’s already a solid price, but my readers can save more. If you visit this link at the Gryphon store on Amazon, there’s a $15 off coupon you can select (shown below).

That coupon brings the price to $64 and includes free shipping if you’re a Prime member. That’s nearly half off the normal price of $99. In my honest opinion (or IMHO as the kids say), you can’t GET a better security-minded router for that price.

EarthClass Mail is an ingenious US Postal Mail service that my wife and I currently use and have used every time we change residences. I mentioned them back in Episode #45 and also explored the larger context of WHY to use them in an article on Medium.

Their service is simple: you forward your US Postal Mail to one of the company’s secure facilities around the US. There, your mail is opened by staffers (all of whom have passed background checks) who then scan each piece and email you the scanned images using the company’s secure platform.

It’s AMAZING. Now, instead of opening mail, I view scans and decide what to forward to our actual mailing address or… what to send to the EarthClass recycling bin. Even better, using EarthClass allows me to NEVER give my home address to anyone who isn’t legally required to know it.

This is also an amazing solution for those who travel frequently or live in mobile homes.

We currently pay about $30/mo for this service. But my readers can save 49% off almost every plan the company offers by using this link and then… using the code CYBER21 at checkout. Please note, that coupon is only valid through 11/29/21 at 11:59 PM CST. That’s tonight, so if you’re reading this and intrigued: bust a move to save some money, honey.

More to come this holiday season with my usual episodes that do deeper dives into a specific topic.

From my family to yours,

Happy Holidaze

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Product Recommendations

These are the devices and services that I personally use. I pay for everything you see listed here. I made these choices after much research and recommendations from tech industry colleagues.

  • The online backup software I use: iDrive (affiliate link)

  • The VPN software that I use: Nord VPN (affiliate link)

  • The email anonymizer that I use: 33Mail (affiliate link)

  • The secure router I use at my office: Gryphon (affiliate link)

  • The secure router I use at my home: Synology (affiliate link)

  • The service I use to block spam calls/texts: Uncall (affiliate link)

Transparency Statement

Some of the products and services I recommend pay me a small commission if you decide to purchase them. Making purchases based on my recommendations never costs you extra. In fact, it can sometimes save you money because I get access to certain discounts which aren’t available to the general public.

It’s a win-win: you save money and help me earn an additional salary from my writing. Thank you, in advance, for that. It’s an easy way for anyone to support my work, research, and expertise. Affiliate links will be shown like this → (affiliate link) to make them easy to identify.

In case you’re curious:

  1. I’ve purchased, owned, tested, and/or deeply researched every single thing I recommend.

  2. I’m never paid to sell software or hardware to you.

  3. I retain 100% editorial control over everything I write.

  4. The companies, products, or services that I recommend don’t know that I’m going to mention them.