Black Friday #3: Shop Like a Pro
Don’t worry, A Deal, Steal, and Freebie Report will be back next week. It’s more important to have our game plan together for one of the biggest shopping days of the year – Black Friday. If you are just catching up with us, you can read our other Black Friday Reports using the links at the end of this post.
Today we are going to focus on how to know if a Black Friday sale is really a good sale and provide you with some tips to avoid problems if you have to return or exchange a purchase.
Is it Really a Good Sale?
With all of the retailers lowering their prices in anticipation for Black Friday, how are you to know which sales are the good sales and which ones are not so great? The only way you can determine which sales are good and which ones to avoid is to do your planning in advance and watch the flyers for the drop in prices.
Knowing which sales are good and which sales are not so good can be a chore, especially if you have to research several different stores in your area or online. However, it can be made easy by frequenting a website dedicated to listing all of the sales ads of major retailers. A very popular website to visit is bfads.net. This website lists all of the ads of the major retailers so you can do all of your research in one place.
Retailers will offer a certain markdown or percentage off items on Black Friday in the hope of luring shoppers in. However, not all markdowns and sales are created equal. Some stores only offer the markdown for a specific period of time, for example 6am – 10am on Black Friday, thus ensuring that the early bird gets the worm.
One great way to determine which sales are worth your time is to view competitor ads. One store may be offering 30% off while another store is only offering 25% off of the same item. You can shop by comparing items on the Cyber Monday website – www.cybermonday.com. Cyber Monday is an extension of Black Friday shopping, mostly offered by retailers online. However, the deals are just as good if you know where to look. Perusing the available websites will help you discover the great sales.
Knowing where to find the best deals requires a bit of legwork. Fortunately, in this era that does not mean scanning the flyers as they come in by the truckload (although you can still shop that way; it’s just going to take a bit longer). Many websites have been created in the last several years that make it easy to do your comparison shopping. Take advantage of these websites and you can make sure you are getting the best deal on the market this Black Friday.
Tips for Hassle-Free Shopping and Returns
Know the return policy before you buy. Some Black Friday items may be treated differently than regular store items. Make sure you know if the retailer offers a cash refund or store credit?
If you have a return, return the item ASAP in the same condition you received it (i.e. new, unopened, and with all original packaging) and all receipts.
Have Fun!
Frugally yours, Mary
receive updates (and win) · tweet me @thefrugalbuzz · “Like” The Frugal Buzz on Facebook
Save Money on Your Thanksgiving Feast
I hope you all checked your Email yesterday and saw the announcement for our newest Contest – Cash for the Holidays. If $100 gift card would help you out around the holidays you will want to stop by The Frugal Buzz and enter. Hurry – every day you wait is one day less you have to enter.
We all want Thanksgiving to be a memorable event, not an expensive one. Here are some tips to save money on your Thanksgiving feast.
Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/notjake13/3069073022/
Thanksgiving feasts are memorable events. Families come together and enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving meal and company. If not planned ahead, however, Thanksgiving meals can become very expensive – especially if there are a lot of mouths to feed.
Planning ahead, with several other considerations, is the best way to have a great Thanksgiving dinner without breaking the bank.
In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, you will notice a lot of circulars offering sales on the coveted Thanksgiving meal items. It is a good idea to clip these coupons and use them when you go on your normal grocery shopping trips. Buying items at full price can be a bank-breaker, so look diligently for the coupons to your local stores.
Click here to continue reading
Easy-Peezy Thanksgiving Crafts
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot
It’s November and everyone is thinking Thanksgiving. Be sure to check out our Home and Family section for a bounty of ideas to make your Thanksgiving the best possible – on a budget.
With Thanksgiving fast approaching no doubt you are thinking of ways to decorate your home on a budget. No need to break the bank at Thanksgiving or any holiday with these money saving craft ideas.
With the holidays come decorations, and Thanksgiving is no exception. While your children may not be able to participate in much of the cooking of Thanksgiving dinner, you can involve them by allowing them to decorate the house.
Set them up at a craft table with paper, glue, glitter and other craft goodies and let them create their own decorations.
There are many different items that your children can create to decorate the house for Thanksgiving. Teach them how to draw thanksgiving-themed pictures such as pilgrims, Indians and cornucopias. I admit I haven’t moved much past the open-hand tracing to make a turkey but it is always a hit with kids of all ages (ahem).
Click here to continue reading
