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We are on the cusp of one of the best times of year for saving on the finer things! Black Friday and Cyber Monday fall on November 29th and December 2nd this year. That means we have twenty days of planning from the time of this posting if we want to score the best deals. Let the countdown begin!
Know What You Want
If you want to actually be SAVING this Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this is the most important point to follow. If there is only one takeaway you have from this post, it has to be this one. No matter how deeply discounted your purchase items are, if they turn out to be extra expenses, impulse purchases, things you regret once that deal high fades, the deal was not a good one. Before you get in the game, before you even start browsing Black Friday ads or the net for those great Cyber Monday deals, narrow your focus in on what you are looking for. This will make all those distracting loss leaders less of a temptation to buy into.
Make a List
When great deals arise, they tend to sell out fast. If you have a list of the items you really want to score, you can beeline to those deals and grab them before they’re gone. Making a list early also helps with knowing what you want, because the longer an item sits on your list, the more you might realize it doesn’t need to be on your list. Or it will remind you of a related item that should be on your list which you’ve forgotten.
Map Your Stores
Over the years, I have honed in on my personal favorites. Between the styles that appeal to me, the way their rewards systems work, the returns processes, etc, I already have an idea of where I’ll be turning for my favorite Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. These are all important factors to take into consideration when you think about the stores and sites you will go to first. I also mainly shop online these days, as I suspect a lot of you might. The chaos of crowds and traffic and checkout lines does not appeal to me at all, but there are some deals to be had in brick and mortars that you won’t find online. Whichever way you plan on shopping, practicality demands that you route your stores on a map that smoothly transitions you from one to another to avoid wasting time in traffic. Also important, make sure your internet connection and browsing experience is up to speed for online shopping. High traffic often slows down the sites on Cyber Monday, so prepare yourself with patience and fast internet, which will get you ahead of the game and ready to shop.
Necessities on Black Friday?
It may sound crazy, but yes. Black Friday is a great time to stock up on toothpastes, batteries, paper products, all the boring stuff your household needs. I am crossing my fingers that this year is an improvement over the last few, but up until recently, drugstores have been one of my favorite stores for Black Friday shopping because of all the freebies! Yes, freebies! If you’ve been couponing as long as I have, you might remember CVS Extrabucks deals on Black Fridays pre-2020 like $3.99 wrapping paper earning $4 extrabucks. $1 toothpaste with a $1 off manufacturer coupon available to clip. Walgreens offers like a single roll of paper towels for $2 with $2 In-store rewards. I would SCORE at the drugstores. Unfortunately, I have not seen these deals so abundantly in the past few years, but there is always something worth the trip to the store. And just think, all of that saving on what you need will free up more cash to increase your spending limit for the things you want.
Start Scouting Big Ticket Items NOW
Black Friday is notorious for its appliance deals, electronic deals, luggage deals, and all the kinds of things you won’t buy too frequently. This year, we are finally laying my smartTV of over 15yrs to rest and splurging on a newer, bigger one, so I have been waiting for Black Friday! When you set your eye on your particular big ticket item, you can start scouting prices now so when you see the deals, you know how great of a deal it really is. Just yesterday I was in BJs and noticed their early Black Friday deals already started on TVs, which are pretty impressive. But is the $900 85” smartTV a better deal than the $1500 65” smartTV from the same brand? It takes looking into the details of the products like energy ratings and picture quality and so much more than price comparison to make the best choice. By looking into it early, you have time to hone in on a particular model or models of appliance or furniture or whatever it is that your heart desires this Black Friday before going shopping. Additionally, you can note the best prices on these items you’re finding now so when you see the Black Friday deals, you know how good of a deal it actually is (or isn’t).
Don’t Be Conned
Speaking of deals that aren’t, there will be a lot of those this Black Friday. An item tagged as a “Black Friday” deal looks great, but oftentimes, you’re going to be duped if you’re not careful. Retailers love to make you leave feeling like you scored a great deal when you really paid them exactly what they wanted. Last year, many stores were caught jacking up the tag of the original price on items in order to make the Black Friday price tag appear to be a steal. Deals like buy two get one free, 40% off, and “earn $20 when you spend $50” (that only gives you a coupon for $20 off your next purchase of $50) are not Black Friday-worthy. If you want the best Black Friday shopping experience, only go for the best deals on things you really want.
Recommended Deals
Here are a few suggestions, in case you’re new to this and aren’t sure what items are typically best bought on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Electronics deals are always in abundance on Black Friday, just remember to watch the price tags and make sure you’re actually getting a real Black Friday deal. Clothing deals are great (I especially recommend the $30 cashmere sweaters I found at Macy’s last year which will most likely recur). Jewelry tends to see deep price drops, and don’t forget your small local jewelers who are working to compete with the big stores. Luggage and home goods like pots and pans see steep price drops at this time. For toys, you’ll often see a few select items with very deep price drops at each store, but the rest of the toy selection at that retailer might have moderate price drops, so you’ll want to comparison shop to make sure you’re buying your toy from the place with the best offer. If you need a refresher on the best methods for comparison shopping, read this post.
Stack, Stack, Stack!
Once you’ve found the best deals and added them to your cart, don’t forget one more step before checking out. Cashback sites, store coupons, and manufacturer coupons can all be added to your already-impressive deal when applicable. Even better, on Black Friday, sites like Rakuten and Ibotta that offer cashback tend to increase the cashback percentages for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Why would you not want to take that additional 15% off by claiming cashback before buying?
Checking It Twice
Now that you have a list, have a plan, have the motivation to get out there and buy while the deals are hot on these special savings holidays, the last thing you want to remember is to do your due diligence. There is a judgment call to be made when buying limited deals like this because spending too long going back to claim cashback or typing in promo codes might mean the item is no longer available by the time you complete checkout. So having a number in mind before buying really helps you determine whether it’s time to just make that purchase on a deal that far exceeds the offers you’re seeing anywhere else, or it is worth the time it takes to stack on extra savings or potentially add those other items to the cart before checkout that you were eyeing. No matter how you go about it, I hope you have fun along the way. I’ll be sharing some of my favorite finds in my newsletter when the time comes. Please feel free to share your hauls here, especially your favorite deals.