May 23, 20255 min readThe Creepy Calculus of Measuring Death RiskMeet micromorts and microlives, statistical units that help mathematicians to calculate riskBy Manon Bischoff edited by Daisy Yuhas M-SUR/Alamy Stock PhotoPeople are generally bad at assessing probabilities. That’s why we have irrational fears and why we overestimate our odds of winning the lottery.Whenever I have to travel by plane, for example, my palms sweat, my heart races and my thoughts take a gloomy turn. I should be much more worried when I get on my bike in Darmstadt, Germany, where I live. Statistically, I’m in much greater danger on the road than in the air. Yet my bike commute doesn’t cause me any stress at all.Recently, a friend told me about a concept within decision theory that is supposed to help people get a better sense of hazards and risks. In 1980 electrical engineer Ronald Arthur Howard coined the micromort unit to quantify life-threatening danger.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.One micromort corresponds to a one-in-a-million chance of dying during a certain activity. Do you want to run a marathon? The risk is seven micromorts. Are you going under general anesthesia? That’s 10 micromorts. To arrive at these figures, you first need detailed statistics. How many people engaged in these activities and died in the process? And the results depend heavily on the group of people being studied (their age, gender, and so on), as well as the geographic location.Better Living through StatisticsSurprisingly, the history of statistics doesn’t go back very far. In the 17th century, British demographer John Graunt pioneered mortality statistics by analyzing records of deaths and baptisms. But it would take another 200 years for society to recognize the social benefits of these approaches.Today the utility of this mathematical subfield is undisputed. Insurance companies and banks use statistics to carry out risk assessments. Statistical surveys make it possible to investigate psychological and sociological phenomena. Physical research would be unthinkable without statistics.Thanks to Howard and the micromort, the risks in our everyday lives can also be estimated with the help of statistics. By examining the proportion of people who die while undertaking a particular activity, he was able to create a general mortality risk for those activities.But more recently, mathematician David Spiegelhalter noticed something missing in Howard’s analysis: the micromort unit merely indicates how likely it is that a very specific action will kill us. This may make sense for a one-off activity such as climbing a mountain. But for long-term habits, such as regularly eating fast food, the measure is of only limited use.For example, smoking a cigarette causes just 0.21 micromort and would therefore be significantly less risky than getting out of bed in the morning at the age of 45 (which results in six micromorts). Smoking, however, has long-lasting negative consequences for the body that getting up in the morning does not. The long-term risk is therefore not recorded.So Spiegelhalter introduced the “microlife” measure to take into account the long-term effects of different activities. This quantifies how much life you lose on average by carrying out an activity. Each microlife that is lost reduces your life expectancy by half an hour. Two hours of watching TV each day might cost one microlife, for instance.One of the most significant differences between micromorts and microlives is that one of the two types of units compounds over time, and the other does not. If I survive my morning bike ride to the Darmstadt train station, my micromort count for that ride drops back to zero. The next day I start the journey again with the same risk.It’s different with microlife data: if I smoke a cigarette and then a second one an hour later, the time I’ve lost adds up. And of course, the mere ticking of the clock also shortens my available years of life. Every day 48 microlives are lost.But unlike micromorts, I can regain microlives. For example, a 20-minute walk provides me with around two microlives—that is, an extra hour of life expectancy. And eating a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables could gain you four microlives daily.Reality CheckAll these facts and figures are entertaining to read about and can make for interesting conversation starters—“Hey, did you know that this beer shortens your life by about 15 minutes?”—at least with the right crowd. But how do you calculate the microlives you lose as a result of an action?First, you have to compare the life expectancy of different people. For example: How does the life expectancy of smokers and nonsmokers differ? By taking this difference and dividing it by the average number of cigarettes smoked, we can calculate the average amount of time that each cigarette robs us of.This result is clearly inexact. The difference in life expectancy will also depend on factors such as a person’s gender, place of residence and age. These data can still be captured, but when it comes to general lifestyle factors, things get complicated. For example, studies show that many smokers generally have an unhealthier lifestyle and exercise less.Such correlations cannot always be calculated and accounted for. When it comes to smoking, however, there have been long-term studies that followed many people, some of whom stopped smoking at some point in their life, over several decades.These data make it easier to isolate the effect that smoking has on a person’s life expectancy. Such research suggests that a single cigarette is likely to rob a person of slightly less than the originally calculated 15 minutes of life if they have the other lifestyle habits of a nonsmoker. So should we be consulting statistics at the start of every day to maximize our lifespan? Perhaps we should be studying these analyses to engage in activities with as few micromorts as possible and try to gain, rather than lose, microlives?Not exactly. Micromorts and microlives can help you better assess risks. But you shouldn’t attach too much importance to them. After all, our world is complex. You may gain back two microlives during a walk, but you could also get in an unlucky accident along the way and be hit by a car. Ultimately, micromorts and microlives are just too simple a tool to evaluate the full range of consequences associated with an action. Exercise can improve your state of mind, which has a positive effect not only on your quality of life but also on your lifespan.That said, it can still be a source of comfort to turn to statistics—particularly when we want to understand if our fear is rational or not. For my part, I will try to remind myself of how few micromorts are associated with flying. Maybe that will help.This article originally appeared in Spektrum der Wissenschaft and was reproduced with permission.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.There are certain limitations that I tolerate with apartment living. One of these that I begrudgingly accept is the lack of an outdoor grill set up. Apparently building owners don’t want flames spitting and embers glowing within 10 feet of their precious buildings—fine. But what if I could smoke meat with real wood pellets and also not set my apartment on fire? Well the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill and Smoker is offering this opportunity. I’ve had my eye on it for a while now, and it’s finally on sale for Memorial Day.  Ninja Woodfire Outdoor 7-in-1 Grill & Smoker $249.99 at Amazon $369.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal Get Deal $249.99 at Amazon $369.99 Save $120.00 The Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker is an electric grill. I know, I know, many electric grills are basically glorified waffle irons, but the Ninja uses a combination of convection fan heating and an attached pellet smoke box to give you a lot more flavor than what a Foreman might. Unlike other air fryers masquerading as grills or smokers, the Woodfire Grill and Smoker is made to be used outdoors. It’s weather resistant, so you can build a permanent grill set-up with a stand and cover to keep it in tip-top shape. The regular Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker is on sale for $249.99, 32% off of its normal retail price of $369.99—this is the one I’ve been looking at because it has the smoke box, and that’s all I’ve coveted this whole time. However, the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL is also on sale right now for $399.99, 20% off its usual retail price of $499.99. This one has two attached probe thermometers and Bluetooth connectivity so you can monitor your smoked duck from the living room with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect app. It’s a question of whether you’d like a few more inches of real estate and app monitoring. If you are cooking for a smaller household and you don’t mind checking the temperature yourself, go for the original. Bigger households or those hosting frequent backyard barbecue parties might get better usage out of the Pro Connect Premium XL model. Either choice is a great one for this weekend's festivities, not to mention the entire summer ahead. 

While other streaming services thrive on carefully selected and endlessly curated (meaning: limited) selections of movies, Tubi's a bit different: It feels like the Wild West, with everything from originals; to popular hits; to critically acclaimed favorites; to the lowest-brow, lowest-budget movies you'll find this side of an old Blockbuster. In that spirit, here's a sampling of some of the best stuff currently streaming on Tubi, and it's a wide variety—the streamer will not be pinned down. If you're unfamiliar, Tubi is a free, ad-based service, but generally I find the ads to be less obnoxious and less frequent than on other, similar streamers. Interstellar (2014) Christopher Nolan's mind-bending, but oddly plausible, sci-fi epic takes Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain on a hunt through space and time to find a new home for humans in a near-future during which we've made Earth unlivable. You can stream Interstellar here.Color Out of Space (2019) Nicolas Cage is at his Nic Cage-iest in this H. P. Lovecraft adaptation about a family's descent into madness. A beautiful, horrifying, utterly unique sensory experience. You can stream Color Out of Space here.Friday (1995) An unquestioned classic of stoner comedy, Friday sees Ice Cube and Chris Tucker accidentally smoking weed that they were meant to sell. And who among us hasn't? The two slackers set out to borrow or make the money back during a misadventure-packed Friday. You can stream Friday here. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022) Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan (alongside Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis) led Everything to Oscar glory a couple of years back, with Yeoh starring as Evelyn Quan Wang, a middle-aged immigrant running a laundromat with her husband. An IRS audit leads to a trip through a wildly outlandish, and ultimately emotional, journey through a multiverse of possibilities. You can stream Everything Everywhere here.Dune (1984) You've probably seen the recent Denis Villeneuve adaptation, but you might be less familiar with this messy and fascinating take from director David Lynch. Kyle MacLachlan leads an all-star cast in a movie that doesn't quite an achieve greatness, but nevertheless offers up a bevy of wild ideas, distinctive visuals, and Lynchian madness. You can stream Dune here. Some Like It Hot (1959) Tubi offers up a better assortment of classics than many of the other streamers, most of which have shifted to a newer-is-better focus. Hot stars Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis as a couple of jazz-age musicians who run afoul of a mob boss, deciding to escape by posing as members of an all-female band (one that, memorably, includes Marilyn Monroe). Director Billy Wilder pitches the farce just right, at the intersection between smart and silly. You can stream Some Like It Hot here. Evil Bong (2006) No socially redeeming value here, just a goofy comedy horror movie about a bong that transports smokers to another planet, one where they're to be murdered by exotic dancers. Tommy Chong co-stars in this movie from Full Moon Features, purveyors of fine low-rent horror movies. You can stream Evil Bong here. Ghost World (2001) Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) face high school graduation, and a crush on Steve Buscemi, in Terry Zwigoff’s indie dark comedy. You can stream Ghost World here.Donnie Darko (2001) Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this memorable emo mind-bender about a troubled teenager who dodges disaster thanks to a bit of sleepwalking. An instant cult classic, it's the movie all the cool kids were talking about back in the day. You can stream Donnie Darko (director's cut) here, or the theatrical version here. Hollywood Shuffle (1987) Robert Townsend directs himself as Bobby Taylor, a satire about the perils of navigating the Hollywood system for an actor simultaneously too black and not black enough for the tastes of studio bosses. Through elaborate fantasy sequences and parodies of popular movies, Townsend creates a sharp and often extremely funny sendup that’s (sadly) still relevant. You can stream Hollywood Shuffle here.Barbarian (2022) One of the more divisive horror movies of the past few years (I love it), Barbarian stars Georgina Campbell as a woman who rents an Airbnb only to have a man (Bill Skarsgård) show up claiming that he also has rented the house. He seems nice enough, so she lets him in—enough of a premise for a horror movie right there, but Barbarian has twists that you'll never see coming. You can stream Barbarian here.Showgirls (1995) As with most of Paul Verhoeven's other films, it's possible to view his notoriously trashy film as either dark satire or unintended camp. It's tremendous fun either way and, though it quickly gained a reputation as garbage, it's far more watchable than many other better-reviewed films. You can stream Showgirls here.Rec (2007) This Spanish import is top-tier found footage, involving a group of firefighters on an emergency call who wind up trapped inside a building at the center of a creeping zombie infection. That limited, specific geography is key to the movie's brisk, efficient, and nerve-jangling effectiveness. You can stream Rec here.Planet of the Apes (1968) Astronaut Charlton Heston finds himself on an unknown (wink wink) planet in the distant future where he rather quickly finds himself in the power of the world's ape overlords. From a slightly goofy premise came this dark, disturbing, and timely fable. You can stream Planet of the Apes here. The Apartment (1960) Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine star in this searing, bittersweet, but ultimately humane comedy. MacLaine's Fran Kubelik is an elevator operator having an affair with the big boss at an insurance company, while Lemmon's Bud Baxter gets ahead by loaning out his apartment to upper management for various extramarital assignations. The budding friendship between the two threatens both of their careers. You can stream The Apartment here. Whale Rider (2002) Pai is a 12-year-old Māori girl and the direct descendant of their tribe’s traditional notable ancestor, the Whale Rider—except that, traditionally, women can’t lead. Star Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest nominee for a Best Actress Oscar for her open, genuine performance. You can stream Whale Rider here. The Descent (2006) Getting lost in those caves is scary enough, even before we discover that we're not alone down there. The ultimate in spelunking horror. You can stream The Descent here.Menace II Society (1993) A searing, raw portrait of urban violence in the 1990s, the Hughes Brothers' film follows Caine Lawson (Tyrin Turner) and his friends as they struggle for a better life amid crime and poverty, but who find themselves drawn deeper into crime and cruelty. The performances here are all phenomenal. You can stream Menace II Society here. Beauty Shop (2005) This Barbershop spin-off follows widowed hairstylist Gina Norris starting over in Atlanta with her daughter, and opening her own shop when a job doesn't pan out. Queen Latifah is as delightful as ever, and is joined by a great cast including Alfre Woodard, Della Reese, Alicia Silverstone, Andie MacDowell, Kevin Bacon, and Djimon Hounsou. You can stream Beauty Shop here.Room 237 (2012) This fascinating documentary explores, without judgement, the many (and often truly wild) theories and interpretations around Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. Probably not what you're after if you want a bit of film analysis, but as an exploration of conspiratorial thinking? You could do a lot worse. You can stream Room 237 here. Terrifier (2016) Damien Leone's low-budget slasher series quietly build into a queasy empire, with the most recent film being a legit box office smash. Here, literal clown-from-hell Art stalks partygoer Tara Heyes and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi) on Halloween night. You can stream Terrifier here. Return of the Living Dead (1985) This horror comedy with punk style is both a knowing parody of zombie movies while also managing to be an impressively gory thriller in its own right that moves the whole genre forward. Plus, it’s got a great death-rock soundtrack. You can stream Return of the Living Dead here.Frankenhooker (1990) A disreputable and goofy but surprisingly effective horror comedy, Frankenhooker stars former Penthouse Pet Patty Mullen as the movie's take on Mary Shelley's monster, made in the image of a med student's dead fiancée and built from sex workers. The style and special effects here are pretty great. You can stream Frankenhooker here.Ghost in the Shell (1995) One of the best anime films of all time, at least when it comes to sci-fi and cyberpunk, Ghost in the Shell boasts impeccable style in addition to the thoughtfulness and complexity of its story. Major Motoko Kusanagi is a cyborg security agent hunting an enigmatic hacker known only as "the Puppet Master" in the rapidly approaching year 2029, a time when the rise of AI threatens even the idea of individual existence. You can stream Ghost in the Shell here. The Leather Boys (1964) A classic of British kitchen sink realism, a movement in the 1960s that saw hyperrealistic portraits of, often, angry teens and young people, The Leather Boys sees young couple Reggie and Dot becoming increasingly estranged when Reggie mostly wants to just hang out with his biker friends. Among those friends is Pete, who seems to be developing an attraction to Reggie that goes a bit beyond that of a typical biker bro. You can stream The Leather Boys here. North by Northwest (1959) One of Hitchcock's best (and that's saying quite a bit), North by Northwest is a nearly non-stop thrill ride, seeing Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill hunted across the country by criminals who've mistaken him for someone else. It's as funny as it is clever, and nearly impossible to stop watching once you've started. You can stream North by Northwest here.Lars and the Real Girl (2007) The sweetest, most charming movie about the romance between a man and his life-like love doll that you're likely to encounter. You can stream Lars and the Real Girl here.They Call Me Trinity (1970) A classic spaghetti western, Trinity (kicking off a trilogy, appropriately enough), stars Terence Hill and Bud Spencer as brothers Trinity and Bambino, who help defend a Mormon settlement from bandits and a land-grabbing Major (Farley Granger). It's a rare comedy to come out of Italy's obsession with westerns, and a lot of fun for it. You can stream They Call Me Trinity here. The Wiz (1978) Long before Wicked reinvented (or at least reinterpreted) L. Frank Baum, the Broadway musical on which this movie is based imagined Dorothy Gale as a Black teacher from Harlem. The joyous film version is nearly a who's who of Black talent in the 1970s: Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Mabel King, Theresa Merritt, Thelma Carpenter, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor all play roles, while Quincy Jones, Luther Vandross, and Charlie Smalls all contributed to the music. You can stream The Wiz here. Cabaret (1972) Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey star in this essential musical about the good times and extravagant style of Weimar Germany giving way to the rising tide of fascism. You can stream Cabaret here.

The Amazon Memorial Day sale kicked off last Friday, but all of the other retailers have since come out with their own competing Memorial Day sales. Amazon has remained the most popular sale, however, so I decided to do some digging into what discounts are actually worth shopping right now and what you can probably hold off on buying. With Prime Day on the horizon, I've been on the hunt for only the absolutely best prices possible and have handpicked some deals I think are worth a look.The full Amazon Memorial Day sale includes a lot of discounts, but not everything that is currently discounted is that good of a deal. If you're trying to save as much money as possible, I'd recommend looking at the price history of that item on Amazon to make sure it is actually a good value. I've gone ahead and done that already for all of the deals listed below to save you some time.Amazon Memorial Day Sale - The Best Deals TodayLowest Ever Price65" LG Evo C4 4K OLED Smart TVLowest Ever PriceThe New Apple iPad 11-inchLowest Ever PriceRing Battery DoorbellLowest Ever PriceThrone of Glass Hardcover Box SetLowest Ever PriceLEGO Star Wars The Mandalorian HelmetLowest Ever PriceKingdom Come: Deliverance IILowest Ever PriceSamsung 49" Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) Series Curved Smart Gaming MonitorSee it at AmazonLowest Price EverChar-Broil 3-Burner Cabinet Style Gas GrillLowest Ever PriceTraeger Grills Woodridge Pro Electric Wood Pellet Grill and SmokerLowest Ever PriceColeman Pro 45qt Ultra-Light Premium Hard CoolerLike I mentioned above, all of the deals I've listed here are at the lowest prices we've ever seen on Amazon. I took advantage of the CamelCamelCamel website to check the current prices against historical pricing on Amazon to make sure I'm only recommending actually good deals. The first major sale I recommend here is the 65-inch LG C4 OLED TV that's on sale. This is one of the overall best TVs you can buy right now and it very recently dropped to this new low price for the sale. The latest iPad model is also down to its lowest-ever price again after getting temporarily marked up. It's only been out for a few months, so any discount at all is noteworthy.Outside of the more expensive tech purchases, there are also some pretty decent Memorial Day video game deals within this sale. The one I've highlighted here is Kingdom Come: Deliverance II which only just came out this year and is already in the running for best game of 2025. A $20 discount may not seem like much, but it's a great price for a relatively new game that has already sold pretty well at full price. For more physical media, we've also found a few decent 4K movie deals not featured here as well as a new low on the Throne of Glass books.Finally, there are some noteworthy grill deals I couldn't help but include. Memorial Day sales are one of the best times of the year to save money on a grill and I've been looking to buy a new one myself. There's the standard Charbroil grill that comes in at a relatively reasonable price point that I'd recommend for anyone just looking for a decent backyard grill. Then there's the more impressive Traeger electric smoker grill that is great if you're looking to really get into cooking meats this summer. Both grills are currently at their lowest-ever prices on Amazon today.Should You Wait for Amazon Prime Day to Shop?The Biggest SaleAmazon Memorial Day SaleSee it at AmazonThe Amazon Memorial Day sale is tempting for anyone looking to save money right now, but it definitely isn't the biggest Amazon sale of the year. The retailer just recently confirmed that Prime Day will be taking place in July once again this year, and we expect that there will be much better discounts for that sale than there are now. So the question is: Should you shop now or wait for Prime Day 2025 or any of the other biggest upcoming sales?Unfortunately, it's hard to have an accurate read on what prices will be like even two months from now. The CEO of Amazon admitted last month that some prices may rise due to tariffs, but only on some products. It's unclear if that will still be the case in July and for what products specifically, but it's definitely something to consider right now if you're looking to save as much money as possible in 2025.It's also worth noting that Amazon Prime Day is really only available to Amazon Prime members, whereas the Memorial Day sales are open to all. If you don't plan on having a Prime Membership in July, now is still a good time to find deals.More Memorial Day Sales Live NowIf you're planning on doing some shopping outside of Amazon, there are plenty of other sales to choose from. I'd recommend checking out the Best Buy sale if you're looking for tech deals specifically, but they also have some great savings on appliances. There's also the Wayfair Memorial Day sale going on now that has an overwhelming amount of furniture discounts. Here are some of the biggest sales to check out right now:Tech and AppliancesBest Buy Memorial Day SaleSee it at Best BuyFurnitureWayfair Memorial Day saleSee it at WayfairRetailer SaleWalmart Memorial Day SaleSee it at WalmartPC and LaptopsHP Memorial Day SaleSee it at HPAppliances and FurnitureHome Depot Memorial Day SaleSee it at Home DepotClothing and Outdoor GearREI Anniversary SaleSee it at REIRetailer SaleTarget Memorial Day SaleSee it at TargetSelect DealseBay Memorial Day SaleSee it at eBayRetailer SaleCostco Memorial Day SaleSee it at CostcoShoes and SportswearAdidas Memorial Day SaleSee it at Adidas

Memorial Day weekend is still more than half a work week away, but the most of the sales have already arrived at some of the biggest online retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Costco, Home Depot, and Walmart. While prices may not be quite as good as Prime Day or the Black Friday season, these discounts are still a great opportunity to save money. To help you sort through what's live and what isn't, I've put together a quick list of all of the biggest Memorial Day sales already happening ahead of the weekend. I'll be updating this page with all of the new sales as they go live ahead of the weekend.The Best Memorial Day Sales Live NowThe Biggest SaleAmazon Memorial Day SaleSee it at AmazonTech and AppliancesBest Buy Memorial Day SaleSee it at Best BuyRetailer SaleWalmart Memorial Day SaleSee it at WalmartFurnitureWayfair Memorial Day saleSee it at WayfairPC and LaptopsHP Memorial Day SaleSee it at HPAppliances and FurnitureHome Depot Memorial Day SaleSee it at Home DepotClothing and Outdoor GearREI Anniversary SaleSee it at REIRetailer SaleTarget Memorial Day SaleSee it at TargetAppliances and FurnitureLowes Memorial Day SaleSee it at LowesSelect DealseBay Memorial Day SaleSee it at eBayRetailer SaleCostco Memorial Day SaleSee it at CostcoMattressesCasper Memorial Day SaleSee it at CasperMattressesDreamCloud Mattress SaleSee it at DreamCloudPC and LaptopsDell Memorial Day SaleSee it at DellPC and LaptopsLenovo Memorial Day SaleSee it at LenovoGaming chairs and desksSecretlab Memorial Day SaleSee it at SecretlabShoes and SportswearAdidas Memorial Day SaleSee it at AdidasFurniture and KitchenwareCrate&Barrel Memorial Day SaleSee it at Crate&BarrelKitchenwareWilliams Sonoma Memorial Day SaleSee it at Williams SonomaMattressesSleep Number Memorial Day SaleSee it at Sleep NumberAppliancesLG Memorial Day SaleSee it at LGClothingMacy's Memorial Day SaleSee it at Macy'sSportswear and Outdoor GearDick's Sporting Goods Memorial Day SaleSee it at Dick'sOffice FurnitureFlexiSpot Memorial Day SaleSee it at FlexiSpotGaming ChairsAndaSeat Memorial Day SaleSee it at AndaSeatTuft & Needle Memorial Day SaleSee it at Tuft & NeedleI've been covering and shopping Memorial Day sales for years and, honestly, I'm not that impressed with a lot of the discounts we've seen so far from these retailers. That being said, it is still fairly early in the week and I expect to see prices drop a bit more before the weekend. Memorial Day isn't until May 26 this year, and many smaller retailers will likely launch their sales closer to the actual holiday weekend.Should you shop Memorial Day sales or wait for better discounts?The biggest question around Memorial Day sales in general is whether you should shop now or wait for better deals later in the year. In the past, we could usually count on upcoming sales events like Prime Day and Black Friday to have the lowest prices of the year on just about everything. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of confusion around tariffs and price increases in 2025 and it seems almost certain that baseline prices on many goods in the U.S. are probably going to go up before the end of the year.If you're hoping to save as much money as possible in 2025, Memorial Day sales are definitely worth considering. Tariffs on most Chinese imports are likely to affect prices later in the year, so if you find a really good price on something you need right now, don't hesitate to pick it up before the price can go up.What Should You Buy During Memorial Day Sales?While there are certainly exceptions, I have generally found that the best Memorial Day sales tend to be for the same few categories every year. Unlike bigger shopping events like Black Friday, discounts tend to be more focused around home goods, consumer electronics, and clothing. Here's a quick breakdown of what is absolutely worth buying during Memorial Day weekend.Top Deals TodayAfter combing through all of the Memorial Day promotions that are already live, I've found that the Amazon sale has the best overall discounts. This includes things like a Star Wars LEGO set deal and discounted iPads that are at their best prices of the year. Below I've curated some of the top deals from that sale into a neat little catalog for you to browse.Lowest Ever Price65" LG Evo C4 4K OLED Smart TVLowest Ever PriceThe New Apple iPad 11-inchLowest Ever PriceRing Battery DoorbellLowest Ever PriceThrone of Glass Hardcover Box SetLowest Ever PriceLEGO Star Wars The Mandalorian HelmetLowest Ever PriceKingdom Come: Deliverance IILowest Ever PriceSamsung 49" Odyssey OLED G9 (G95SC) Series Curved Smart Gaming MonitorSee it at AmazonLowest Price EverChar-Broil 3-Burner Cabinet Style Gas GrillLowest Ever PriceTraeger Grills Woodridge Pro Electric Wood Pellet Grill and SmokerLowest Ever PriceColeman Pro 45qt Ultra-Light Premium Hard CoolerFurniturePerhaps the overall best thing to buy during Memorial Day sales is furniture. Unless you're getting a really cheap nightstand from Ikea, furniture is generally expensive. Memorial Day deals are an excellent time to save a ton of money on pretty much every type of furniture, including desks, gaming chairs, and outdoor patio options. While you can find these deals at most major retailers like Amazon, Target, and Walmart, I'd recommend starting with the Wayfair Memorial Day sale. Though if you're on the hunt for a gaming chair specifically, the Secretlab sale and AndaSeat sales are the way to go. There are also some pretty good discounts at FlexiSpot on various types of office furniture, including popular standing desks.FurnitureWayfair Memorial Day saleSee it at WayfairGaming chairs and desksSecretlab Memorial Day SaleSee it at SecretlabFurniture and KitchenwareCrate&Barrel Memorial Day SaleSee it at Crate&BarrelOffice FurnitureFlexiSpot Memorial Day SaleSee it at FlexiSpotGaming ChairsAndaSeat Memorial Day SaleSee it at AndaSeatMajor AppliancesPurchasing a major appliance for your home is going to be expensive no matter when you do it, but Memorial Day sales can help mitigate that cost a fraction. Major appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and ovens are all on sale right now across quite a number of retailers. You can find these deals at Costco, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Lowes currently. Some of the sales are straight discounts while others are a buy one, get one free situation. Below are the sales I'd recommend shopping if you're on the hunt for new appliances. Best Buy is a great option for most brands, but you can also get a free refrigerator from LG direct if you're only looking for the best fridge deal.Tech and AppliancesBest Buy Memorial Day SaleSee it at Best BuyAppliancesLG Memorial Day SaleSee it at LGAppliances and FurnitureHome Depot Memorial Day SaleSee it at Home DepotRetailer SaleCostco Memorial Day SaleSee it at CostcoAppliances and FurnitureLowes Memorial Day SaleSee it at LowesTVsThere are actually a lot of good times to buy a new TV throughout the year, but Memorial Day weekend is consistently one of the best times to find discounts on newer TVs. This likely has something to do with the TV release cycle as we are now about halfway through the year and the latest TVs have finally started to drop in price. If you're looking to buy a great new television for a good price, I'd recommend picking up the LG C4 that just dropped to its lowest price ever. However, there are already plenty of other TV deals to choose from.Lowest Price Ever65" LG Evo C4 4K OLED Smart TVLowest Price EverSAMSUNG 55-Inch Class QLED 4K QN85D Series Mini LEDLowest Price EverLG 55-Inch Class UT75 Series LED Smart TV 4K2024 ModelSony - 65" Class BRAVIA 8 OLED 4K UHD Smart Google TVMattressesAlthough mattresses technically count as furniture, I've broken them out into their own category because of the sheer number of Memorial Day mattress sales. Memorial Day weekend is far and away one of the best times to buy a mattress every year – you likely won't find lower prices even on Black Friday. Most major retailers have mattress promotions right now and you can find deals at Amazon, Walmart, and even Costco. However, I'd recommend shopping direct from the manufacturer to save the most money. The DreamCloud mattress sale will get you up to 60% off a new mattress right now.MattressesDreamCloud Mattress SaleSee it at DreamCloudTuft & Needle Memorial Day SaleSee it at Tuft & NeedleMattressesSleep Number Memorial Day SaleSee it at Sleep NumberMattressesCasper Memorial Day SaleSee it at CasperClothingHoliday weekends are almost always a good time to find discounts on clothes. This is largely thanks to their proximity to a change in seasons. In the case of a Memorial Day weekend, you should be able to find some of the best prices of the year on both summer and winter clothes. Winter clothes are most likely to be part of clearance sales during this time and you should be able to find good deals on things like jackets, sweaters, and other outdoor gear. Meanwhile, every major retailer will have a sale on some sort of summer-related clothing as we head into warmer weather. I'd personally recommend checking out the REI Anniversary sale happening right now as it is its biggest sale of the year. There's also an adidas sale that is pretty good if you're looking for some athleisure deals.Clothing and Outdoor GearREI Anniversary SaleSee it at REIShoes and SportswearAdidas Memorial Day SaleSee it at AdidasClothingMacy's Memorial Day SaleSee it at Macy'sSportswear and Outdoor GearDick's Sporting Goods Memorial Day SaleSee it at Dick'sLaptops and PCsIf you're looking to buy a new laptop or PC this year, I'd recommend making a purchase sooner rather than later. This is especially true if you're trying to find the best time to buy a gaming PC this year, because GPU prices are already on the rise. The best Memorial Day sales tend to be directly from the manufacturers, so that's usually where you'll want to look. Dell, HP, and Lenovo all have at least part of their Memorial Day sales live right now. You can also check out Best Buy and Amazon if you're looking for brands like Acer and LG at a discount, however.PC and LaptopsHP Memorial Day SaleSee it at HPPC and LaptopsDell Memorial Day SaleSee it at DellPC and LaptopsLenovo Memorial Day SaleSee it at LenovoTech and AppliancesBest Buy Memorial Day SaleSee it at Best BuyKitchenwareMany of the same stores that have furniture sales are likely to have discounts on kitchenware as well during Memorial Day weekend. There is a clear crossover between furniture and the kitchen, which means now is a good time to find discounts on things like dining tables and small appliances all at once. Major online retailers like Amazon and Target have discounts on these types of things, but if you're looking for only kitchenware deals, I'd suggest taking a look at the Williams Sonoma sale. It is a lot of higher-end stuff, so discounts like these are worth checking out whenever they come around.KitchenwareWilliams Sonoma Memorial Day SaleSee it at Williams SonomaGrillsIf you're hoping to pick up a new barbecue before the summer season, Memorial Day sales are arguably the best time to do so. Pretty much every major retailer that has outdoor furniture on sale is going to have grills discounted right now as well. Amazon, Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Lowes all of discounts on popular grill brands ahead of the weekend. I'm personally planning on shopping the Home Depot sale to get a new grill this year, so that's my suggestion for anyone else. If you happen to miss this sale, you can also find deals just as good or better near the end of the summer during Labor Day sales.The Biggest SaleAmazon Memorial Day SaleSee it at AmazonRetailer SaleWalmart Memorial Day SaleSee it at WalmartAppliances and FurnitureHome Depot Memorial Day SaleSee it at Home DepotRetailer SaleCostco Memorial Day SaleSee it at CostcoAppliances and FurnitureLowes Memorial Day SaleSee it at LowesVideo GamesMemorial Day sales aren't exactly the very best time to buy video games, but that doesn't stop there from being Memorial Day video game deals. Most of the discounts are from across a variety of retailers, but Amazon and Woot have the most prominent price cuts right now. Some of the most popular video games of the last year are on sale right now, including Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 and Kingdom Come Deliverance II. GameStop is also having a surprisingly good sale with popular games as low as $15 right now.$15 and $30 Game Sale at GameStopSee it at GameStopKingdom Come: Deliverance II (PS5, XSX)Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 (PS5, XSX)Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake (PS5, XSX, Switch)Silent Hill 2 (PS5)Sid Meier's Civilization VII (PS5, XSX, Switch)Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (Switch)Star Wars Jedi Survivor (PS5, XSX)Star Wars Outlaws - Limited Edition (XSX)Suikoden I & II HD Remastered (PS5, XSX, Switch)Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.1 (PS5, Switch)Dragon Age: The Veilguard- Deluxe Edition (PS5, XSX)Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)Diablo IV (Xbox)Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade (PS5)Super Mario RPG (Switch)Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (PS5)When Do Memorial Day Sales End?Quite a few Memorial Day sales still haven't gone live yet, so there is still plenty of time to shop before the deals are gone. Most Memorial Day sales will be ending at the end of actual Memorial Day – which is Monday, May 26 this year.Jacob Kienlen is a Senior SEO Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and over 8 years of professional writing experience, his expertise ranges from books and games to technology and food. He has spent a good chunk of his career writing about deals and sales to help consumers find the best discounts on whatever they may be looking to buy.

The best Memorial Day appliance sales are some of the steepest deals you’ll find outside of Black Friday, so it’s a great time to shop the big-ticket items you’ve been eyeing all year long. From Bissell to Dyson, our favorite appliance brands at AD Shopping are getting in on the action right now with early sales of up to 40% off on gadgets big and small for your space. We spotted deals on everything from smart refrigerators to a top-load washer to streamline your daily routine—whether you’re springing for an upgrade or padding out a new home. And since summer is just around the corner, you’ll also find seasonal discounts on entertaining must-haves like a wine fridge, grill, or air fryer.Here, a range of appliance deals that are worth shopping in advance so you can actually spend the long weekend doing absolutely nothing.Our Top Picks for the Best Memorial Day Appliance Sales:Best Large Appliance Deal: Samsung Bespoke French Door Refrigerator with AI Family Hub + AI Vision, $4,699 $3,199Best Small Appliance Deal: Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream Maker, $199 $169Best Dyson Deal: Dyson Gen5detect Absolute Vacuum, $950 $800Best Grilling Deal: Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker, $549 $389Best Cooling Deal: Whynter ARC-14S Portable Air Conditioner, $599 $515Browse by RetailerFrigidaireFrigidiaire’s site is stacked with early Memorial Day weekend deals that let you score up to 35% off appliances, filters, and accessories. Its catalog of kitchen appliances, especially the wall ovens and electric ranges, is what makes it stand out to us at AD, and you can now get a versatile electric wall oven for over $1,000 off—including a matching over-the-range microwave with premium touch controls and fan convection functionality.Frigidaire Electric Wall Oven and Microwave CombinationFrigidaire Gallery Electric Wall Oven and MicrowaveAmazonAt the online mega mall that is Amazon, devices are their specialty. Deep in its Memorial Day deals section, you’ll find savings on everything from AD-approved air purifiers to a TikTok-famous Bissell cleaner. We’ve tested the Bissell Little Green Mini ourselves and given it high marks for its suction power and tiny footprint, but the full-size is just as good for a bigger home—and it’s up to 20% off now.Dyson Hot+Cool HP07 Air Purifier, Heater, and FanPhoto: Nashia BakerBissell Little Green Portable Spot and Stain CleanerDysonAD editors have gone deep on testing the best Dyson products, from vacuums to air purifiers. Right now, you can get up to $200 off our tried-and-true favorites, including the Gen5Detect cordless vacuum. It’s one of our top picks for cleaning hardwood floors, since it has the longest battery life out of all of Dyson’s catalog. Contributor Terri Williams says one of her favorite features is its optic cleaner head that cleans and polishes her hard floors. Plus it comes with several helpful accessories. “I find myself using the built-in dusting and crevice tool, which fits in tight spaces to pick up debris, and the combination tool that has a wide nozzle and brush for cleaning vents and other areas,” Williams shares.Photo: Terri WilliamsDyson 360 Vis Nav Robot VacuumDyson Gen5detect Absolute VacuumThe Home DepotMemorial Day is usually the unofficial start to grilling season, so if your outdoor setup could use a refresh, now’s the time to do it. The Home Depot is chock-full of deals up to 30% off in this category. The Traeger makes some of our favorite stylish grills, and this one has precise temperature controls and enough versatility to do everything from smoke ribs to bake a peach cobbler.If any other home appliances are on your wishlist, you can also take up to 40% off other appliances big and small like air conditioners, mini fridges, and more ahead of summer.Traeger Grills Pro Series 22 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and SmokerWhynter ARC-14S Portable Air ConditionerKitchenAidKitchenAid makes some of the most coveted, registry-worthy kitchen appliances out there, from cooktops to freestanding ranges, though their stand mixers are their signature. The brand is offering small appliance packages this week for over 30% off, including an artisan tilt-head stand mixer with a white mermaid lace bowl and pastry beater.KitchenAid Artisan Series Tilt-Head Stand Mixer Value BundleKitchenAid Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer with Shave Ice AttachmentWalmartGet ready for summer with Walmart’s early Memorial Day weekend sales. Here, you’ll find deals on an ice maker that will be the life of the BBQ, plus an ice cream maker, the Ninja Creami, that’s worth buying while it’s marked down. “This popular appliance has been on my radar for a while since you can custom make seven different treats with the touch of a button: ice cream, sorbet, gelato, milkshake, smoothie bowl, lite ice cream, and mix-in,” says senior commerce editor Nashia Baker.Ninja CREAMi Ice Cream MakerFrigidaire Ice MakerSamsungWe recommend Samsung for major appliances that combine smart technology with sleek aesthetics. Take this side-by-side refrigerator, for example. With Wi-Fi compatibility, Aaron Nichols, a virtual appliance expert at Frontdoor, says this is one of the most “feature-rich smart fridges out there.” For starters, it has a 32-inch AI Family Hub+ touchscreen that can display family calendars as well as stream media. Plus it has AI vision to keep tabs on everything that needs a restock on your next grocery haul. Even better, you can get it for $1,500 off, along with other appliances.Samsung Bespoke AI Laundry All-in-One Washer & DryerSamsung Bespoke French Door Refrigerator with AI Family Hub + AI VisionLowe’sAnother old faithful for appliance deals is your neighborhood Lowe’s, which is cooking up several tasty deals to savor over the long weekend: Up to 40% off major appliances and 30% off grills and lawn equipment. To keep your kitchen spick and span, consider the GE built-in dishwasher with several wash cycles and noise levels at just 55 dBA (no louder than a regular conversation).Midea Fingerprint Resistant Top-Freezer RefrigeratorGE Dry Boost Top Control Built-in Dishwasher

We may earn a commission from links on this page.The only thing I didn’t love about the Mammotion Luba robot lawn mower I tested last summer was its size. It’s a hulking four-wheel-drive robot and I live in the city, where we don’t have huge lawns. Enter the Luba Mini, a halved version of the Luba meant for smaller lawns (and tighter budgets). In fact, if you paid attention this spring, miniaturized versions of some of my favorite technology were everywhere. These mini-me versions seem to be driven, according to the companies themselves, by two market needs. While smart home tech is incredible in terms of functionality and independence, it often comes at a steep cost. But it’s not just price driving the shrinking of our tech; many companies realized was that many folks wanted the automation even when they didn’t have an acre of lawn to mow or a wall of windows to clean. Here’s how a few of my favorite pieces of technology have shrunk themselves to become more accessible and affordable.Mini lawn mowers Yuka full size on the left and mini on the right Credit: Amanda Blum Mammotion released mini models of both the Luba (AWD) and Yuka (2WD) robot mowers, and I’ve been testing them for the last month. In terms of size, they’re perfect for most suburban and urban lawns under ¼ acre and have almost the same functionality as the larger models. That's the point, according to Senior Product Manager David Cheng, who told me, "We weren’t just shrinking our existing models—we were filling a real gap in the market for homeowners seeking smart, perimeter wire-free lawn care that fits smaller outdoor spaces."Mammotion’s mowers require an RTK tower, which is a highly accurate GPS method that allows for triangulation between the mower, the tower and satellites. Using your phone as a remote control, you walk the robot around the perimeter of your lawn to set up zones, and create pathways between zones so the robot can navigate on its own. The minis have a new benefit, which is the ability for them to map spaces on their own, without you walking them around. If your yard has clear borders, I found it worked as well as mapping the area on your own.   The larger Yuka comes with a hopper for grass clippings, which you can teach to dump the clippings anywhere you like—the mini doesn’t have that option. Still, I didn’t find the hopper very usable on the large version, so no loss there.  I did find the minis had trouble, regardless of which version of mapping you used, getting to some edges of the yard. If there were overhanging shrubs casting a long shadow, the AI would interpret that as a no-go zone, avoiding it altogether. Still, that was the only degradation of features I found between the models. The mini has another benefit: It’s a lot less conspicuous parked at the dock, given the size. While you can install a 4g chip in your robot and set up notifications in case someone grabs it and goes, you just know where someone has absconded with it to.  The models use the same app, and the minis mowed as well as the original models. At a dramatically lower price point, this gives you an excuse to invest in a robot mower if the thing holding you back was how large or expensive they are. Mammotion Luba full size robot mower at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now at Amazon Mammotion Luba Mini robot lawn mower $1,999.00 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $1,999.00 at Amazon Mammotion Yuka mini robot lawn mower $999.00 at Amazon $1,098.00 Save $99.00 Shop Now Shop Now $999.00 at Amazon $1,098.00 Save $99.00 Mammotion Yuka 2000 robot lawn mower $2,448.00 at Amazon Get Deal Get Deal $2,448.00 at Amazon SEE 1 MORE   Smaller smart grills The original Brisk It Origin Credit: Amanda Blum Last summer I tested all the smart grills on the market, and my favorite was the Brisk It Origin. Through the fall, winter, and this spring, I have used it extensively because it turns smoking (a merciless task that involves a lot of overnight grill babysitting) into a flawless, hands-off experience. You tell the grill what you want to make, and AI kicks in to tell the grill how to make it, and it will notify you when it's time to flip things over or add a baste; when it's done, the grill turns itself off.You can, of course, edit the smoking program, create one on the fly, or just use the smoker manually as a grill. I went from someone who never rarely smoked on the grill to someone who does so once a week. On my recommendation, a BBQ devotee up the block added a Brisk It to their three-smoker lineup and revealed to me that it has become their favorite. Still, the original Brisk It clocks in just under $600 so I was excited to test the Zelos, a smaller, less expensive Brisk It with all the functionality of the Origin, albeit with less real estate. My experience isn't that unique, according to Christopher Huang, CEO at Brisk It. "Over 70% of U.S. adults say they want to cook more at home, but cite time and effort as their biggest barriers...and while more than half of home cooks express interest in smart kitchen tech, only 15% actually use it regularly." the mini has about 80% of the space of the original, seen here. I fit a whole rack of ribs plus a tray of chicken, but couldn't fit two racks of ribs. Credit: Amanda Blum Even as a highly enthusiastic home cook willing to put in the time, I cannot deny how much utility I get out of smart home automation in the kitchen. A smart grill is out of this world, since the notifications and temperature reporting of the grill and food means I don't have to stand over the grill. Brisk It even helps control the stall that barbecued meats often experience. Last month, I set up the Zelos (a thirty-minute affair) and invited neighbors over. I was worried about the smaller grill space (the Origin has 580 inches of grill space to the Zelos' 450 inches). While I could fit more racks of ribs on the Origin, the Zelos accommodated a full rack, plus a whole tray of chicken thighs, and I used the upper rack to smoke an array of vegetables. It didn't escape my attention that because the smaller grill uses less fuel (both are powered by pellets, although the control unit requires electricity), I'd be more likely to use it more often. Again, the app experience is the same on both models, and is highly functional and, dare I say, pretty fun. The AI the program uses is great for finding new recipes, a function I find underwhelming in practice on other products. At a reduced price, the Zelos makes an awfully appealing Father's Day gift, since it will also free up Dad from watching the grill all day. Brisk It Origin 940 Smart Smoker and Grill $849.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $849.99 at Amazon Brisk It Origin 580 Smart Smoker and Grill $549.99 at Amazon $599.99 Save $50.00 Shop Now Shop Now $549.99 at Amazon $599.99 Save $50.00 Brisk It Zelos Smart Smoker and Grill $449.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $449.99 at Amazon SEE 0 MORE A smaller window-washing robot In full disclosure, the only reason I haven't tested a Winbot, the window washing robot, is that I simply don't have the window real estate. The Winbot is about 13 inches square, and works by suctioning itself to your window and then putting it through a four-step wash process. I know people with Winbots, and if you have large square or rectangular windows, particularly those where some portion of the window is out of reach, it seems worthwhile. If you've got arched windows, though, the Winbot struggles with shapes that don't match the design of the robot itself, which has 90-degree angles. The Winbot also isn't for curved glass. These may seem like a lot of limitations, but I spent the winter in Arizona looking at a lot of glass patio doors, patio rooms, and walls of dusty windows and thought, "Ah...this is what the Winbot is for." Except now, there's a Winbot Mini, with an 8.5-inch square footprint. At that size, almost all my windows are fair game, so I'm excited to try it out. That was the point, according to Michelle Jones, U.S. spokesperson for ECOVACS, who said, "We saw an opportunity to bring the power of our larger window-cleaning robots to homeowners in the U.S. who have smaller or segmented window panes and don’t need a fixed cleaning station."But Ecovacs also points to a more specific problem that a lot of smart tech products suffer from, in my opinion: By the time the company has worked out the tech, the solution is often overly complicated. Ecovacs recognized that, as well, and simplified the offering in the Winbot Mini. The Mini ditches the rubber bumpers of the larger model, but that means better edge-to-edge cleaning. The mini also gains more portability by not having a heavy station like the full size model. What the mini lost seems like a worthwhile tradeoff for the price: The large Winbot has twice as many cleaning programs and more safety features (12 to the Mini's 9), but in both cases, what the Mini has seems sufficient. Priced around $250, the WinBot Mini feels like a luxurious piece of tech within reach for most folks. [add to list https://www.amazon.com/ECOVACS-WINBOT-Window-Cleaning-Robot/dp/B0DR8W696Y] Ecovacs Winbot W2 Pro Omni $499.99 at Amazon $599.99 Save $100.00 Shop Now Shop Now $499.99 at Amazon $599.99 Save $100.00 Ecovacs Winbot Mini $199.99 at Amazon Learn More Learn More $199.99 at Amazon SEE -1 MORE The Shelfy Lite the original Shelfy Credit: Amanda Blum For the last six months, I've had a Shelfy installed in my fridge. A small, charegable device, the Shelfy uses a catalyst on a ceramic filter, activated by LED lights in the device to mimic chlorophyll photosynthesis. To simplify, it purifies the air in your fridge to remove ethylene gas that ripens vegetables, and it removes odors and prevents cross contamination.I can confirm that it works to make your fridge smell better, and while I can't confirm the additional twelve days of freshness in vegetables that Shelfy claims, it has definitely added some shelf life to my fruits and vegetables.In particular, I notice the change in fruit. I buy strawberries and blueberries with some regularity year round, so I know traditionally how long they'd last before starting to form mold (two to four days). As long as I have Shelfy charged, I can get a full week out of strawberries and ten days out of blueberries. That's a huge difference that creates savings in my food budget. The CEO of Shelfy, Paolo Ganis, put a number to the savings, explaining that "the average family throws away approximately $1,996 worth of food each year—money that could easily be saved with better food preservation." Vitesy Smart Refrigerator Device | Extends Food Freshness $149.99 at Walmart Learn More Learn More $149.99 at Walmart Shelfy isn't large or particularly expensive (it's just under $150) but Vitesy has just introduced a Kickstarter for the Shelfy Lite, which will only be $66 (the project is already funded). "Through a number of user surveys, we consistently heard that people loved the idea behind Shelfy but wanted a version that was more accessible: smaller, more affordable," Ganis said.The Lite adds multiple modes to the device, one for the general fridge, one for the crisper drawer and a power mode for when someone buys a particularly stinky cheese. The Lite improves on the battery charging and performance over the original model, and comes in some additional accent colors, if you care about that sort of thing. The Lite is only marginally smaller than the original Shelfy, but at less than half the price, that seems immaterial.What I've enjoyed about the Shelfy is that there are no filters to replace; you simply wash and wet the ceramic filter when you recharge the device every few weeks. If you don't recharge it, there are no annoying beeps or notifications—it's been a quiet helper.A smart home hub for lessSometimes even I forget there are smart home hubs outside of Samsung, Amazon, Apple, and Google. But Homey, a hub that keeps all your connections local, has gained traction over the last few years since its introduction. Homey has a specific focus on automation through its "Flow" platform, which is a version of routines or automatons in any other platform. Homey fans claim Flow has far more flexibility, and although I've never found Alexa or Google Home difficult, Homey is noted for its appeal to beginner smart home fans. Still, at just under $400, the Homey Pro hub was an expensive way to dive into smart home tech, compared to other platforms. Jasper Foppele, head of marketing at Homey, was transparent about their strategy, explaining that their usage data and feedback made clear they had to rethink their offering. Instead of trying to offer everything (the Homey Pro supports 60 apps), the Homey product team chose the core technology they saw being used in the U.S. market (Matter, Thread, Zigbee) and winnowed the app coverage to the most common 25. "This approach allowed us to significantly reduce cost and complexity," Foppele said, "a privacy-first, locally running smart home hub priced at $199."The Homey Pro Mini still prioritizes local first connection, including backups, but it has an option for cloud backup. The Mini is on pre-order and will ship sometime this month.

In my experience, most UX teams find themselves primarily implementing other people’s ideas rather than leading the conversation about user experience. This happens because stakeholders and decision-makers often lack a deep understanding of UX’s capabilities and potential. Without a clear UX strategy framework, professionals get relegated to a purely tactical role — wireframing and testing solutions conceived by others. A well-crafted UX strategy framework changes this dynamic. It helps UX teams take control of their role and demonstrate real leadership in improving the user experience. Rather than just responding to requests, you can proactively identify opportunities that deliver genuine business value. A strategic approach also helps educate stakeholders about UX’s full potential while building credibility through measurable results. Strategy And The Fat Smoker When I guide teams on creating a UX strategy, I like to keep things simple. I borrow an approach from the book Strategy and the Fat Smoker and break strategy into three clear parts: First, we diagnose where we are today. Then, we set guiding policies to steer us. Finally, we outline actions to get us where we want to go. Let me walk you through each part so you can shape a UX strategy that feels both practical and powerful. Diagnosis: Know Your Starting Point Before we outline any plan, we need to assess our current situation. A clear diagnosis shows where you can make the biggest impact. It also highlights the gaps you must fill. Identify Status Quo Failures Start by naming what isn’t working. You might find that your organization lacks a UX team. Or the team has a budget that is too small. Sometimes you uncover that user satisfaction scores are slipping. Frame these challenges in business terms. For example, a slow sign‑up flow may be costing you 20 percent of new registrations each month. That ties UX to revenue and grabs attention. Once you have a list of failures, ask yourself: What outcome does each failure hurt? A slow checkout might reduce e‑commerce sales. Complicated navigation may dent customer retention. Linking UX issues to business metrics makes the case for change. Map The Aspirational Experience Next, visualize what an improved journey would look like. A quick way is to create two simple journey maps. One shows the current experience. The other shows an ideal path. Highlight key steps like discovery, sign‑up, onboarding, and support. Then ask: How will this new journey help meet our business goals? Maybe faster onboarding can cut support costs. Or a streamlined checkout can boost average order value. Let me share a real-world example. When working with the Samaritans, a UK mental health charity, we first mapped their current support process. While their telephone support was excellent, they struggled with email and text support, and had no presence on social media platforms. This was largely because volunteers found it difficult to manage multiple communication systems. We then created an aspirational journey map showing a unified system where volunteers could manage all communication channels through a single interface. This clear vision gave the organization a concrete goal that would improve the experience for both users seeking help and the volunteers providing support. This vision gives everyone something to rally around. It also guides your later actions by showing the target state. Audit Resources And Influence Next, turn your attention to what you have to work with. List your UX team members and their skills. Note any budget set aside for research tools or software licenses. Then identify where you have influence across the organization. Which teams already seek your advice? Who trusts your guidance? That might be the product group or marketing. You’ll lean on these allies to spread UX best practices. Finally, consider who else matters. Are there policy owners, process leads, or executives you need on board? Jot down names and roles so you can loop them in later. Spot Your Constraints Every strategy must live within real‑world limits. Maybe there’s a headcount freeze. Or IT systems won’t support a major overhaul. List any technical, budget, or policy limits you face. Then accept them. You’ll design your strategy to deliver value without asking for impossible changes. Working within constraints boosts your credibility. It also forces creativity. With the diagnosis complete, we know where we stand. Next, let’s look at how to steer our efforts. Guiding Policies: Set the North Star Guiding policies give you guardrails. They help you decide which opportunities to chase and which to skip. These policies reflect your priorities and the best path forward. Choose A Tactical Or Strategic Approach Early on, you must pick how your UX team will operate. You have two broad options: TacticalYou embed UX people on specific projects. They run tests and design interfaces hands‑on. This needs a bigger team. I like a ratio of one UX pro for every two developers. StrategicYou act as a center of excellence. You advise other teams. You build guidelines, run workshops, and offer tools. This needs fewer hands but a broader influence. Weigh your resources against your goals. If you need to move fast on many projects, go tactical. If you want to shift mindsets, work strategically. Choose the approach with the best chance of success. Define A Prioritization Method You’ll face many requests for UX work. A clear way to sort them saves headaches. Over the years, I’ve used a simple digital triage. You score each request based on impact, effort, and risk. Then, you work on the highest‑scoring items first. You can adapt this model however you like. The point is to have a repeatable, fair way to say yes or no. Create A Playbook Of Principles A playbook holds your core design principles, standard operating procedures, and templates. It might include: A design system for UI patterns; Standards around accessibility or user research; Guides for key tasks such as writing for the web; Templates for common activities like user interviews. This playbook becomes your team’s shared reference. It helps others repeat your process. It also captures the know‑how you need as your team grows. Plan Your Communication Strategy fails when people don’t know about it. You need a plan to engage stakeholders. I find it helpful to use a RACI chart — who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. Then decide: How often will you send updates? Which channels should you use (email, Slack, weekly demos)? Who leads each conversation? Clear, regular communication keeps everyone looped in. It also surfaces concerns early so you can address them. With guiding policies in place, you have a clear way to decide what to work on. Now, let’s turn to making things happen. Action Plan: Bring Strategy To Life Actions are the concrete steps you take to deliver on your guiding policies. They cover the projects you run, the support you give, and the risks you manage. Outline Key Projects And Services Start by listing the projects you’ll tackle. These might be: Running a discovery phase for a new product. Building a design system for your marketing team. Conducting user tests on your main flow. For each project, note what you will deliver and when. You can use your digital triage scores to pick the highest priorities. Keep each project scope small enough to finish in a few sprints. That way, you prove value quickly. Offer Training And Tools If you choose a strategic approach, you need to empower others. Plan workshops on core UX topics. Record short videos on testing best practices. Build quick reference guides. Curate a list of tools: Prototyping apps, Research platforms, Analytics dashboards. Make these resources easy to find in your playbook. Assign Stakeholder Roles Your strategy needs executive backing. Identify a senior sponsor who can break through roadblocks. Outline what you need them to do. Maybe it’s championing a new budget line or approving key hires. Also, pin down other collaborators. Who on the product side will help you scope new features? Who on the IT team will support user research tooling? Getting clear roles avoids confusion. Manage Risks and Barriers No plan goes off without a hitch. List your biggest risks, such as: A hiring freeze delays tactical hires; Key stakeholders lose interest; Technical debt slows down new releases. For each risk, jot down how you’ll handle it. Maybe you should shift to a fully strategic approach if hiring stalls. Or you can send a weekly one‑page update to reengage sponsors. Having a fallback keeps you calm when things go sideways. Before we wrap up, let’s talk about making strategy stick. Embedding UX Into The Culture A strategy shines only if you deeply embed it into your organization’s culture. Here’s how to make that happen: Build awareness and enthusiasm Run regular “lunch and learn” sessions to showcase UX wins. Host an annual UX day or mini-conference to boost visibility. Create a monthly UX salon where teams share challenges and victories. Make UX visible and tangible Display personas and journey maps in office spaces. Add design principles to everyday items like mousepads and mugs. Share success metrics and improvements in company communications. Embed UX into processes Establish clear UX policies and best practices. Review and update procedures that might hinder a good user experience. Create a healthy competition between teams through UX metrics. These tactics transform your strategy from a document into an organizational movement. They foster a culture where everyone thinks about user experience, not just the UX team. Remember, cultural change takes time — but consistent, visible efforts will gradually shift mindsets across the organization. Implementing Your UX Strategy: From Plan To Practice We started by diagnosing your current state. Then we set policies to guide your efforts. Finally, we laid out an action plan to deliver results. This three-part framework keeps your UX work tied to real business needs. It also gives you clarity, focus, and credibility. However, creating a strategy is the easy part — implementing it is where the real challenge lies. This is precisely why the book Strategy and the Fat Smoker carries its distinctive title. Just as someone who is overweight or smokes knows exactly what they need to do, we often know what our UX strategy should be. The difficult part is following through and making it a reality. Success requires consistent engagement and persistence in the face of setbacks. As Winston Churchill wisely noted, “Success is going from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” This perfectly captures the mindset needed to implement a successful UX strategy — staying committed to your vision even when faced with obstacles and setbacks.

I’m not a great cook, but I do have one dish absolutely perfected: pork belly burnt ends. I use a modified version of the Meat Church recipe with a few tweaks (including a little bit of maple syrup in the sauce for the second cook). It’s actually a very simple process on the Traeger pellet smokers. Right now, Amazon has Traeger grills on sale for up to $200 off. That includes flagship models like the Ironwood as well as more affordable cookers. If you order one right now with Prime, you’ll have it with free shipping in time for Memorial Day festivities. Traeger Grills Pro 34 Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker — $499 (was $699) You can cook vegetables, too, as the photo shows. Traeger This cooker hasn’t dipped below its $699 retail price at all this year, so a $200 discount is a rare treat. This is the bigger version of the Pro 22, and it provides a massive 848 square inches of cooking surface. That’s enough for up to seven racks of ribs or 40 burgers. It maxes out at 450 degrees, but it’s at its best when it’s around 225 for cooking low and slow. Like all Traeger pellet grills, it’s easy to keep temperature. You set your desired level, then a motorized auger pushes wood pellets into a burn box at the perfect rate to keep things cooking just right. Some barbecue purists may scoff at pellet cookers, but snobs are always going to snob. There’s something truly wonderful about getting perfect barbecue that you don’t have to babysit for 12 hours or risk ruining your meat. Traeger Grills Pro 22 Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker — $389 (was $499) This is a more efficient option than the 34 if you’re not regularly cooking for large groups. Traeger This model has all the features you’ll find in the Pro 34 linked above, but it’s a smaller, all-around machine. You get a total of 572 square inches of cooking space, which is enough for five racks of ribs or up to 24 burgers. It’s easier to store and burns more efficiently if you’re not doing big cooks, so you save money on pellets. Traeger Ironwood Pellet Smoker Grill — $1,599 (was $1,799) Pardon my messy garage. I was excited for smoked meat. If you can splurge on your pellet cooker, then the Ironwood is an awesome choice. The companion app allows you to monitor and control your grill from afar as long as you have a connection. It’s made of truly premium materials and even has a clever modular rack system around the perimeter for attaching accessories. If this grill was a pickleball paddle, it would be whatever the fanciest, most awesome pickleball paddle is (sorry, I don’t know anything about pickleball, and I’m not very good at metaphors). More Traeger pellet grill deals Traeger Ironwood XL Wood Pellet Smoker Grill $1,799 (was $1,999) Traeger Grills Flatrock, 33 Inch Flat Top Griddle $799 (was $899) Traeger Grills Woodridge Pro Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker $899 (was $999) Traeger Grills Woodridge Electric Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker $699 (was $799)