The cybersecurity skills shortage means that many organizations are in urgent need of talented and experienced security professionals. This has been intensified by the pandemic, with security teams stretched to breaking point trying to secure new remote working regimes against the influx of opportunistic cyberattacks.
There is a human cost to this high-pressure environment and new research from SIRP shows that the additional burdens placed on security operations center (SOC) teams due to COVID-19 has affected staff churn rates. In fact, a significant number of security analysts are considering leaving their current roles to work in less stressful environments.
To help retain and attract new recruits, organizations need to explore how to take the strain off overworked security analysts and the role that security orchestration and automation and a risk-based approach to security operations can play in alleviating workloads.
Looking for pastures new
Keeping staff turnover to a minimum is a key HR objective of any organization, but particularly when the company’s security is at stake. A high staff turnover means more costs and time spent on the recruitment process and onboarding, all of which eat into a SOC’s limited budget. Conversely, seasoned professionals who have been at an organization for some time know exactly how their SOC works and what sort of risks to look out for that are particular to their organization, which makes them more efficient at their jobs.
Yet our findings show that SOC analysts who are well embedded within their organization in a specific role are few. The average amount of time spent in the same post across all pay grades is just 30 months. While this might indicate that analysts are being promoted through the ranks, it is more likely that they have left their position, as around half are thinking of doing so within the next year. Whatever the reason there is still a pressing need to fill the roles they have vacated.
This situation is particularly acute at entry level roles, where half of junior analysts plan to leave just three months after starting and not one of them plans to stay in their current role for longer than 18 months. What’s more, across the board, nearly half of security analysts are considering leaving their role before the first year is out.
In order to attract and retain skilled staff, organizations are also having to spend more on wages and the average salaries for most security roles have steadily increased over the last few years.
Frustration and alert overload
Understanding the reasons behind this employee churn is an important first step and one of the main considerations is the number of alerts that analysts have to deal with. The average SOC receives between 800 and 1,000 alerts daily, with analysts having to pivot between an average of 12 different security solutions to deal with them. Such activity consumes around one fifth of an analyst’s working day and, inevitably, eats into the time that could be dedicated to highly engaging, higher-value activity.
This is clearly an area that is turning analysts off from their roles, with many feeling frustrated by having to deal with mundane tasks. COVID-19 has lent to this sense of frustration, as analysts are spending more time on unproductive tasks since the start of the pandemic. The impact of the economic downturn is also taking hold, with analysts reporting reduced staff levels and that the pressure of their role has increased as they cover for other team members, alongside dealing with the different security needs of remote workers. The result of this is that disaffected staff are leaving to find less stressful and more fulfilling roles elsewhere.
A risk-based approach to incident response
Organizations need to act quickly if they want to stop valued analysts leaving in droves. First, to take the pressure off their staff, businesses should explore how technology can take the strain off teams.
Automation and orchestration can alleviate the heavy lifting by removing the need for analysts to pivot between different tools. Many SOC teams rely on Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) platforms to streamline security operations and provide security analysts with actionable information. Fusing the outputs from disparate security tools into one interface saves security analysts from constantly switching between dashboards when tracking down and mitigating potential security risks.
However, if these platforms fail to incorporate sufficient threat intelligence and vulnerabilities context tied to the organization’s risk, teams cannot prioritize response in the most effective way. It’s highly likely that an organization’s threat landscape will have changed significantly during the COVID-19 crisis, which means they need to re-prioritize their responses.
A risk-based approach takes these changes into account, categorizing threats based on the risks to the organization and helping security teams to respond to alerts and vulnerabilities that need to be addressed first. Crucially, this can also reduce the time spent on responding to an incident.
Even before this crisis, SOC teams were under huge pressures and facing mounting stress. The rapidly changing threat landscape of the last few months has simply added to these challenges and led to higher levels of job dissatisfaction.
Making it easier for teams to do their job effectively and equipping them with tools to identify the most important threats can help to ease some of the pressures of their job. This can pay multiple dividends not only reducing the burden on their workloads, but also improving the efficiency of the team, as a whole, giving them a clearer view of the severity of threats they must deal with.
In August 2019, cybersecurity researchers revealed that a hacker group known as Sea Turtle targeted 40 telecoms, internet service providers, domain registrars and government organizations in the Middle East and North Africa.
The attackers hijacked the domain names of ministries of foreign affairs, intelligence/military agencies and energy-related groups in those regions. As a result, Sea Turtle was able to intercept all internet data – including email and web traffic – sent to the victims.
Then, in June 2020, the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck reported that hackers gained access to its domain registrar provider and hijacked its coincheck.com domain name. They then contacted Coincheck customers and asked them to verify account information, which could be used to access the accounts and steal funds.
The two incidents illustrate the growing threat of Domain Name System (DNS) hijacking.
DNS hijacking: Protect your brand and organization
When users type in or click on a domain name, they typically assume that they are going to the site that they want to go to. But if a successful DNS hijacking attack has been executed, cybercriminals can take the user to a completely different – and dangerous – web space. Cybercriminals do this for financial gain, and it also allows them to intercept email to conduct espionage and harvest credentials, which could lead to network breaches.
Companies put much thought into a domain name and a broader portfolio of names because of their marketing significance. Customers and prospects associate them with a brand’s products, services and corporate persona.
At the same time, an overwhelming majority of companies have not adopted basic security measures to guard their portfolio of domain names. For example, the majority use retail-grade registrars instead of enterprise-class ones. But an enterprise-class registrar knows its customer and will bring superior technology controls, accreditation standards, operations processes, compliance practices, continuous vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.
Don’t ignore the risks
Why are businesses essentially overlooking domain name and DNS-related risk? Because they are taking a tunnel-vision approach to cybersecurity, with a singular focus on familiar network challenges. This prevents them from developing a more holistic strategy which covers the entire range of attack vectors. As Silviu Stahie, Security Analystat Bitdefender, states: “Companies focus on other types of threats, strengthening endpoints and their own networks. But different kinds of cyberattacks can be deployed against companies that will never reach that level, and it can still cripple an organization without compromising the corporate infrastructure. Domain security needs to be taken as seriously as any other form of cybersecurity.”
That’s because the bad guys are constantly coming up with new tricks to enhance their capacity for damage. A successfully executed DNS hijack serves as a gateway into the network, triggering phishing campaigns to steal credentials, conduct surveillance and carry out other cyber schemes.
To effectively establish countermeasures, organizations must commit to the following two responses:
Deploying defense-in-depth. This is hardly a “new” or revolutionary concept. However, enterprises aren’t applying defense-in-depth to domain name protection – and they need to. A formidable defense-in-depth approach requires the coordinated implementation of multi-layered policies that lead to the incorporation of secure domain, DNS and digital certification practices. This includes controlling user permissioning and deploying two-factor authentication, IP validation and federated identity management for anyone seeking access to domain or DNS systems.
In addition, a robust defense-in-depth program leverages registry lock, domain name system security extension (DNSSEC) and domain-based message authentication, reporting and conformance (DMARC). Via a registry lock, the registrar confirms any requested changes with the domain owner, to eliminate unauthorized and potentially risky changes to the domain.
Using encryption and keys, DNSSEC identifies and blocks malicious DNS data by verifying digital signatures within the data – the signatures must match those stored in master DNS servers to proceed. DMARC ensures email authentication, with senders and receivers sharing information to verify that a given message is coming from a legitimate sender. This prevents hackers from hijacking a corporate email domain, and then launching spoofing and phishing scams.
Creating a C-suite council. In the hacker universe, criminals gain an edge over their intended victims by routinely sharing information and resources in forums to keep innovating. Companies need to do the same. That’s why, more than ever, it’s imperative to establish what we can call a Domain Security Council, in which a company’s CISO collaborates with other C-suite members to identify and continuously monitor domain security practices and procedures. The group should also develop and agree to a set of KPIs to continuously measure progress.
First, this would include making sure that domain security is a risk component noted in the organization’s risk registrar, which then brings this important security blind spot into the most important discussions the organization conducts around risk.
The second step to measure progress would be to set goals and priorities toward improving your domain security posture based on a multi-layered defense in depth approach. This would include assessing the number of vital domains your organization has locked on a continuous basis. Additionally, you can monitor changes in user permissions or elevated permissions, the risk profile of providers for DNS and SSL/TLS, along with other security metrics showing vital domains not utilizing DNSSEC or email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
Lastly, the Domain Security Council will need to keep up to date on the current digital threat landscape. They can do this by establishing a cadence of monitoring new threats and updating the C-suite in the form of threat intelligence reports. Bad actors are continuously finding new ways to infiltrate networks for unlawful purposes. The Domain Security Council should be accountable for updating the company on how this is happening and assessing the risk.
Conclusion
In a sense, it is understandable that companies are not paying closer attention to domain name protection. Adversaries, after all, are coming at them fast and furiously through network and device attacks and it’s extremely difficult to keep up with everything. But the domain remains the “big sign” on the front door which hackers know they can exploit.
Fortunately, organizational leaders can take advantage of readily available defense-in-depth tools while implementing best practices. Then, they can come together within a unified, collaborative council to further enhance their defensive profile. With this, the bad guys will see that the “door” is closed – hopefully for good.
Companies are losing money to criminals who are launching Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks as a more remunerative line of business than retail-accounts phishing, APWG reveals.
High-ticket BEC attacks
Agari reported average wire transfer loss from BEC attacks smashed all previous frontiers, spiking from $54,000 in the first quarter to $80,183 in Q2 2020 as spearphishing gangs reached for bigger returns. Scammers also requested funds in 66 percent of BEC attack in the form of gift cards, which are easier to cash out.
During the second quarter of 2020, the average amount of gift cards requested by BEC attackers was $1,213, down from $1,453 in the first quarter of 2020.
The number of phishing sites detected in the second quarter of 2020 was 146,994, down from the 165,772 observed in the first quarter. Phishing that targeted webmail and SaaS users continued to be biggest category of phishing.
Social media and web security attacks
Attacks targeting the social media sector increased in Q2 about 20 percent over Q1, primarily driven by targeted attacks against Facebook and WhatsApp. After an explosion in 2019 and into the first quarter of 2020, phishing in Brazil dropped back slightly.
Abuse of web security infrastructure reached a grim new plateau in Q2 2020, as well, with PhishLabs reporting that nearly 78 percent of all phishing websites employ SSL/TLS certificates as part of the deceptive schemes they use to lure in users and gain their confidence.
In addition, PhishLabs founder and CTO John LaCour observed, “The vast majority of certificates used in phishing attacks — 91 percent — are Domain Validated (“DV”) certificates. Interestingly, we found 27 web sites that were using Extended Validation (“EV”) certificates” – by hacking websites that already had them legitimately installed.
Bring your own PC (BYOPC) security will reach mainstream adoption in the next two to five years, while it will take five to 10 years for mainstream adoption of secure access service edge (SASE) to take place, according to Gartner.
Hype cycle for endpoint security, 2020
“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was little interest in BYOPC,” said Rob Smith, senior research director at Gartner.
“At the start of the pandemic, organizations simply had no other alternative. The urgent need to enable employees to work from home and a lack of available hardware bolstered its adoption globally. Gartner clients said their adoption of BYOPC is up from less than 5% in 2019.”
BYOPC security and SASE at the peak
In this year’s Hype Cycle, BYOPC security and SASE reached the Peak of Inflated Expectations. The wide and sudden adoption of BYOPC has become a necessary security strategy which requires CISOs and security leaders to put in place specific security practices.
“CISOs and security leaders should expect the need to support BYOPC to be dependent upon a long-term work-from-home strategy, and also expect to support security tools needed for a BYOPC environment,” said Mr. Smith.
“They need to prioritize their security practices, including enabling multifactor authentication (MFA) for all access to any corporate resource regardless if virtual or not, and if cloud or on-premises.
“Organizations must contain all cloud application data and disallow local storage or upload of local data from any BYOPC device as this could infect the cloud system. They also need to virtualize access to any traditional on-premises application.”
As BYOPCs are often infected with malware or ransomware and fall victim to phishing attacks, IT must limit and control access by offsetting the PC hardware investment with critical security technologies such as MFA, cloud access security broker (CASB), zero trust network access (ZTNA), virtual desktop infrastructure, and desktop as a service.
“Without investment in these technologies, IT faces a much higher potential cost in the form of ransomware,” said Mr. Smith. “It is also critical that IT works with HR, legal, and workers councils to develop a proper work-from-home policy.”
SASE services adoption growth
Also, at the peak this year, SASE allows any endpoint to access any application over any network in a protected manner. SASE delivers multiple capabilities such as SD-WAN, secure web gateways, CASB, next-generation firewall and ZTNA.
“Although SASE is relatively new, the COVID-19 pandemic has fostered the need for business continuity plans that include flexible, anywhere, anytime, secure remote access, at scale, even from untrusted devices,” said Joe Skorupa, distinguished research vice president at Gartner.
“As SASE services are cloud-native — dynamically scalable, globally accessible, multitenant and including zero trust network access, they are driving its rapid adoption. Over the last three months, SASE has been adopted by more than 40% of global remote workers.”
SASE enables I&O and security teams to deliver a rich set of secure networking and security services in a consistent and integrated manner to support the needs of digital business transformation, edge computing and workforce mobility.
“Mobile workforce, contractor access and edge computing applications that are latency sensitive are three likely opportunities,” said Mr. Skorupa.
Zyxel Communications announced the receipt of OnGo certification for its high-power LTE7485-S905 4G LTE-A outdoor router by the CBRS Alliance. In addition, the LTE7485-S905 has been tested and validated for full interoperability by the top three Spectrum Access System (SAS) server vendors.
To achieve OnGo certification, the LTE7485-S905 underwent rigorous testing by an independent authorized test laboratory to validate interoperability with other OnGo-certified equipment.
For service providers, OnGo certification brings interoperability to multi-vendor, large-scale deployments, thus enabling best-of-breed solutions at competitive costs. The certification is essential for CBRS CPE categorized as “CBSD” (Citizen Broadband Radio Service Devices).
The Zyxel LTE7485-S905 4G LTE-A Outdoor Router is a CPE-CBSD device that delivers a maximum 36 dBm EIRP over the 3.5 GHz CBRS band and incorporates a built-in SAS client. The LTE7485-S905 employs 3GPP UE downlink Category 16 to deliver data rates of up to 580 Mbps for lightening-fast internet connectivity over extended distances through Fixed Wireless Access (FWA).
Housed in an IP68 hardened enclosure, the router utilizes built-in 4×4 MIMO high-gain antennas providing up to 13 dBi per element enabling it to work under near non-line-of-sight conditions to increase coverage. Standard 802.3af/at Gigabit PoE makes it easy to deploy and position the device to maximize signal strength.
The ability to remotely manage the LTE7485-S905 via TR-069, TR-181 and TR-143 protocols, and the Zyxel Band Pilot Remote Management System, reduce OPEX by simplifying diagnostic and troubleshooting processes and significantly reducing the need for on-site technicians.
“The closing of the CBRS auction in a record 24 bidding days highlights the importance of CBRS for delivering high-speed broadband to underserved areas,” explained Brian Feng, Senior Vice President of North America Business Unit at Zyxel Communications.
“Achieving OnGo certification and validating interoperability with the top three SAS server vendors with the LTE7485 gives service providers a versatile, high-performance solution that can be deployed with the confidence of knowing that it will work as expected with other solutions within the growing OnGo ecosystem.”
Everyone knows you don’t skimp on a mattress. Speaking from experience (I used to sleep exclusively on cheap futons), owning the best mattress for your sleep style can be the difference between fatigue and productivity, especially in the workplace or in school. Now that many of us are returning to school or work in some capacity, shelling out for the best mattress is perhaps an integral component in improving your snooze quality. Doing so can prevent joint pain and ensure optimal REM cycles throughout the night.
That’s not to say finding the right mattress is the ONLY factor in guaranteeing a refreshed morning wake, but most doctors will recommend swapping out that big squishy bed cushion before prescribing sleep pills or medicinal cannabis. As I stated in my Co-op question around this time last week, the problem I’m facing at the moment is a difference in opinion when it comes to mattress firmness. While my partner prefers to sleep on a hard surface, I’m partial to a softer, cloudlike experience. In that case, the best mattress for us, as we’ll list here in a second, may differ from your own personal favorite.
However, the comments I read on my earlier post suggest we’re not alone in our pursuit of a compromise solution. Pinpointing the ideal mattress for our needs has proven difficult on our own, but with your help, we’ve narrowed it down to five comfy options, according to armchair experts.
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We’re about a month in with our new Purple Hybrid 3 mattress and we love it. Laying down on the Hyper-Elastic Polymer (TM) definitely is a weird feeling at first but you get used to it quickly. My girlfriend sleeps hot so we wanted something that wasn’t just a solid chunk of foam and wouldn’t make my bank account ache. The Hybrid lineup has individually-wrapped coils, a layer of foam and then the elastic material on top (Purple’s “special sauce”). Purple mattresses aren’t cheap but they are more affordable than some of the other brands out there. We snagged King with a great 4-year financing deal via Mattress Firm that helped keep payments in a range where we wanted them. - Sean
I work in the mattress industry, and most people still seem to think Tempur-Pedic are best. Personally, I sleep on a Tempur LUXEbreeze Firm and it is excellent, vastly better than the bed in a box products I’ve tried, and even noticeably more firm and supportive than other firm memory foam mattresses I’ve slept on from other traditional brands. Extremely comfortable. The cooling gel can be a bit much if the room is cold, but is fine when things are warm. It’s also very expensive, though amortized across every night for a decade or so, that appears more reasonable. - facw
I still really love my Sleep Pod (by EightSleep). I wouldn’t say it’s the most comfortable mattress but I’ll forgo some of that comfort for the ability to cool/heat the bed throughout the night. During the heatwave here in California (Los Angeles to be more precise), we didn’t need to run our HVAC overnight as the bed was cool and comfortable throughout the evening. - manueld
Coming as a surprise to no one, 2020 has also brought with it a particularly intense wildfire season. So even if you’re not living somewhere that could be impacted by an “extremely active” hurricane season, you’re not in the clear in terms of natural disasters occurring during a global pandemic. At the moment, there are several active wildfires occurring in northern California, as well as in other parts of western states like Colorado, Washington and Oregon. Here are a few ways to help those affected by the massive fires.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy
The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) is the only full-time national resource dedicated to helping donors maximize their impact by making more intentional disaster-related giving decisions. You can donate directly to their California Wildfires Recovery Fund or, to support the recovery efforts for fires burning in other parts of North America, donate to their Disaster Recovery Fund.
California Fire Foundation
It’s important to keep the firefighters on the frontlines of these fires in mind, too. This organization provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect. You can donate here.
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Latino Community Foundation NorCal Wildfire Relief Fund
This foundation directly funds local Latinx frontline community partners who are helping those affected by the recent wildfires. You can donate to their efforts here.
This organization provides immediate, mid- and long term recovery efforts for major California wildfires. You can donate here.
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
The Silicon Valley Community Foundation has established a fund that benefits individuals and families affected by the wildfires. You can donate to their work here.
Ranger Foundation
This organization provides relief grants to park workers, including volunteers, seasonal employees and retirees who have suffered loss due to the wildfires. You can donate here.
American Red Cross
The Red Cross has a fund set up to help those impacted by the recent wildfires. To donate, visit their website, and select “California Wildfires” from the drop-down menu labeled “I want to support.”
Maybe it’s been too hot to spend too much time outdoors lately, but that’s about to change as we venture into fall. Before it gets too cold, why not gather with a few friends for a socially distant picnic in the park? A tasty meal with a few good drinks isn’t a bad way to spend an afternoon, and with the right gear, you can keep your drinks cool even while gabbing with your pals for a few hours. Right now, you can get 30% off this Miir growler, wine glass, or wine bottle, all at Amazon, using the code
The world lost a great actor this year, one who brought life to a remarkable range of remarkable Black figures. Chadwick Boseman died Friday, August 28 after a four-year battle with colon cancer—a battle that was kept from the public throughout the filming of his most popular work. The Howard University alum was an inspiration to many, particularly in the Black community for his portrayals of three iconic Black figures: James Brown, Jackie Robinson, and King T’Challa, Marvel’s Black Panther. Boseman himself was mentored by other Black icons like Phylicia Rashad and Denzel Washington, who helped pave his path. If you’re looking to honor his life through his work, many of his best movies are available for streaming on major platforms. Here’s where you can find them.
Black Panther (2018)
With a box office pull of over $1 billion and multiple records, including the highest-grossing film by a Black director (Ryan Coogler), Black Panther is Boseman’s most iconic role. He plays King T’Challa, Marvel’s first Black superhero, conceived by Jack Kirby. Coincidentally, Boseman died on Kirby’s birthday. You’ve likely seen the biggest solo superhero movie ever, but it’s a great time to watch it again and relive the performance that made Boseman a worldwide household name. You can find Black Panther on Disney+.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
If you want to see Marvel’s introduction of Black Panther in its cinematic universe, you’re looking for Captain America: Civil War. The ensemble superhero cast prominently features T’Challa as his hunt for his father’s killer brings him into clashes with anyone who stands in his way, including Captain America. Boseman’s Black Panther was well-received and began the groundswell of fan support that would turn into the frenzy around what would become Black Panther’s solo film. What we didn’t know was that 2016 was the same year the actor was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. You can find Captain America: Civil War on Disney+.
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Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The two-part conclusion of a story than spanned over 20 films, Boseman’s last two portrayals as T’Challa included his character’s death at the end of Avengers: Infinity War and his triumphant return at the end of Avengers: Endgame. He’s seen more in the former than the latter—Black Panther only returns for the final fight in Avengers: Endgame—but both reflect the character’s importance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the excitement Boseman brought to the screen, including one of my personal favorite moments when Black Panther and Captain America, reminiscent of Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed racing on the beach, sprint ahead of the pack and into danger at the “Battle of Wakanda.” You can watch both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
42 (2013)
For most of us, Boseman’s breakthrough role was opposite Harrison Ford in 42 where he played Jackie Robinson. Boseman’s performance would be widely praised, and set him on course for other high-status roles of prominent Black historical figures, like the one that would follow the next year. You can find 42 to rent or buy on YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and iTunes; at the time of this writing, it’s not included in the subscription cost of other streaming services.
Get On Up (2014)
On the heels of 42, Boseman played James Brown in Get On Up. Boseman did all his own dancing for the role, and the film’s reception and box office performance were similar to that of Boseman’s previous high-pressure role. He was lauded for an unforgettable performance, and would shortly after begin his superhero run as Black Panther. You can watch Get On Up included in your HBO Max subscription, or otherwise to buy or rent from places like YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime, and iTunes.
Marshall (2017)
In between Captain America: Civil War and his solo superhero film Black Panther, Boseman went back to portraying iconic Black figures. This time he played the first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. Marshall premiered at Howard University, Boseman’s alma mater, and his performance was again well received, though to a smaller box office than his other films at the time. Marshal premiered one year after Boseman would have learned of his cancer diagnosis; Black Panther would premiere the following year. Like 42, Marshall isn’t included in the subscription cost of other streaming services at the time of this writing; you can rent or buy Marshall from places like YouTube Movies, Amazon Prime, Vudu, and iTunes.
21 Bridges (2019)
If you want to watch (or relive) Boseman’s last theater release, that would be 2019's action-thriller 21 Bridges where he plays an NYPD detective. The film premiered the same year as Avengers: Endgame where Boseman gave a short and final portrayal of Black Panther, and was in theaters a mere few months before COVID-19 found its way to the United States. If you can’t wait, 21 Bridges can be rented or bought from the usual places, but it arrives to Showtime on September 5.
Da 5 Bloods (2020)
And the last of Boseman’s films comes courtesy of Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods, which premiered earlier this year on Netflix about a group of Black Vietnam war veterans. It was originally intended for theaters prior to eventually landing on Netflix, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the film went to straight to Netflix where it was the top-streamed movie its opening weekend. Da 5 Bloods was not Boseman’s last project though, as he reunited with Viola Davis after their work together on Get On Up. His last movie, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, is set to release next year.
While there’s a growing push for more financial literacy in schools, most kids still learn about money at home. Research shows kids may understand the basics of personal finance as young as seven years old, so you can start teaching them early. One way is by allowing them to spend money under your supervision with a debit card designed specifically for kids. These are the best options to choose from.
Greenlight prepaid debit card
Greenlight offers Mastercard debit cards for families with a robust set of features.
Features: Free one-month trial; manage chores; instant transfers; limit spending by store; real-time transaction alerts; education app; free first-time card replacements; enabled for Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Fees: $4.99 monthly subscription per family (five cards); no fees for purchases.
ATM access: Greenlight doesn’t charge withdrawals fees—most ATMs will charge a fee, though.
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How to reload: Bank transfer; debit card transfer; direct deposit.
Cons: No option for cash or check deposits; lower than average daily purchase limit per account ($1,000 per day).
You can learn more about Greenlight’s debit card here.
FamZoo prepaid debit card
FamZoo offers prepaid Mastercards for families, including kids under 13.
Features: Load primary card and distribute allowance to your kids; monitor activity through mobile app or website; budgeting tools; access to text or email alerts.
Fees: $2.50 to $5.99 monthly subscription per family (four cards); no fees for purchases.
ATM access: Avoid ATM fees by using the MoneyPass network (32,000 ATMs nationwide).
How to reload: Bank transfer; direct deposit; PayPal transfer; MoneyPak and Mastercard rePower (for a fee); retailers with Reload @ the Register (for a fee).
Cons: Higher monthly fees than some competitors; no option for mobile check deposits.
Learn more about how the FamZoo prepaid debit card works here.
gohenry debit card
gohenry offers a Mastercard debit card with parental controls for kids age 6 to 18.
Features: Free one-month trial; set single or weekly spending limits; manage chores; limit spending by store; real-time spending notifications; mobile app.
Fees: $3.99 per month per child; $1.50 for ATM withdrawals; no fees for purchases.
ATM access: gohenry charges $1.50 for ATM withdrawals; most ATMs will also charge a fee.
How to reload: Reload with your debit card.
Cons: Higher monthly fees than some competitors; limited options for reloading; ATM fee; age restrictions.
You can learn more about gohenry’s debit cards here.
Are debit cards for kids worth it?
Debit cards for kids offer the unique opportunity to practice the basics of budgeting—but you will pay for the privilege. Before signing up, you should think about how to get the most value from these products. Make a plan to talk about bank accounts, monthly spending, and earning interest before handing over a debit card. You should also talk about the differences between debit and credit cards. While these lessons may not sink in right away, it could pave the way for future money conversations.
First, our kids decided it was exciting to watch other kids “unbox” new toys or other items. Now, watching other people play video games—or do, basically, whatever—live online is the height of entertainment. That’s why the live-streaming platform Twitch has grown in popularity; it is primarily used for live gaming streams, but more recently, non-gaming channels have grown in popularity. Twitch TV, as reported by Common Sense Media earlier this year, now has more than 15 million daily visitors and 2 million live broadcasts happening at any given time. If your kids are among them, there is a lot you should know.
It’s easy to access
Twitch’s Terms of Service state that users must be at least 13 years old. However, if you’re younger than 13, have an email address, and can do enough math to figure out how to lie about your age, it’s pretty easy to create an account in just a few moments.
From there, you can learn the basics about streaming and download streaming software. “Anyone can stream, but if you’re under the age of eighteen, make sure you have the supervision of a parent or guardian before you go live,” it states in the Twitch 101 Creator Camp—but of course there is no way for them to enforce that. And it’s important to know that anyone can also simply go to Twitch.tv and watch whatever they want without ever logging in, no account required.
Twitch pointed to its reporting system as a way to fight inappropriate behavior toward children, adding that people reporting streamers who appear too young comprises “an extremely small proportion of the reports we receive.” Twitch did not directly answer whether it has dedicated resources to combat these incidents. “We take action on content that is reported to us when it violates our rules, including issuing warnings, removing the content, and suspending accounts for various lengths of time, including and up to indefinitely,” the spokesperson said.
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It’s full of mature content
That Wired investigation turned up dozens of Twitch accounts that appeared to be run by children under age 13, including one girl who, after saying she’s 10 years old during the live stream, started getting comments about how beautiful and cute she was, as well as one commenter asking her if she uses WhatsApp.
In the spirit of researching this piece, I went down a real Twitch rabbit hole, particularly in the “Just Chatting” channel. I watched one woman in a very tight, very low-cut top talk about the pros and cons of various Star Trek movies while commenters told her what “nice jugs” she had. There was the young Italian woman making a pizza in, again, a low-cut tank top who inexplicably liked to jump up and down in front of the camera.
And then there was the young woman who was cutting shapes of feathers out of some type of strange foam material; but mostly, she was grabbing her own breasts at random intervals and busting out mature celebratory dance moves whenever she had some tiny success with her crafting project. She was receiving some interesting comments throughout, as one might imagine, and when one user announced that he was a 10-year-old using his older brother’s account, she responded by saying, “Are you 10? Get the fuck off Twitch, brah.”
To be fair, there was also some pretty innocuous stuff happening in Just Chatting—someone was chatting with commenters about dreams, another was eating what looked to be chicken tenders. And then there was the live stream of several kittens hanging out in a room together; that one was honestly the most enjoyable stream I watched all day.
But there is plenty of mature content sprinkled throughout, with streamers playing violent video games, cursing, and referencing drugs, alcohol, and sex. Streamers are supposed to indicate whether they’ll be using mature language during a stream, but that doesn’t mean they always do.
There are no parental controls
In addition to it being fairly easy for a child under 13 to view the live streams and/or create an account and start streaming themselves, there are also essentially no other parental controls that parents can put into place.
You can block users, which prevents them from sending you private direct messages, known on the site as “whispers,” as well as from adding you as a friend. And you can block whispers from strangers (unless you whisper at them first). Beyond that, there are few, if any, ways to block or curate the content they may come into contact with, control who views the live streams, or control what users may say in the comments.
But thanks to that Wired investigation, which discovered two search functions in the “Just Chatting” section where apparent children were streaming, a spokesperson told them:
In the immediate term, we are taking steps to make it more difficult to target streams with low viewership in categories where abuse has been reported to us. We are working to determine the scope of the problem and the appropriate long term solutions to best protect our community.
So perhaps more controls or stronger moderation is coming in the future.
TL;DR
If your kids are under age 13, they should not be on Twitch. And even if they are over age 13, you may want them to hold off. This Common Sense Media review recommends the app for kids ages 15 and older; and even then, it can’t hurt to disable private messages from strangers under account settings > security and privacy > “block whispers from strangers.”
If quarantine’s left you antsy, maybe you’ve spent some time cleaning out your closet. If you’ve realized that most of your wardrobe is filled with stuff you’re never gonna actually wear, perhaps it’s time to give some new threads a try. Don’t splurge too much, though, a good sale’s worth waiting for. Right now, you can get up to 87% off at JACHS NY on pieces like this bird print Chambray shirt for $12, these zig-zag chino shorts for $12, or this fleece hooded henley for $35 if you’re getting an early start on your winter attire.
If you’re looking for women’s clothing, JACHS has a pretty sparse selection, with only 25 items, and the discounts aren’t nearly as steep as on men’s clothing, but it’s still worth a look if you want to save $20 on a piece or two.
If you’re looking for a way to charge your phone or tablet while you’re on the go, look no further than these two Wireless Portable Chargers from Aukey. The 20,00mAh, at $37 can power both your phone and tablet, while the 10,00mAh, at $32 can get your phone to top levels without ever having to plug it in. Just make sure you enter the promo code and clip the coupon on the page to get this dope deal!
I don’t know about you guys, but I often forget to plug in my (somewhat ancient) iPhone 8 Plus almost every other night, despite the cord being right on my nightstand. I’m sure there are a couple of folks who do the same thing, and I’m here to tell you we don’t have to suffer anymore. The Anker Powerwave charging pad and charging stand are grouped in one package for $23, no code necessary.
You can charge both iPhones and Androids at a pretty good speed. The best part is that you don’t have to take off your phone case to get a good charge! It can deliver power with cases up to 5mm thick, so don’t worry about your phone mysteriously falling and breaking its back on the cold, hard floor. I’d grab this duo before it is gone!
This article was originally published by Ignacia Fulcher on 4/29/2020 and updated by Quentyn Kennemer with new information on 8/31/2020.
Amazon is hosting a big one-day Razer sale with steep discounts on peripherals and accessories. But first, if you’ve lost drool over the amazing Razer Blade gaming laptop, now’s the time to consider buying. The base model starts at $2300, but you can save $200 today. You’ll be rocking some of the most advanced technology to grace a laptop, including a 4K OLED panel, 10th-gen Intel circuitry, an RTX 2070 MAX-Q, 16GB of RAM, the latest wired and wireless connectivity options, all in a sleek aluminum unibody.
Elsewhere, you can pick up the Razer Tartarus v2 with its 32 programmable keys for $60. It could be the perfect companion in RPGs or next to your flight stick for some Flight Simulator fun. If your needs are simpler, the Razer Mamba is one of the most comfortable and accurate mice around, and it’s sporting a cool Gears of War theme for only $54. The lag-free Razer Thresher wireless headset also keeps you immersed without being bound by USB, and it’s down to $80 today.
I’m sure we’ve integrated some new routines into our lives thanks to the pandemic. If you’re now constantly handwashing, disinfecting, and wiping everything down you’re not alone. But don’t forget your phone in the shuffle of sterilizing. I’ve been told sanitizers are where it’s at for an almost totally germ-free phone. For the next month use the code Q65ZGXQM at check out and get this one for 40% off.
It’s not just your phone you can get almost 100% clean: keys, jewelry, makeup brushes, masks, and whatever you can fit in here honestly. What’s cool about this sanitizer is it pulls triple duty and is also a wireless charger and works as an aromatherapy machine. I have one of these and really like it, I do my keys, masks, and iPhone all at the same time. I suggest using the aromatherapy feature because after the whole process the items do smell a bit...zapped. It fits most phones and the whole process takes about fifteen minutes. It does require an adapter (which is not included) to run both the sanitizer and charger. But all in all, this is one of the better deals for something we should all probably own nowadays.
This code is good until September 30 and Prime members can enjoy free one-day shipping.
Graphic: Quentyn Kennemer
Today only at Amazon, you can amass a portable PC gaming setup with up to 30% off Dell, including $232 off a gaming laptop with a 10th-gen Intel CPU and an RTX 2060. There’s also a 512GB SSD and 144Hz refresh rate, a four-zone RGB keyboard, and stereo speakers, all for just a hair over $1,000. These are some of the newest components in the gaming world, and you’ll have enough juice to play pretty much anything out there.
Anyone that’s at the computer all day knows the value of an actually good mouse pad. Sure, you can buy a $1 mouse pad anywhere, but that sucker is going to start tearing and fraying within a month and it’s going to be a pain. Honestly, it’s easier to spend a little extra up front for a nice, huge, nice quality mouse pad and not have to worry about a replacement for quite a while. Seriously, mine has been going strong for years at this point. So, why not grab the Corsair mouse pad for $22 and not worry about it anymore?
Not only is this made out of anti-fray cloth, but it’s big. I love having my keyboard, mouse, and whatever else sitting on my desk on a big mouse pad. My keyboard never shuffles around, and in the case of a spill it’s easier to spray down the mousepad and clean it up than removing everything from the desk in a rush before it gets on the floor. I’m clumsy, okay? Regardless, this is a purchase you won’t regret.
OLED panels are revered for their impeccable contrast and deep black levels, but you’ll usually pay a significant premium when you’re talking about a sizable OLED 4K Smart TV.
Luckily, LG’s 55” OLED55CXPUA 4K HDR Smart TV keeps creeping down in price, and now you can get it for $1,497 from Amazon today. That’s about $200 less than we saw it just a few days ago.
This gorgeous 4K set packs in 8.3 million pixels for a super-crisp image, and the webOS-based interface already has streaming video apps built-in, along with Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant for voice commands. It’s also primed for gaming, thanks to FreeSync and NVIDIA G-Sync support. It’s a worthy investment if you want a truly premium picture!
If you’re looking to charge your phone and Apple Watch, check out this Anker Wireless Charging Station. It’s only $20 and will simultaneously charge your watch and phone all at the same time. It’s also compatible with Android phones so you’re honestly good to go. Grab it before it’s gone!
Ready to feel old? 2016 was 100 years ago. Or so it seems. Back then, a SATA solid-state drive (SSD) was coveted as high-speed and cutting-edge. For 120GB of storage, you might have spent almost $100. Now the SATA SSD live in the shadow of NVMe, it’s much more nimble and more expensive Gen Z influencer nephew. As such, SATAs are WAY cheaper than they were before the last presidential election, as evidenced by this SATA III drive from PNY, which boasts 960GB of storage—almost 1TB!—for just under $86. To put that into perspective, you can install Flight Simulator on this bad boy six times over and still have room to spare. Not sure why you would do that, but you can!
Seeing as this particular model was $105 back in June, now is the time to snatch up this deal while supplies are still in stock. You never know when you’ll need more space on your PC, and no one wants to boot up their games and projects at the snaillike pace of a traditional spinning hard drive. Personally, I haven’t used an HDD since pre-2015, and I never want to go back.
Whether you’re returning to work or school, everyone needs a computer to get their assignments done. This holds especially true in 2020, where most of us are stuck working from home, and some organizations are unable or unwilling to provide those essential productivity tools free of charge. Among the next best things is Lenovo’s Labor Day Doorbuster Sale, in which some of the company’s finest desktops and laptops are assimilated and marked down up to 65%.
Because Lenovo is known for providing hardware to educational facilities and enterprise customers, you’ll feel right at home with a $950 ThinkPad X1 Carbon (down from $2,629; promo code HOTNANODEAL) under your fingers. To maximize your savings, however, I’d pick up the ThinkCentre M90n, a mini PC comparable to the Mac mini, albeit modular. But while a Mac mini would set you back $799, the ThinkCentre is almost half the price—for a limited time only—at $449. Talk about savings! Tablets are still cool though, right? Because if you’re willing to spend a bit more, the Nvidia-clad Yoga C940 doubles as a touchscreen slate for $1,290, saving you 24% with the promo code KICKOFFSALE2020.
No matter your computing preference, this sale has everything you need to snap back to reality (oop, there goes gravity!) and start crunching numbers or writing essays, or simply playing Fortnite again while no one’s looking. You can’t put a price on procrastination, and these bargains will help you slack off on the cheap.
Anyone desperate for a night out should look no further than the backyard, or if you live in an apartment, a random unoccupied field (PARODY). And thanks to AuKing, you can save 40% on a mini projector by clipping the onsite coupon and entering the promo code 93VXYFN2 at checkout, perfectly suited to replace nights out at the AMC or Regal. In fact, with a projector, you don’t have to worry about the smell of Arby’s roast beef the person behind you snuck into Tenet. Instead, you can watch actual good movies like Palm Springs with your large adult sons. Or, in case the little ones tag along, rent Scoob!, a movie I’m curious about but don’t have the children to justify watching it on my own.
The AuKing mini projector gets you 55,000 hours of viewing time, or over 6 years of consecutive years. It boasts a 4.5-star rating on Amazon out of nearly 4,000 reviews and supports both HDMI and VGA input. That means all you have to do is hook up a Roku or an Apple TV for endless streaming. You can also connect it to your gaming console of choice or even a PC.
If you’ve stocked up on a lot of Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons for some big family fun, a charging dock is almost mandatory. HyperX’s Chargeplay Quad offers you such a solution from a tried and true brand for 50% off the list price, bringing your final total down to $15. As the name implies, you can throw four Joy-Cons onto the thing. Combine that with the two that’ll charge when connected directly to your Switch, and your Mario Party sessions should never be derailed by the dreaded low battery warning.
This deal was originally published in March 2020 and updated with new information on 8/31/2020.
I’ve been waiting on a discount on Link’s Awakening for the Switch since it was released... and honestly, I think I missed a few sales along the way. But the important thing is that I’m paying attention now, and now the remake of the Game Boy and Game Boy Color classic is $50 at Walmart. If you’re a Zelda fan, you owe to yourself to play this quirky little gem! Besides, who knows when the next sale on it is?
You know what you need in your life? More buttons. Always more buttons. Razer is having a sale on Amazon for a variety of their products, and that includes the Pro Gaming Keypad. The keypad has 32 extra programmable keys, so that you can have all your macros and emotes ready to go. Awesome! The black keypad is $80, while the white keypad is a bit more expensive at $90.
This console generation is winding down (although we still can’t pre-order the new ones... what’s up with that?), so now is the time to pick up some of the most popular PS4 titles for cheap and catch up on what you missed. Sony Santa Monica’s God of War is only $14 right now, and if you haven’t given the soft reboot of the series a try, now’s the perfect chance. Still as vicious as ever but having a more meaningful story about fatherhood, God of War was well-received critically, so now you can experience it yourself for a really good price.
To all my gaming friends, the Razer Mamba gaming mouse is 60% off. At $54, it’s a decent deal for seven programmable buttons and mechanical switches, not to mention 50 hours of battery life. It also has a 16,000 DPI optical sensor. I’m not a gamer at all and really don’t know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing. Don’t listen to me anymore, the price is right, so why not buy?
It’s never too early to start holiday shopping and with the postal service in a bit of upheaval, they are already saying to plan ahead for international shipping. So if you’ve got family overseas like me it’s time to get shopping. For your fandom family, Entertainment Eart is here for you. Until Monday it’s buy one, get one 40% off all Enesco Products. And there’s about 700 to pick from.
Enesco covers a variety of fandoms so you’re sure to find something for your friends, family, and even yourself. Disney, Looney Tunes, Peanuts, DC, Harry Potter, Pusheen, and more in a variety of styles. Cute cookie jars, marvelous mugs, festive decorations there’s truly something for everyone. But where Enesco really shines is their figures.
Turn your page to 349 and add Professor Snape to your bewitching collection. A striking present for the Slytherins in your life. The Severus Snape statue is made of resin and calcium carbonate. The Potions Master sternly stands over twelve inches tall.
Are cute beagles more your thing? Well, this one is out of this world. I fele like this adorable Snoppy statute services Peanuts fans and NASA nerds. One small price for you, one giant leap towards making a Snoppy lover’s day. Designed by the legendary Jim Shore, this polyresin pup stands just over five inches tall.
Let’s be honest it’s Harley’s world we’re just living in it. Poised with her favorite weapon, the oversized mallet, she’s still pretty dang cute. Couture de Force Harleen is decked out in her signature colors and the detail is a devilish as her grin. She’s just over seven inches tall and is made of resin and stone powder.
This deal runs until September 1 and free shipping on orders over $79.
I don’t know about you, but I’m itching for a new racing game and neither Gran Turismo 7 nor Forza Motorsport 8 can come soon enough. And after the countless hours I’ve invested into Forza Horizon 4(free on Xbox Game Pass), it’s just not scratching that itch anymore. Enter Project Cars 3for PS4 and Xbox One. While the simulation approach is admittedly a massive departure from my own tastes (more into arcade-y racing games like the aforementioned FH4 and Burnout Paradise personally), I can always appreciate when a developer handles the genre well. Plus, the pretty graphics offset my concerns when it comes to gameplay. After all, I am nothing if not bad at video games.
Nevertheless, I’m still tempted to pick up Project Cars 3, especially considering it’s $10 off on Amazon right now, making your pre-checkout subtotal just $50 compared to the $60 it was just yesterday. Snap it up before that price jumps back to MSRP. Not into racing games? In that case, I’m not sure why you’re reading this, but Wasteland 3 also comes out this week, a turn-based RPG in which you play as a desert range in Arizona. That sounds cool too, and it’s also marked down $10 as of this writing, on PS4 and Xbox One.
LEGO sets have seemingly become more popular than ever during the pandemic, which makes total sense—but these great LEGO Architecture sets haven’t seen many sales in recent months.
Luckily, Amazon has a solid bargain on the New York City skyline set right now, slashing 19% off the list price. This 598-piece build includes a tiny Statue of Liberty alongside the Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, the Chrysler Building, and the Flatiron Building, all done to scale. And when you’re done, you get a great little display piece for your desk or shelf.
Feeling ambitious? You might also consider the much, much larger LEGO Architecture Statue of Liberty set, which lets you build a 17-inch-tall recreation of the iconic statue with 1,685 pieces. It’s $22 off right now at Amazon.
And if you’re looking for other great LEGO deals, we’ve been rounding them up with weekly updates to point you towards the latest and greatest sets and sales.
Oh no! You’re driving on the side of the road, when all of a sudden, your car stalls. That Triple-A button you installed eight years ago no longer works, and ain’t nobody got time to sit on hold or wait for a random act of kindness. Instead, just pop the trunk and grab your own personal jump starter. GOOLOO’s 2000A model works with any engine up to 10L (7L for diesel), complete with safety jumper clamps and a USB port to charge your smartphone—and it’s yours for $60 today, a $40 discount, which is even lower than previous lightning deals had it! Just use promo code8493ZE8Pat Amazon.
This deal was originally posted by Quentyn Kennemer on 5/6/2020 and updated by Quentyn Kennemer with new information on 8/31/2020.
With your work happy hour getting moved to Zoom I’m sure you’ve become quite creative with your cocktails. And zero judgment with your crushing a bottle of wine through the Skypes and Google Hangouts too. Everyone is still dealing with this pandemic in their own way. But if you do find your wine cellar looking bare let’s get it back to tip-top shape with a case of Wine For Home for less than $100.
This is a red blend with a bouquet of cherries, blueberries, plums, and dark fruits. Those flavors really make these bottles live up to the theory that wine is just adult fruit juice. It’s created and bottled by Broken Earth Winery from Paso Robles, California. So it’s all done within the US. With this deal, each bottle shakes out to just under $8. The only downside is that there are quite a few states they can’t deliver to because of rules. It’s twenty-one states to be exact, bummer. Also under instructions on delivery, it stated that is you’re visibly intoxicated upon delivery you will not be allowed to receive the wine. Double bummer. Everything is good in moderation so if you do snag this case these bottles should last you until the next boozy deal rolls around from us.
If you’ve read a few of our pieces on MorningSave before and you like what you’ve seen they offer a $5 monthly fee to get free shipping on all of your orders no matter how many. Otherwise, it’s a flat rate of $8.
I know dashcams are popular for a number of reasons but never really understood exactly how useful they are until I saw one in action. A few weeks ago a biker hit my pal’s car head-on while he was at a stoplight. While the footage was unpleasant it helped him and the police see exactly where the guy came from and how he cut across several lanes of traffic and just didn’t even seen that the light was red and traffic was stopped. This morning you can grab this YI Technology Nightscape Dash Cam for 25% off and protect you and those around you no matter where you travel.
This dash cam has an impressive camera with a 140-degree field of view that clearly captures 1080p footage. This will allow for viewing at sixty frames per second. With a scope like this, you’ll get a view of several lines even in low-light. This camera really does the heavy lifting for nighttime, so it’ll even snap in the darkest of conditions. It comes with a 32GB microSD card so you don’t need to add one at purchase. It’ll hold multiple recordings across numerous hours that you can view on the 2.4-inch display. It does have an emergency G-sensor which means it supports emergency file backup so if you’re in an accident it’s literally got you covered. The adhesive mount makes it easy to install and remove.
This item ships for free and the deal on runs for today only.
You know what you need for your DIY work area? A proper chair. No, a chair from the dining room table isn’t going to cut it—it’ll just scrape on the floor, and you don’t want it to get dirty, do you? Instead, treat yourself and get this SATA roller seat, on sale for $115. This baby has wheels on it, for starters. Wheels are awesome. Also, there are magnetic trays on the bottom, so you can put your smaller tools and supplies there and have them wherever you’re scooting to next. Oh, and the seat’s made out of rubber too so it resists oil and other spills. Treat yourself and get one today!
It’s hurricane season, and apparently this year hurricanes go where they damn well please. While maybe you’re not shocked about 2020 being 2020 at this point, it’s a good idea to prepare for emergencies regardless. If you’re even vaguely in an area that might get hit by a hurricane or other bad weather, grabbing a generator is a worthwhile investment. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely an investment—even on sale, the Champion Inverter Generator is $429—but if you’re worried about losing power for an extended period of time, a generator can keep the essential appliances running and the cell phones charged in order to make power outages just a little less stressful. The Prime shipping is a nice bonus, too. It’s not two-day shipping, but it’ll get to you relatively quickly.
And if you happen to not need it for an emergency, well... you can keep everything you need to powered on your next camping trip. A generator’s just a pretty nice item to have around!
Being back with my parents for quarantine since March, I’ve really come to miss my bed back in California. Compared to the cookie-cutter guest bedroom mattress I’ve been sleeping in, my actual bed feels like sleeping on a cloud. Sure, it’s old and probably needs to be replaced after traveling with me across multiple states, but getting a new mattress is expensive.
A good discount code can help, though. So if you’re in the market for a new mattress, whether it’s to give yourself a better night’s sleep, or help your guests feel a little more at home, Casper’s mattresses get sent straight to your home so you don’t have to worry about venturing out during a pandemic, and you’ll be able to try it out without worrying about being stuck with it. Best of all? Using the promo code COMFORT! you can get 10% off your order, bringing a queen-sized original mattress down to just under $990.
Everyone has those days. You’re broke down on the side of the road. The car won’t start. You’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with zero cell reception, all because you unwittingly agreed to drive to your grandparents’ farm on Christmas Day. It’s snowing to the point you can’t see anything beyond what’s 5 feet in front of you. You are, it would seem, royally fucked. But it’s not all bad. Remember that Tacklife jump starter battery pack you bought from a Kinja Deal months ago? Where did you put that? Oh, right. In the glove compartment, or no ... under the seat. There it is. Back on the road, and I’m charging my phone, too.
With the Tacklife T6 800A peak jump starter, you’re not only guaranteeing a lifeline when there’s no one around to give you a jump, but you’re also bagging a 18,000mAh charger for all your devices, including the smartphone in your pocket. By clipping the coupon onsite and entering the promo code 7QWE5DCO at checkout, you can store this compact accessory in its included carrying case, plop it in your truck bed, and be on your way in no time at all. Get your car, SUV, motorcycle, or van back up to speed in the blink of an eye for just $45 today.
If you’ve been searching for affordable skincare and serums, you should check out The Ordinary’s brand of Hyaluronic Acid with added B5 vitamins. If you don’t know what hyaluronic acid is, it basically aids your skin in providing moisture and adding barrier support to your face. The added B5 makes your skin glow! It’s only $7, so I really don’t know how you can beat it. Grab it before its gone!
Welcome to week one of Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty sale. With its true kick off today, you’ll see deep discounts all week on fan favorites from the company. Each day they will release five products from their best selling beauty lines. Diamond and Platinum members will get a deal just for them, it’s MAC lipsticks ($28) this morning. All these deals are online exclusives and only last the day of and if today is any indicator I think there are some great sales on the horizon.
If you have great brows you’re winning, I love big bold eyebrows like Elizabeth Taylor had back in the day. As we are trending back to a thicker more natural brow you might need a little help and that’s ok, Grande Cosmetics is here for you. Grab their GrandeBROW Brow Enhancing Serum today for $35 and get growing.
Dermalogica is absolutely one of the best when it comes to skincare. This Rapid Reveal Peel ($43) is for those still skittish about hitting the spa or salon. Renew your skin make you pores microscopic with this at-home peel. This superpowered exfoliant lets you achieve that gorgeous glass skin complexion that’s the all rage in Japapense beauty. Reduce fine lines and firm up tired skin. You’ve probably been under some stress the last few months so you’ve earned so pristine pampering.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again please wash your blenders regularly and replace them every three months. This five-ounce kit ($23) will help you do just that. I’ve found the charcoal blend of these cleansers really helps cut dirt and deep cleans them especially if you wear long haul formulas like my foundation. This kills 99.7% of germs for up to 24 hours after cleansing. The charcoal is mixed with palm oils, aloe, and coconut oil to keep your tools soft and intact for multiple uses post cleanings.
These deals are for today only unless you are a Diamond and Platinum member. You’ll get these deals until September 19 and free shipping. Free shipping on orders over $35 for everyone else.
Listen, no matter how loud the anti-maskers have a temper tantrum, masks protect yourself and others from COVID-19. We’re living in a pandemic and you know, it requires a bit of preparation for going out in public. This 40-Pack of KN95 masks is $39. Yes, masks are overpriced these days, but these KN95 masks block 95% of air particles up to .3-micron levels. What are you waiting for? Grab a box and start using them!
Shoes! Oh my god, shoes ... Where do I begin? Keen Footwear is kicking off its Labor Day sale with an offer extending to “just about” everything. Get 25% off men’s highland sneakers, kids’ hybrids, back-to-campus styles, and more. From K-12 to postgrad, no matter what level of education you’re trying to pursue, Keen will spare your feet the pain of doing such on inferior insoles. And if you want to be that person, you can always wear Newport sandals AS LONG AS you’re not also wearing socks. Please and thank you.
It’s back-to-school season, but you need to have a few more items on your list when shopping for supplies this year. Grab a pack of kids masks from MQ Direct 25% off when you use the code KINJAKIDS at checkout. You can grab 50 or 200, and give your child extra protection this school year. Because that’s just 2020 for you. They have pandas on them, so they’re pretty cute at least.
JACHS NY’s massive Labor Day Sale is underway, where you can save 87% on practically anything in the store. It’s an awesome sale, but it can be overwhelming to figure out what to pick. Well, let’s make that easier—how about some Henleys? You can stock up on your Henley wardrobe during a part of this sale, with select styles being just $19. No code needed this time!
I’m personally eyeing these Sueded Hooded Henleys, which look properly lightweight for Autumn weather and easy to layer if you live in a cold climate. They’re only $29! There are fleece-lined ones for just a few dollars more, at $35, in case you need that extra warmth.
Maybe you’re one of those people who doesn’t realize their shoes need replaced until things have gotten really bad, or maybe you just like having a wide array of shoes to match any outfit you choose. Either way, a good deal on a solid pair will spare your wallet while still filling out your wardrobe. If your closet’s lacking a good pair of leather shoes, consider Astroflex’s Wakeflex, which are down to $115 at Huckberry right now, and you can pick from three different colors to fit your preference.
Listen, no matter how loud the anti-maskers have a temper tantrum, masks protect yourself and others from COVID-19. We’re living in a pandemic and you know, it requires a bit of preparation for going out in public. This 20-Pack of KN95 masks (and any other size) are $48, and with the code KINJASHIP, you’ll get free shipping so you can throw out that $17 shipping fee for the 20- or 50-pack! If you have a bigger household, you might want to invest in the 50-pack for $104, or even the 100-pack for $160.
Have you seen Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? It’s excellent and currently on Netflix, if you haven’t watched it, and the cult fave recently marked its 10th anniversary. The film was closely modeled after Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved black-and-white graphic novel series, which is arguably even richer and funnier than the vibrant film it inspired.
Well, that original graphic novel series was colorized and turned into pricey hardcovers, but now has been condensed into a trio of color paperbacks—all of which you can snag right now in a complete set for $49. This 1,212-page set brings together the full saga of Pilgrim as he battles Ramona Flowers’ evil exes, with the entire quest packed with hilarious dialogue, gaming references, and even some feels along the way.
The complete color set is $53 right now from Amazon, but if you’d rather save some cash and stick to the original source material, the full six-book black-and-white set is just $37 (that’s 49% off).
This deal was updated with new information on 8/31 by Ignacia Fulcher.
Otakus will have you know that Akira is to manga what the Mona Lisa is to art, and you can catch up for $80 off at Amazon. The $119 total nets you six hardcover books, an Akira Club hardcover artbook with glossy pages, and an iron-on version of Kaneda’s iconic pill patch. Too bad there aren’t many Comic-Cons going on.
The price seems to steadily be dropping so who knows—it might be lower by the time you read this. Or it might be sold out! So don’t delay locking in a good price for this massive collection.
This deal was originally published by Quentyn Kennemer on 8/6/2020 and updated by Gabe Carey with new information on 8/24/2020.
I haven’t had the chance to play Remedy’s Control yet, but I know for a fact that it’s a beautiful and eerie looking game. Basically, the perfect candidate for an art book! The Art and Making of Control is set to release this holiday season, and you can pre-order the limited edition for just $39. Nice! The limited edition comes with the book in a hardcover format, a slipcover to prevent it from getting dusty, and some exclusive art cards. For under $40, it’s a damn good deal. And remember—if you pre-order now and the price drops lower, you’ll even get that lower price automatically, so lock it in now!
There’s no grey area when it comes to Resident Evil movies. You either love ‘em or you hate ‘em. I’m in the former camp, so my eyes popped when I saw the chance to pre-order a six-film 4K Blu-ray collection for $72 (normally $96). Here are all the films you’ll get in the package:
Resident Evil
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Resident Evil: Extinction
Resident Evil: Retribution
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
Follow Alice in all her dangerous encounters up against the Umbrella Corporation when this 4K collection breaks out like the T-virus on November 3, 2020.
Celebrate making it through another week with a killer new outfit or accessory. Anthropologie just added a ton of new items and styles to their sale section and then decided to mark it all down by 50%. There are over 1,700 pieces in the discount section, so even though it’s vast the deal is so good sizes are going quick.
One of Anthropologie’s best-selling sandals are now just $35 in this sale. THey’re fan favorited among Anthro devotes. Spend the last few fun in the sun days in these feminine and comfy Matiko Eliza Toe-Loop Sandals.
Now pair those with this vibrant mustard retro-inspired cotton skirt. The Briony Mini Skirt ($35) is top-rated and will even look fetching in fall with a pair of tights. It’s very Jessica Day.
This company really does accessories like no other. I’ve personally bought five cowboy hats from them. Splurge on a riveting rancher. The Van Palma Lea is now just $85 which 67% off is original price. Add this to a simple outfit of black jeans and a tee for that perfect pop of color.
The sale runs until August 30 and there’s free shipping on orders over $50.
A few male commenters have mentioned we tend to be a little heavy on the lady side of pleasure items, and you are correct. So when a good deal for a dude-stimulator comes along we take note. As I’ve mentioned I’m a fan of sex tech and the Tenuto Wearable Vibrator is all that and more. Take 20% off with the code RELAX20 and pay just $136.
Smart vibrators are the way of the future and MysteryVibe wants everyone to have a good time. The Tenuto is operated with their app to send vibes right to your boy bits and you or your partner can control it. This wearable vibrator will stimulate three pleasure zones for both you and your significant other. The Tenuto helps increase blood flow for longer and harder playtime. There are 16 levels of intensity and six motors to hit all those fun spots. With the app you can try the pre-set vibes, create your own, or save your fave. Look, it’s fun to play by yourself sometimes but with a friend it can be so much more invigorating.
Free shipping on orders over $40 and deal runs until September 9.
It never hurts to have more masks, I’ve found that I’m tossing an extra one in my bag when I go out because you never know. Plus it’s nice to have options for a little flair too. This 3-Pack of Double Layer Masks are just $15 and totally reusable.
These have soft breathable cotton on the inside and polyester on the outside. The masks come in a variety of patterns ( I personally like the snacks one pictured above) to fit your fashion sensibilities and tastes. Adults will find four different packs to pick from and if you’ve got little ones, kids have three options. The earloops are adjustable to fit your level of comfort and to fit snuggly. These are reusable so you can toss them right in the wash and have three means you can rotate through so you always have a clean one. Please, wash and clean your masks.
If you’ve read a few of our pieces on MorningSave before and you like what you’ve seen they offer a $5 monthly fee to get free shipping on all of your orders no matter how many. Otherwise, it’s a flat rate of $8.
Love it or hate it CBD is here to stay. The legal cannabis extract is widely recognized as a treatment for joint pain, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. And unlike THC, there’s no psychoactive component, meaning it doesn’t get you “high” per sé, it just helps you chill out. And these days, who couldn’t use a little chill time? Personally, I take Sunday Scaries’ CBD oil every night before bed, mixing it—along with 2% milk and a little butter to help it dissolve—into my tea as a chemical relaxant.
Their gummies are similarly effective, containing vitamins D3 and B12 as well as 10mg of CBD per gummy. Unicorn Jerky, on the other hand, tastes like less severe Sour Straws, and are also 10mg, albeit without the added vitamin benefit. YOLO Shots, on the other hand, are meant to be taken during the day, as they combine CBD and caffeine, giving you the energy and clarity you’ll need to either finish up assignments or get ripped at the gym. Using our exclusive promo code KINJA25 (automatically applied at checkout), you can take an extra 25% off the Sunday Scaries Party Pack bundle, which features all three—gummies, jerky, and shots.
Whether you put it toward a subscription or a one-time purchase, you’ll be glad you did. Because let me tell you, folks, we’re going through some hellish times, and we all need a little something to take the edge off.
Whether you’ve grown addicted to apps or you’re looking to store more games on your Nintendo Switch, everyone could find a reason to jump on this deal for Samsung’s 256GB EVO Select microSD card. It’s down to $30 today, which is a sizable 40% savings.
This is a U3 card that has read/write speeds of 100/90 megabytes per second, and should work in almost any modern device that supports microSD. You’ll also get an adapter to use it with even more devices like digital cameras.
This deal was originally published by Gabe Carey on 6/24/2020 and updated by Andrew Hayward with new information on 8/27/2020.
If you’re in love with playing music out loud and in the open, I’d like to suggest the Sony SRS-XB12 portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s only $40 at Best Buy, which is $20 off the original list price. You can play up to 16 hours on one charge, and the bass WILL be booming. I don’t know what you’re waiting for, hop on this deal now.
