Save 50% on a Costco membership, $50 on an Instant Pot, $50 on a Roku Streambar, and more!
Plus: A rare Xbox Series S deal and an easy fix for a new iPhone annoyance.
Happy Wednesday, everyone! If you’re new to Deal Secrets, thanks for being here. If you’re a DS veteran, thanks for sticking around. I appreciate you!
Let’s jump into this week’s quick hits:
🖨️ This could be a mistake, but Walmart has the excellent Creality CR-6 SE 3D printer for $170, by far the lowest price on record. (It typically sells for around $350.) I own this model; it’s one of the most reliable and hassle-free ones I’ve used. If anything goes foul with the order (like you receive a different printer or it’s used or something), you can always return it to a Walmart store.
🏠 Want to see who’s at the door without getting up from your desk? For a limited time, Amazon has the Ring Video Doorbell and 2nd-gen Echo Show 5 smart display bundled for $65. The doorbell would normally run you $100 all by itself (though it’s currently on sale for $60). The Show 5 makes a great nightstand or home-office companion; this is one of the better smart-home bundles I’ve seen recently.
🎮 If you’re planning to gift someone an Xbox this year, jump on this: Top-rated eBay seller Antonline has the Xbox Series S 512GB with extra controller for $280. Normally this pair would run about $350. Just finding the Series S in stock can be challenging enough; any kind of discount is rarer still. Won’t last long!
DISCLAIMER: Some of the links included herein are affiliate links (usually those in bold type), meaning if you make a purchase via one of them, I may get a small commission. I promise you, now and forever, that I won’t choose deals based on whether there’s an affiliate option available.
Best Instant Pot deal in months: $50 (save $50)
This typically happens just once per year, occasionally twice. For a limited time, Amazon has the 6-quart Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 for $50. That’s $50 off the regular price and the biggest drop since February.
Even better, if you pay with an Amazon Rewards Visa, you’ll get 10% back instead of the usual 5%, bringing your net cost down to $45.
I consider this a kitchen essential. It’s not only a pressure cooker and slow cooker (aka crock-pot), but also a rice cooker, yogurt maker and more. Two recipes I especially love: Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce (pro tip: Use cut spaghetti) and Awesome Wife Casserole, which my awesome wife agreed should be named Awesome Husband Casserole because I’m the one who made it. 😜
iPhone tip: Turn off the shockingly bad auto-punctuation feature
It frustrates me when software developers “improve” something by making it worse. Case in point: The new iOS Auto-Punctuation feature, which adds commas, question-marks, and more when you use voice-dictation — and does a really poor job of it. I frequently found myself having to correct mistakes after dictating a text message or the like. Hey, Apple, I edit for a living; don’t make me do it on my phone!
Fortunately, you can turn it off. Open up the Settings app and head to General > Keyboard. Scroll down until you find Auto-Punctuation, then toggle it off.
Crappy-TV-speaker fix: Roku Streambar for $80 (save $50)
You know I’ll never shut up about soundbars; they’re the single best TV upgrade you can get. Right now, one of my favorites is on sale: The Roku Streambar is down to just $80, tying the lowest price ever and saving you $50. It’s not only a solid soundbar for small/medium TVs, but also a full-blown Roku streamer with voice remote and other premium features.
What’s more, if you pay with an Amazon Rewards Visa, you’ll get 10% back instead of the usual 5%, bringing your net cost down to $72.
If you have a larger TV, consider waiting for a deal on the Streambar Pro. It’s currently $180, but I suspect Black Friday pricing of around $130 — maybe even lower.
Rockpals’ adorable portable power station: $180 (save $100)
Recently I conducted a Twitter survey asking about interest in portable power stations, the kind that can keep your gear running during power outages, camping trips, and the like. The response: overwhelming interest. Sooooo… for a limited time, the Rockpals 300W Portable Power Station drops to $180 shipped when you apply coupon code AUS100 at checkout. That’s a $100 discount and a tie for the lowest price ever.
This top-rated battery includes four USB ports (including a 30-watt USB-C), one AC outlet, and a few DC outputs for outdoorsy stuff like tire/mattress inflators. Plus it just looks really, really cool. It can recharge via AC or an optional solar panel (which itself is on sale for $140 with promo code AUS90, a $90 savings).
1-year Costco membership: $30 after credit
Costco membership deals are exceedingly rare, so don’t miss out on this one: For a limited time, StackSocial has a 1-year Costco Gold Star Membership for $60 — a price that includes a $30 Digital Costco credit. So your net cost is really half what it would normally be.
This is, of course, for new members only, or those who haven’t had a membership for at least 18 months. The $30 credit can be redeemed in-store or online.
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