What I Bought: Black Friday 2025

Last updated on December 29th, 2025 at 09:05 am

Each year, I like to recap my holiday sale purchases and reflect honestly on what I’ve bought – what’s been worth it, and what I’d buy again. It looks like I skipped this series in 2024, likely because most of my purchases that year were baby-gear related.

This year followed a similar pattern. Most of what I bought was more functional than fun, but I wanted to pick the series back up. I’m a little later than usual, but with all the post-Christmas and end-of-year sales still happening, I hope this is helpful!

What I Purchased This Year

• Aura Digital Picture Frame
  I usually avoid tech-dependent, single-purpose items, but we’ve had such a good experience with an Aura frame gifted to a grandparent overseas that we decided to buy one for each set of parents this year. The app makes it easy to continuously upload new photos (mostly of baby boy, of course), which automatically rotate on the synced frames. The screen resolution is excellent, and I especially appreciate that vertical photos are displayed side-by-side so the screen still feels full.
• Shark Vacuum
  Our 15-year-old handheld Dyson is finally on its last legs. For its replacement, I wanted something that could truly handle long hair, and this Shark vacuum consistently came up as a top recommendation. I’m hopeful the dual-brush design and self-cleaning feature will mean fewer tangled hairs – and fewer broken parts.
• Everlane Staples
  I picked up an Alpaca Crew in an earthy moss shade and another Cashmere Boxy Sweater in a speckled Donegal knit. These styles are already in constant rotation in my closet, so adding a couple new variations felt like an easy win. I also grabbed this midi organza skirt. While it’s likely intended for summer, it worked surprisingly well for semi-casual holiday events.
• Primary Baby Puffers
  Primary continues to be a favorite for high-quality, colorful, unisex baby and kids clothing. I picked up a lightweight puffer jacket and puffer vest for stroller walks now that temperatures have dropped.
• Apple Watch Series 11
  Another replacement purchase – my Apple Watch 4 still technically worked, but needed multiple charges per day. I really wanted the SE 3 in Starlight, but ultimately opted for the Series 11 for its more advanced health-tracking features. I’d love to be a “vintage watch person”, but I can’t give up sleep tracking, activity tracking and reminders that come with a smartwatch.

A Reflection on Last Year

Personal Purchases

• I usually prefer to shop Lululemon secondhand (there are so many great deals on barely worn items), but I did pick up an Always Effortless Jacket and Align Joggers at 50% off. Both have been excellent purchases. The jacket is a great spring-to-fall layer, and the joggers are a sleeker alternative to leggings that fit me both pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy.
• Discounted at Saks and stacked with AmEx-acquired Saks gift cards, I finally splurged on a Coravin Wine Preservation System. My husband and I both enjoy wine but are lightweights, so we rarely finish a bottle before it goes bad. This meant we almost never opened our nicer bottles. With the Coravin, we’ve been able to enjoy a bottle slowly over a few weeks, which has genuinely changed how often we open and enjoy our collection.
• When my old AirPods started acting up, I replaced them with the AirPods Pro 2. I was hoping for improved microphone quality, but unfortunately they fall short. Especially when walking outside with wind or ambient noise. They’re excellent for listening, particularly with noise cancellation, but for calls I’ve ended up relying on a $20 pair of old-fashioned corded earbuds, which transmit voice much more clearly.

Baby Gear

• Guava Lotus Travel Crib + Bassinet Conversion
  A standout purchase. We use the travel crib for nearly all of our domestic trips, and baby boy slept in the bassinet conversion for his first two months. I love that the conversion kit takes up very little storage space and makes the system multi-purpose. While there are cheaper alternatives, the Guava is unique in that the entire mesh cover can be zipped off and washed.
• Nuna RAVA Convertible Car Seat
  We haven’t started using this yet, so I can’t fully review it – but we’re likely just a few months away. I snagged the Nordstrom-exclusive color at a steep discount and stacked it with Notes, bringing the total to about 50% off. Not bad, especially before recent price increases.

Partnership Disclosure: This blog post was not sponsored by any of the brands listed above. As always, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, in which I earn a commission on purchases.