Holiday Gift Guide for Freelancers
Happy Holidays, friends! Today, Veronica Baas is sharing the ultimate holiday gift guide for freelancers. Do you have a freelancing hustler in your life? Maybe you’re the freelancer feeling that quarter 4 burnout. Either way, these holiday picks are perfect for revving up business (and motivation!) year-round.
Oh, before we begin, I wanted to disclose that this post does include affiliate links. That means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I might receive a small percentage at no extra cost to you. To learn more about affiliate links, review my privacy policy.
Most people are familiar with Black Friday. It’s the day following Thanksgiving that marks the start of the Christmas shopping season. But there’s a reason they call it black Friday.
You would think the holiday was created by retail stores as a last-ditch effort to increase sales before the year’s end. Surprisingly, we can all thank the Philadelphia Police Department for the nickname.
In the 1950s, advertising holiday shopping before Thanksgiving was common. With the annual army-navy football game taking place the weekend after Thanksgiving, tons of people came to town. As you can imagine, the police were all hands on deck to control the chaos.
With so many tourists visiting Philidelphia, stores took this as the prime opportunity to advertise to a larger audience. Since both the retail market and shoppers benefited from the sales, the tradition of after-Thanksgiving shopping grew quickly.
The Philadelphia Police Department started to refer to the day after Thanksgiving as “Black Friday,” with the unrealistic hope that people would find the whole shebang distasteful and opt out of the collective consumer madness.
To their surprise, the name stuck and has developed into one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Now the tradition has broadened to a multi-day event, including Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
With the biggest sales day of the year happening tomorrow, I thought it’d be useful to find and share the best hookups from the coolest brands that every freelancer is sure to love. Whether you’re shopping for a freelancer or you are one yourself, use this gift guide for freelancers to make the most of your holiday shopping.
Coffeepots and Espresso Machines
Harsh deadlines and long word counts often call for big pots of coffee. Get the nicest gadgets you need to fuel that caffeine craving for half the cost this week at Walmart or Target.
Grab the brand you’ve long loved from Amazon and a few accessories to go with it. (Sam’s edit: I’ve been loving the Ninja Coffee Bar all year. It’s got a built-in frother, you’re welcome) This mug might not be on sale this week, but probably worth snagging one anyways.
Kimonos and Robes
When you spend most of the day at home writing on the couch, at your desk, and anywhere else you can get comfortable, a kimono or robe definitely comes in handy.
One of the best parts about being a freelancer is making your own hours and not having to show up to an office. We get to start the writing day whenever the creative juices start flowing, not when we’ve showered and gotten ready. So it’s safe to say that it’s fair for us to spend more time in a robe than most.
Yoga Clothing and Mats
Yoga is a great way for freelancers to unwind, build muscle, and reset the mind. Nothing motivates me to practice more than new yoga clothes or a new mat. Every Black Friday and Cyber Monday Spiritual Gangster does 40% off their whole site. Alo Yoga and Lululemon also have Black Friday deals in store but only up to 30%-off some products.
Discounted yoga mats will be on Amazon all weekend long and Manduka always does a big mat sale for Black Friday Some other surprising places like Sears, Ross, and Adidas are doing over half-off yoga mats too.
Bare Minerals
Bare Minerals is a holiday sale I never miss. Each year, the company puts together holiday gift sets for Black Friday with $70-300 worth of makeup for just $20-100. Typically I’ll split up the make-up into different gifts for friends and buy coffee mugs or candles to pair with them. If there are plenty of pieces in the set, I’ll even snag a few for myself!
Phones and Phone Cases
Every freelancer knows the importance of having a fast smartphone. From the social
Also, now’s the time to buy that new smartphone you’ve been eyeing. If you buy an iPhone from Walmart, Target, or Best Buy you’ll get a free gift card to the store ranging from $200 to $400. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy offer these gift card deals for Androids too but they are also selling Samsungs for several hundred dollars less than usual.
Wall Art
On Black Friday, Target has dozens of cool wall art pieces on sale. Fortunately, if you miss out or would rather not face a big crowd, there are good Cyber Monday deals for hanging art too.
Wayfair is also a great, reliable online shopping site that offers up to 80%-off on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can count on free shipping if you spend 50 bucks. Plus, it arrives quickly and my art is always packaged safely.
Stationary and Desk Accessories
Target has good deals on stationary too like notebooks, planners, pencils, and pens or cool desk accessories to help revive your writing space. Find good Black Friday deals at classic office stores too like Office Depot or Staples.
Laptops and Monitors
Having a speedy laptop is just as important as having a fast smartphone. As a Mac lover, naturally I tune in to the Apple Black Friday sale. Their 4-day shopping event starts Friday, but for the most part, that’s all the info they give out. In the past, Apple’s Black Friday deals have been somewhat hush-hush until the day the sale launches.
It might be gift cards again, or perhaps Apple will try to jump-start declining iPhone sales with some actual discounts. Either way, there’s no doubt it will be the best price of the year. Shop for laptops, monitors, and more this weekend and start 2019 off with some fresh new computer digs.
(Sam’s edit: I also highly recommend a second computer monitor for multi-tasking. You can even use a TV monitor! I’ve also recently purchased a Chromebook for working on the go, and it’s so convenient!)
Cameras, Recording Devices, & Memory Cards
Some freelancers are expected to provide original photos and some just like good photography. Either way, Black Friday and the holiday season are the best times to upgrade your gear if you’ve been eyeing something new. Tons of recording devices, tripods, memory
Water Bottles and Filters
Quality freelance work is so much easier when our mind and body is hydrated. Ever since I bought a water bottle I like and put a few cool stickers on there, I never go anywhere without it.
Having a built-in filter has made it even more worth carrying everywhere. I can fill up at the grocery store in the drinking fountain and it tastes all the same as my filtered water from home. Amazon has great deals on water bottles this weekend so read up on reviews and find one you’ll like the best.
(Sam’s edit: I recently got a Hydro-Flask during a wine-induced shopping session and I’m not upset about it. It can even keep water cold in the Florida heat.)
You know your freelancer (or yourself) best, so use this gift guide for freelancers as a crutch and do some further research to find the best deals in your area. With a few directions to keep in mind, the shopping experience should be fun, easy, and in the end very rewarding.
Veronica Baas is a recent Colorado State University graduate who has recently moved to Phoenix for her first after-college job offer doing basic coding and content creation. She has spent her life traveling as a pilot’s daughter and lived in the U.K. as part of a study abroad program.
Veronica loves the Oxford comma, men in khaki pants, and a full gas tank. She dislikes dog hair on black dresses, her addiction to technology, and most mornings. Follow her other writing and photography endeavors on her website.
Want to contribute to Samanthability? I’m always open to new ideas and perspectives. Learn more about my guidelines here.
