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Every time I plan a trip, I go through roughly the same steps: I download a specialized trip planner, spend a day carefully planning my days to optimize time, and then I spend the entire time reading out of my Google Keep notes and using Google Maps instead.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box is on sale for $81.98 at Amazon, down from its $119.99 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box $81.98 at Amazon
$119.99 Save $38.01   Get Deal

Pitch Black’s Elite Trainer Box has kept dropping in price over time since launch, and Amazon’s latest trading card marketplace offer has now taken the nine-pack Pokémon TCG set below $85 for the first time we’ve seen.

As of July 31, the Pokémon TCG’s Pitch Black Elite Trainer Box is available at Amazon for $81.98. Removing $38.01 from the current list price of $119.99 yields a large 32% discount, the lowest price this ETB has seen on Amazon (confirmed by the price tracker camelcamelcamel). The listing is sold and shipped by the third-party seller Collector’s Cache, though Amazon is handling customer service directly if there are any issues. As a bonus, free delivery is currently estimated for Aug. 7-13. 

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Away from Amazon, TCGplayer remains slightly cheaper if you’re open to shopping elsewhere. A single unopened English box is available for $75.98 plus $2 shipping, making the total $77.98 and undercutting Amazon by exactly $4. That even undercuts the Pitch Black ETB’s current market price of $77.79 by a cent.

Inside the box are nine Pitch Black booster packs, one full-art foil Zarude promo card, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, and a player’s guide. The remaining extras include six damage-counter dice, a competition-legal coin-flip die, a plastic coin, six dividers, a collector’s box, and a Pokémon TCG Live code card.

Pitch Black is led by some valuable chase cards (which you can also buy individually on TCGplayer) — including Mega Darkrai ex and Mega Zeraora ex, with Mega Chandelure ex, and Morpeko ex also appearing across the expansion. At $81.98, the ETB comes to roughly $9.11 per booster before accounting for the promo card and accessories.

Whether you're rotating your tires to extend their life, swapping between summer and winter wheel sets, or simply installing a different set of wheels to give your car a fresh look, no rule says you must pay a tire shop to do it. With a handful of basic tools and about an hour of free time, you can handle the job yourself and save the money of having it done at the dealer. You also don't need a dedicated garage.

This week saw the launch of Furious, a new crime drama from Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl and Dying for Sex) that focuses on the cat-and-mouse tale of traumatized FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum), who's tracking a female serial killer (Lola Petticrew) on a deadly quest for vengeance.

In my review of the series, I cheered Meriwether's masterful blend of dark subject matter with resilient humor. In particular, I praised the way she managed to make a show that addresses child trafficking and sexual assault without making a spectacle of either.

SEE ALSO: How 'Furious' delves into a world of sex and violence without being exploitative

In interviews with Meriwether, Rossum, and Petticrew, we dug in on how the show's creator approached these issues, how her stars tackled their trickiest scenes, and more.

For more on Furious, check back with Mashable each week. We'll have posts and interview snippets dropping all season long.

The first three episodes of Furious are now streaming on Hulu, with new episodes every Monday through Aug. 31.

As Americans struggle to afford groceries and gas, Donald Trump threw his "Make America Affordable Again" promise in the trash at a recent campaign rally, with the president mocking "affordability" during his speech — even saying aloud, "What's affordability?"

On Late Night, Seth Meyers reacted to Trump's comments with a new segment he likes to call "I Feel F***ing Crazy." And, yeah.

"Can I tell you guys a secret? I feel f***ing crazy," said Meyers. "What do you mean, 'what's affordability?' You're the one who said it! You said we were going to 'make America affordable again.' Affordability is the noun form of the adjective affordable, you f***ing dropout. This is like if, after chanting 'build that wall' for four years, he admitted he didn't know what a wall was. Build that wall so I can finally lay eyes on one. You hear a lot about them. You never see walls. Someone told me I see walls every day, but then they pointed to one. I said, 'That's not a wall. That's a side roof.'"

SEE ALSO: Seth Meyers reacts to Trump being called a 'pedophile protector'

Meyers pointed out that during the rally, Trump also mocked reporters for asking him why prices were so high in a press conference.

"You're the president, of course they're asking you why prices are so high," said Meyers. "Who do you want them to ask, Jimothy? By the way, let's be clear: Do not let Jimothy anywhere near the White House. RFK will just assume his Uber Eats showed up early."

Meyers noted that while Americans are "struggling to afford food while Trump and his family line their pockets," Trump's job approval has again hit a record low — it's currently at -25, with 60 percent of Americans disapproving of the president, according to The Economist.

"The president's job approval rating is at a new all-time low, and the reason is simple," concluded Meyers. "He promised to bring down prices and keep us out of wars. And in both cases, he's done the opposite. He's good at enriching himself."

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I'm a Windows user, and I'm no stranger to dual-booting. It was actually my first real introduction to Linux. Like a lot of people, I carved out a partition, installed a second OS, and got that satisfying moment of choosing which OS to boot into at startup. At the time, it felt like the right way to do it if you wanted the full experience.

Imagine waking up one day to discover that decades of your digital history have been erased. For one Twitch streamer, Joshua Khane, that nightmare scenario became a reality. His long-standing Microsoft account, which held thousands of dollars in Xbox games, along with Outlook emails and his son's baby photos, was unceremoniously deleted by Microsoft after a hacker gained access and changed the recovery email and phone number.

LEGO is about to retire a large number of sets, which means you have limited time to grab them before they’re gone for good. This includes some of the company’s biggest tie-ins, long-running fan favorites, and some of the more obscure sets.

New parenthood becomes a nightmare right out of Finnish folklore in Hanna Bergholm's Nightborn.

The Hatching director once again pulls us into a disturbing, visceral tale of maternity, leaning on lore to explore, as Bergholm says in the film's press notes, "the messy, difficult, and sometimes 'ugly' side of parental love." Compartment No. 6's Seidi Haarla and Harry Potter star Rupert Grint are pushed to the limit in this body horror, with a word of caution, perhaps, for viewers who've recently become parents.

But what about that wild ending? What does it all mean? If you haven't watched the Shudder film, beware the spoilers ahead — and really, go and watch it. It'll mess you up.

SEE ALSO: Horrific 'Nightborn' trailer looks like one for new parents to avoid What is Nightborn about? Seidi Haarla and Rupert Grint in "Nightborn." Credit: Pietari Peltola

Saga (Haarla) and Jon (Grint) are deliriously happy newlyweds, who have moved from London to start a family in Saga's childhood home. Set deep in the Finnish woods, the house is more than a fixer-upper, with the floorboards rotting, wallpaper peeling, and actual trees growing through its crumbling structure.

Not wasting any time, Saga and Jon get right to conceiving a child, deciding the best place for it is in a grove of twisted trees that appear rather... person-like. Twiggy hands reach out for them, deep moans echo through the trunks, and it's clear the woods have a vested interest in making sure life, uh, finds a way.

When their child Kuura (a Finnish name meaning "frost" Saga hears from the forest) is born, strange things begin. Saga knows there's something inhuman about her gremlin-like baby (and it's not just the full body of hair and tiny tail sprout). Kuura burns in sunlight, hates clothes, and only wants to drink blood, and more than a few relatives suffer violent attacks from the increasingly creepy youngster. Saga refuses to call Kuura "him," instead leaning into "it," "that thing," or "little monster," and finding herself driven to primal outbursts.

Saga and Jon's opinions about what's "best" for their child begin to wildly differ — and things get out of hand.

What happens at the end of Nightborn? Seidi Haarla as Saga. Credit: Pietari Peltola

After a stream of disturbing events, Nightborn reaches a moment of pure chaos as Saga and Jon wrestle viciously with each other over Kuura. Jon intends to take the child from Saga, brutally declaring her "unfit" to be his mother, as they try to tear each other apart. If we didn't think Kuura possessed otherworldly powers before, we get to see them in furious action here, as the child calls to the forest to stop this madness. Unfortunately for Jon, he's impaled by one of the assisting trees.

Did Kuura mean to skewer his father, to avoid his insistence on table manners? Probably, as Kuura then feasts on his father, joined by Saga, who wrenches out Jon's heart and shares it with her son in a quiet little banquet.

As the sun rises, Saga stumbles out of her now Evil Dead-looking house, to see Kuura waddling unclothed toward the woods. Then, we see the trees come to life, confirming those face-like forms as magical beings, and they beckon to the child in a welcoming gesture. Saga and Kuura share a moment of acknowledgment before she sends him off into the woods with a weary smile.

What does it all mean? Trolls run these woods. Credit: Pietari Peltola

Essentially, trolls are afoot — mythological beings of Nordic folklore. The beings that welcome Kuura at the end of the film are trolls, confirmed through their listing in the credits as such. And it's clear Saga's family has been connected to the trolls surrounding their home for generations.

"In the Nordic countries, there’s a longstanding mythology of trolls living in the forests. In ancient times, people truly believed that trolls inhabited the woods and had a kind of control over nature. And in Nightborn, the forest reflects Saga's emotions and the animalistic, primitive physical side of humankind," says Bergholm in the film's press notes.

"But I also wanted to create my own interpretation of this mythology. In this film’s logic some humans and trolls have interacted for generations, so perhaps all of us carry a bit of troll's blood. That troll's blood might make some of us feel different, awkward in social situations, or out of step with social norms."

Jon's mother (Rebecca Lacey), earlier in the film, tells Saga she "read local tales here say that if you don't bless a child the trolls will take them," and speaks of "some families [that] still have troll blood running through their veins." It's clear Saga does, as she physically takes on the same hairy attributes as Kuura, finds her pregnant belly replicating a troll-like tree trunk, and joins Kuura in a diet of raw meat. By conceiving Kuura among them in the trolls' woods, Saga reconnects with their magic and gives birth to a little baby troll that can't be "raised."

Featured Video For You Is This The End of Hollywood's ‘Bad Moms’?

It's also clear Saga's grandmother had experiences with the trolls. Saga tells Jon she was forbidden by to visit the forest as a child, though she used to sneak out there. Saga's mother (Pirkko Saisio) says her grandmother "believed there were some... whatever," during a phone call, and her sister Taru (Pamela Tola) says their she'd filled the yard with cold iron junk to "keep them away." When Kuura is burned by the cold iron of a gift from Jon's father (John Thomson), Saga bursts into laughter, later saying aloud to her son, "I know what you are."

Saga's own history, whether physically or metaphorically, as a "troll" is also recalled by her mother and Taru. Saga's mother not-so-subtly tells her she was a "terrible child" and that "Saga always liked more trees than people." Taru lambasts her sister for being "shitty" to grow up with, and the actual "monster" in the room.

Ultimately, Bergholm uses these mythological creatures as a means to explore the animalistic, brutal side of motherhood, with Saga struggling with her little troll before she embraces her inner ferality.

"The story really grew out of my own feelings and experiences as a mother: those complex, sometimes difficult emotions, and how challenging love for your child can be," the director said in the film's press notes. "Parenting is not always easy, and when a child isn’t quite what you expected — a happy, easy-going baby — you begin to question how to be a parent to them."

We also don't see Kuura's face until the final frame, a decision that keeps us wondering whether the child has fangs or the like. Bergholm deliberately kept the child's face offscreen, saying in press notes, "I really wanted to keep the mystery regarding the baby's face. This way, the viewer shares the feeling the protagonist has all the way through: There is something very wrong with the child, but it is impossible to say what."

Essentially, trolls!

Nightborn is now streaming on Shudder.

Former chief medical advisor Anthony Fauci's diary from the time of Covid has been made available to the press, and Daily Show host Desi Lydic is just as outraged by his entries as the people on Fox News.

"This guy is completely obsessed with himself," Lydic says. "I bet he'd put his name on random buildings if you let him. I mean, who writes a diary about themselves? What a lunatic."

Lydic goes on to play clips of various Fox News hosts contradicting each other over why exactly they're so angry with Fauci.

"It couldn't be clearer," says Lydic. "Covid killed a million Americans and also wasn't really that deadly, so we shouldn't have shut down. Remember, Fauci made this fatal virus in a lab, but he did a bad job because the virus wasn't even that fatal. Fauci's real crime is being a shitty deadly virus maker."

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When it comes to Bluetooth audio, your headphones are only half of the equation. Even if your phones support the latest and greatest technology, if your Windows computer's Bluetooth doesn't match those specifications, you're only going to get the lowest common denominator between the two.

All four BLACKPINK members have now taken on the Hot Ones challenge, with Lisa, Rosé, Jennie, and now Jisoo appearing on First We Feast's iconic web series. (Jennie made a direct plea for Jisoo to tackle the wings when she appeared on the show.)

The pop icon and actor joined host Sean Evans to eat increasingly spicy hot wings, and she's outstandingly tough. As the hot sauce levels increase, Jisoo handles that heat with ease, discussing how spiciness in Korean dishes is both stress relief and good for singing, the horror movie that actually scared her (Orphan), and playing Resident Evil Requiem.

And yes, she keeps the BLACKPINK/Hot Ones tradition alive with a final sketch. Honestly, she barely breaks a sweat. Go Jisoo.

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SAVE OVER $10: As of July 31, the Life360 Tile Starter Pack is on sale for $32.99 at Amazon. That's $17 off its list price of $49.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Life360 Life360 Tile Starter Pack $32.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $17   Get Deal

When it comes to keeping a close eye on important items in your life, like your keys, wallet, or bags, Bluetooth trackers are mighty helpful investments. Tile trackers are some of our favorites, and if you're looking to buy, Amazon is offering the Life360 Tile Starter Pack at a discount right now.

As of July 31, this two-pack of a Tile Mate and Slim has dropped to $32.99 at Amazon. Compared to its full price of $49.99, you save $17, but it's a deal that won't last long. The "limited time deal" tag on its store page means the countdown timer has started, so be quick to scoop it up while it's still on sale.

SEE ALSO: Pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 from Amazon and get a free $100 gift card

The Tile Mate and Slim can help track a wide variety of items around your home, with the Mate able to hook onto a keychain and the Slim able to slide into a bag or wallet. If you've misplaced one, you can easily find it in the free app, which also includes helpful features like an SOS alert. This helps notify your friends or family if you need help.

If Bluetooth trackers have been on your radar, don't miss out on this great deal on the Life360 Tile Starter Pack at Amazon.

Looking for more great tracker deals? You can also score a deal on AirTags right now if you're an Apple user.

Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.

SAVE $80: As of July 31, the Skyrover S1 Mini Drone Combo is on sale for $319 at Amazon. That's an 20% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Skyrover Skyrover S1 Mini Drone Combo $319 at Amazon
$399 Save $80   Get Deal

If you’ve been tempted to add a drone to your tech setup, there's a new deal on the Skyrover S1 Mini Drone Combo worth checking out. As of July 31, this model is down from $399 to $319, marking its best-ever price at Amazon.

This mini drone features a 1/2-inch CMOS sensor for capturing 4K/60 fps video and 8K/48 MP photos, making it ideal for recording travel footage, vlogs, and other kinds of content. And if you're a beginner to drone flying, this one includes beginner-friendly flight features such as forward obstacle avoidance, one-tap takeoff and landing, and Smart Return-to-Home functionality. Plus, it weighs under 249 grams, so it's compact enough to travel with and it's FAA-friendly for recreational flying.

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The Skyrover S1 Mini Drone Combo bundle includes the Skyrover S1 Gimbal Lock, Basic Remote Controller, three Smart Flight Batteries (each providing up to 40 minutes of flight time), a Battery Hub Charger, three pairs of propellers, a shoulder carrying bag, and a quick guide with USB-C, Lightning and Type-C cable adapters.

The bundle provides up to 120 minutes of total flight time and gives you all the accessories you need to start flying straight away.

Get this drone deal from Amazon now.

SAVE $110: As of July 31, the Skullcandy Crusher are on sale for $99.99 at Amazon. That's a 52% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Skullcandy Skullcandy Crusher $99.99 at Amazon
$209.99 Save $110.00   Get Deal

If you're shopping around for a premium pair of headphones, be sure to check out this latest Amazon deal on the Skullcandy Crusher. As of July 31, these headphones are $110 off, now down to $99.99 from $209.99. According to camelcamelcamel, this is their best-ever price.

These are a great choice for audiophiles thanks to their patented Multi-Sensory Crusher Bass technology. This works by combining two 40mm full-range audio drivers with dual bass drivers to deliver a much more immersive sound experience.

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They're impressive for battery life too, offering up to 40 hours of listening time. They also have a Rapid Charge feature that gives you up to four hours of playback from a 10-minute charge. The headphones also include built-in controls for calls, volume and track selection, so you don't need to pull out your phone constantly. And they're great for traveling too, thanks to their flat-folding, collapsible design.

Audio can even be personalized. Download the Skullcandy app to complete a hearing analysis, which will then allow you to make a personalized sound profile with adjusted audio levels to suit your needs.

This is a limited-time deal at Amazon, so don't miss out.

LinkedIn will soon enable users to flag posts which appear to be "AI slop." However, the career-focused social media platform won't be using this data to remove or even discourage AI-generated posts. Rather, it appears the company will use the feedback to train its own algorithms. 

The upcoming update was announced on Thursday, with LinkedIn's chief product officer Hari Srinivasan stating that AI slop is a "top priority" for the company.

SEE ALSO: Substack adds tool that detects AI-generated content

"We are ramping [up] the ability for members to tell us if they believe a post or comment seems like AI slop," Srinivasan wrote in a post on the platform. "Slop is hard to define and the definition changes; this lets us tune our models and make better feeds."

It's unclear exactly what he means by making LinkedIn's feeds "better," but it's unlikely that it involves the complete absence of generative AI. Srinivasan went on to express the belief that AI-generated posts and AI slop are not synonymous, arguing that people use AI to "refine their thoughts."

As such, flagging AI-generated posts on LinkedIn could potentially deprioritise such content. Srinivasan further stated that LinkedIn is adding new classifiers to help identify AI slop and will reduce the amount shown in suggested content. However, it seems likely that the data will also help train LinkedIn's generative AI, so that its AI-generated content is less detectable.

Featured Video For You AI slop is killing the internet

LinkedIn previously offered a relatively unpopular "AI-powered writing tool" that allowed users to generate posts for the platform. This feature was removed alongside Thursday's announcement, with Srinivasan stating that it will be replaced with a proofreading tool. 

Even so, it's probable that the upcoming feature will also use generative AI, with Srinivasan specifically noting that it will not change the users' voice. The platform also still offers AI-generated suggestions for users updating their profiles or company pages.

LinkedIn's AI slop report feature doesn't just have the potential to help the platform refine its own algorithms either. Srinivasan noted that users who publish AI-generated content on LinkedIn will also be informed when others tag their posts as AI slop, offering the feedback so they can work on making their AI-generated content sound more "authentic."

"For anyone who shares content, we will test a way to privately flag, in your analytics dashboard, when members feel your post may have come off as inauthentic or heavy use of AI," wrote Srinivasan. ""[W]e believe [AI users] want to know when they sound inauthentic…. [W]e want members to get feedback from real humans on what sounds authentic — not just have an AI detector review it and get it wrong."

Earlier this month, AI detection tool Pangram published a study that found over 40 percent of longform posts on LinkedIn were completely AI-generated.

SAVE $190.99: As of July 31, the Ecovacs Deebot T90 is on sale for $509 at Amazon. That's a 27% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Ecovacs Ecovacs Deebot T90 $509 at Amazon
$699.99 Save $190.99   Get Deal

It's official, the FCC has announced it will ban new foreign-made mobile robots from entering the U.S. market. This includes Ecovacs robot vacuums, among other popular brands. The good news for shoppers is that the ban won't affect previously approved devices, so existing robot vacuum stock will remain available to purchase. But if you've been hoping to get an Ecovacs model, act fast before stock drops.

It's not all bad news: if you've been eyeing the Ecovacs Deebot T90, it's currently on sale for $509 at Amazon.

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This model isn't just a robot vacuum; it also has a built-in mop. It has a 30,000Pa BLAST suction to remove dirt, while the OZMO Roller 3.0 mop system uses a 10.6-inch self-washing roller with pressurized scrubbing to tackle spills and dried stains. The roller is cleaned with fresh water during use to help reduce streaks and residue, and TruEdge 3.0 extends the mop beyond the robot’s body so it can reach along awkward edges and corners.

Plus, when it's done, the OMNI docking station will automatically wash the mop roller with adjustable hot water up to 167°F, dry it with hot air, and clean the dirty water system to reduce maintenance.

This robot vacuum deal is available at Amazon right now.

SAVE $72: As of July 31, this like-new Kindle Scribe is on sale for $287.99 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount off the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle Scribe (Like-New) $287.99 at Amazon
$359.99 Save $72   Get Deal

Kindle is arguably the most recognizable e-reader on the market. Amazon has been producing the devices for years, and there are now models to suit every type of reader.

Whether you prefer the basic Kindle that offers reading alone or a pop of color with the Colorsoft, there's so much to choose from. And for the notetakers, there's the Kindle Scribe, an e-reader and digital notebook in one. As of July 31, you can find a great deal on a refurbished model at Amazon, now down to just $287.99.

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This price is for the black colored 16GB model. It comes with the Premium Pen stylus too, to make note-taking feel more natural. And if you're wary about a refurbished device, don't be. Amazon says it is "refurbished, tested, and certified to look and work like new and comes with the same limited warranty as a new device."

This Kindle also has built-in AI tools that can make note-taking even easier. Whether it's summarizing notes, adjusting their length and tone, and refining your writing, there's so much it can do. Plus, this device is designed specifically for reading, writing and annotating documents, so there won't be tempting distractions from social media or streaming apps.

You can find this Kindle deal at Amazon now.

Home Depot's Christmas in July Collection lineup: 8.5-foot Giant-Sized LED Towering Santa $299 at Home Depot Shop Now 8.5-foot Giant-Sized LED Towering Reindeer $299 at Home Depot Shop Now 8-foot Long Giant-Sized Santa's Sleigh $349 at Home Depot Shop Now 7.5-foot Animated Chewbacca $349 at Home Depot Shop Now 9-foot Smart Grand Duchess Twinkling Tree $449 at Home Depot Shop Now

It's 90 degrees out, but Home Depot wants you thinking about snow. The retailer's Christmas in July Collection has dropped, and yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. We know it feels ridiculously early, but there's an upside to shopping now instead of waiting until the usual holiday scramble in November.

Leading the drop is the return of the viral 9-foot Grand Duchess tree, and this year, it's had a real upgrade: it's now Hubspace app-enabled, meaning you can control and customize your holiday display straight from your phone instead of fumbling with a remote or manual settings. The fan-favorite 8.5-foot Giant-Sized Towering Santa is also back, and it's even bigger than last year's version.

Pieces like the Grand Duchess tree tend to sell out well before Christmas actually rolls around, so grabbing it now, in the middle of summer, is the smarter move if you don't want to be stuck with the leftovers.

8.5-foot Giant-Sized LED Towering Santa Opens in a new window Credit: The Home Depot 8.5-foot Giant-Sized LED Towering Santa $299 at The Home Depot
  Shop Now

The 8.5-foot Towering Santa has a lantern with a flickering flame effect that makes it feel warm and inviting, not just lit up. It works indoors or outdoors, and since it runs on three AA batteries rather than a cord, you can place it anywhere in your yard without worrying about extension cords or finding a nearby outlet. There's even a built-in timer, so it turns on and off automatically every night (six hours on, 18 hours off) without you having to remember to flip a switch.

8-foot Long Giant-Sized Santa's Sleigh Opens in a new window Credit: The Home Depot 8-foot Long Giant-Sized Santa's Sleigh $349 at The Home Depot
Currently sold out, but you can sign up to get notified for restocks. Shop Now

If you're going for a full North Pole setup, the 8-foot Giant-Sized Santa's Sleigh is a nice piece to add in. It's got an illuminated lantern with a flickering flame effect, and it's rated for both indoor and outdoor use, so it works wherever you're setting up your display. It takes two people about 45 minutes to put together, so this isn't a quick solo unboxing situation.

But if you're already planning on the Towering Santa and Towering Reindeer, this sleigh is designed to pair with both, so together they make for one solid, complete holiday scene.

9-foot Smart Grand Duchess Twinkling Tree Opens in a new window Credit: The Home Depot 9-foot Smart Grand Duchess Twinkling Tree $449 at The Home Depot
  Shop Now

The 9-foot SMART Grand Duchess connects to the Hubspace app for scheduling, brightness control, and voice control via Alexa. It's got 3,343 branch tips for a full, realistic look, plus 2,000 color-changing micro fairy lights. Setup is easy, too, with Quick Set technology built into the trunk, memory-wire branches for easy fluffing, and everything included — timer, foot pedal, remote, and stand.

Here's the rest of Home Depot's Christmas in July lineup — because apparently the holiday hype doesn't stop at just one tree and a giant Santa:

• 9-foot Grand Duchess Fir Garland — $49.98

• 12-foot Grand Duchess Balsam Fir Garland — $79.98

• 4-foot Potted Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir LED Pre-Lit Tree — $99

• 3-foot Grand Duchess Balsam Fir LED Pre-Lit Trees, Set of 2 — $99

• 7.5-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir LED Slim Pre-Lit Tree — $249

• 3.5-foot Animated LED R2-D2 — $299

• 7.5-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir LED Pre-Lit Tree — $349

• 7.5-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir Flocked LED Pre-Lit Tree — $399

• 9-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir LED Pre-Lit Tree — $549

• 9-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir Flocked LED Pre-Lit Tree — $599

• 12-foot SMART Grand Duchess Twinkling Balsam Fir LED Pre-Lit Tree — $899

This lineup's already thinning out fast — grab yours at Home Depot before it's gone for good.

On any given day, poking around for TVs on sale is all but guaranteed to turn up at least some decent steals. But of course, retailers don't casually offer their absolute best TV prices year-round. So, when is the best time to buy a TV?

The answer is more than just Black Friday and Prime Day. There are a few other good times to find a TV on sale throughout the year, like during football season or in the spring when the new TVs of the year are finally hitting shelves. It's kind of like a "once per season" thing.

SEE ALSO: What is camelcamelcamel? Just our secret weapon for finding the lowest prices on Amazon.

In general, just remember that TV pricing follows a yearly cycle of sorts: Whichever main sale window is coming up next will match or beat most of the best deals seen during the sale window that came right before it. For example, Prime Day 2026 just outpriced most of the best TV deals we saw during football season in February. But many of those Prime Day prices will probably be outpriced by October Prime Day and Black Friday.

Being the big investment that they are, understanding the peaks of the TV calendar is a crucial chapter in the unofficial TV buyer's guide. Let's break down the best months of the year to find TV deals — and if you could use a breakdown of TV specs before you make your purchase, my TV specs explainer lays it all out.

The No. 1 best time to buy a TV: Black Friday and Cyber Monday

Months: Late October, November, and early to mid-December

People may not be ready to throw hands in a Best Buy parking lot at 4 a.m., but Black Friday TV deals are still unmatched — they just don't require you to leave the house at the crack of dawn.

Black Friday is trending toward a month-long affair at this point, with retailers shifting into Black Friday mode online as early as October. The extended time frame raises the question of whether TV sale prices will drop even further closer to Black Friday. Thankfully, most of the big retailers are up front about early deals. Best Buy and Samsung will straight-up tag a certain deal as a Black Friday deal if they drop it ahead of time, confirming to buyers that there's no need to hold out until the week of Thanksgiving.

This is an especially auspicious time for budget shoppers looking for the cheapest possible version of a 4K TV at a certain size. During Black Friday, basic budget-friendly 4K TVs are typically the doorbusters that sell out soon after they drop — and are much less likely to return in the next few months.

SEE ALSO: Amazon Prime Day vs. Black Friday: When are the deals better?

In-store or not, Best Buy TV deals during Black Friday include elite prices on TVs 65 inches or larger. You can save hundreds on high-end QLEDs, OLEDs, and big-screen cheap QLEDs at shockingly low prices. Budget-friendly TVs get even more. Walmart also stays in the mix with a handful of wild doorbuster deals on the best cheap TVs. Amazon mostly caters to the affordable TV crowd, focusing most on its own Fire TVs and Fire TVs from brands like Hisense and TCL.

Post-holiday sales and New Year sales are absolutely a thing, but you can be confident that most TV prices are generally better before Christmas than after. We've seen firsthand how sale prices on TVs quietly go up by $100 or two during post-holiday sales. However, if you miss the Black Friday-Cyber Monday season, another chance to save on TVs is around the corner.

The second-best time to find TV deals: NFL playoff season

Months: Mid-January to early February

Waiting for the festive hustle and bustle to pass is definitely a strategy to save in some categories. So, are TVs cheaper after the holidays?

The answer is technically yes, but not in the "after-Christmas sales" way that you're thinking. By "after the holidays," we mean the last few weeks of football season. Football-fueled TV deals kick off near the start of the NFL playoffs (sometime in mid to late January) and last until the big game (some in early to mid-February).

It makes sense that TV deals are pushed so hard during the lead-up to the most-watched sporting event in the U.S. Perhaps you're hosting a watch party as an excuse to upgrade to a bigger screen. Or perhaps the past 18 weeks of the regular season have brought you to your breaking point with your current TV. The field is always washed out, small details like the score bug are pixelated, the glare from your windows makes afternoon games unbearable — whatever the issue, TV brands aren't about to let this opportunity pass.

SEE ALSO: Best 65-inch+ TVs for watching in dark and bright rooms

Football playoff deals tend to spotlight TVs that are good for watching sports: i.e., big-screen QLED TVs, plus some of the brighter OLED TVs of the year. The vibrant lighting supplied by a QLED panel is ideal for following small details like a ball or tiny score box, as well as the brightness of the team's colors and the field to make your experience feel as live and in-person as possible. It's not uncommon for most of these deals to be identical to what we saw during Black Friday, or in some cases, drop even lower in price due to proximity to CES. (Read more about that below.)

The third-best time to find TV deals: Spring

Months: March and April

The annual TV release cycle mostly revolves around CES: a Las Vegas-based tech trade show where the latest and greatest consumer tech is unveiled to gadget enthusiasts. This is where brands like Samsung, LG, TCL, and Hisense show off their new TV designs for the year. Sony doesn't always participate in CES, but its TV announcement and release cycle still has similar timing.

While these fresh new TVs aren't the ones getting major discounts, their existence does trigger major price cuts on the previous year's flagship TVs. These deals pop up not when the TVs are announced at the event in January, but once they start being officially released to the public in the spring.

Surprisingly, it's not that uncommon to see small discounts on the brand-new models in their first few months on the market.

The fourth-best time to find TV deals: Prime Day

Month: June or July

Amazon stands out as a TV destination during the shopping holidays it made up for itself: Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days (basically a second Prime Day). The summer sale was consistently held in July until 2026, when Amazon bumped Prime Day to June.

Naturally, Fire TVs are the focal point during Prime events — we've seen a 43-inch Amazon Omni 4K Fire TV drop below $100 during Prime Big Deal Days. Prime Day is packed with unbelievably cheap QLED TVs (in price, not quantity) from Hisense or TCL, even in the big sizes.

SEE ALSO: Camelcamelcamel just launched Camelmart, a Walmart version of our favorite Amazon price tracker

But many of the best Prime Day TV deals aren't actually at Amazon. They're at Best Buy, which loves to hold a mega sale conveniently during the same week that Prime Day is taking place. Best Buy is the best place to shop for a TV if you're looking for a more high-end model from Samsung, LG, or Sony, like a flagship OLED or an RGB TV.

Does a TV deal seem too good to be true? Check its price history.

Pro Amazon tip: Any time you spot a seemingly good discount, you can confirm that you're actually getting a good deal by checking its price history with Camelcamelcamel, a free Amazon price tracking site. Just copy and paste the URL to get a graph depicting that TV's price fluctuations throughout the past year or so, plus confirmation of its lowest sale price ever at Amazon. If the deal you're currently eyeing doesn't match that, it's probably best to wait — that record-low price is sure to pop up during one of the peak sale times we just discussed.

There's also a Walmart price tracker now: Camelmart, obviously. Hopefully, Best Buy's is next.