I was almost lured into a Black Friday deal for a cheap external HD (by Seagate) at Staples for like $40. Upon further research, Seagate external HDs have a 30% failure rate, which is super scary, as compared to other companies which have like a 1% or 2% failure rate. There's a reason why some things are on sale.
But I DID actually end up getting a good deal on my Adobe programs, which I use all the time. Adobe is having a Black Friday 20% off sale for everyone, so you can change your membership and save. I downgraded from the All Apps Creative Cloud to getting single apps of Photoshop CC and Illustrator CC. I honestly have used Flash only one time for a project since getting the All option. Luckily, they have a monthly option so I can download Flash once I have an animation project, and then cancel once the project is done in a month. I really don't do animation "on the side" just for fun - it takes forever, and I'd rather create comics. Even though this change was scary, I'll save $20/month, which is $240 per year! Changing anything technical that involves art programs is very scary because we artists aren't usually techie-minded to fix stuff if something goes wrong. But as long as you do your research so you're well informed, and get help from Adobe chat or calling (or whatever company, perhaps Microsoft or GoDaddy), you CAN make changes to suit your specific needs as time goes on and your needs change.
Side note, on the phone, I accidentally called it the "Black Friday Bundle" because I'd watched that South Park episode recently. The word "bundle" is nowhere on the Adobe site! Thank God I didn't call it "Bunduru!"
Also, I'M having a special Black Friday/Small Business Saturday sale on all sketch orders this weekend! Free shipping PLUS 10% off! Offer ends Monday November 30! Now's the perfect time to get a sketch as a present for a loved one for the holidays!
