It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five. It’s also “Black Friday” so I’m going to offer some shopping tips. You may or may not know that this blog started out as a “deal finding” blog. Why? I was “that friend” who was always spotting sales and deals and “finding” new products/services and scouting how to get them for less.
Black Friday/Cyber Monday Shopping Tips
Get cash back! This is a tip for shopping on these “special” days and every day. There are several ways to get cash back and you can even double dip. The easiest one is to sign up for Rakuten (formerly ebates). You can add a button to your browser (and use their app for in-store deals). I’ve gotten almost $2000 cash back with no strings attached since I joined. They also have specials for Black Friday/Cyber Monday and tell you when you can get a better deal. Sign up with this link. (Affiliate Link)
Want to double dip? Get cash back from your credit cards. The Husband swears by his 2% cash back card from Citibank. I like to use Amex for their points program. We have a (free) Amazon Prime store card for 5% cash back on Amazon Prime purchases. I have an Athleta Visa for great deals on Gap Brands plus rewards, too. Either way, if you’re not using a card with great rewards for your shopping, you’re missing out. This may be a tip that takes research. Check out The Points Guy for lots of recommendations to see what suits you.
Follow companies’ social pages or subscribe to newsletters. Companies promote their deals via social and newsletters. It can be super annoying to wade through tons of emails. I have a special (old) email account that I use for shopping and promotions. Sometimes I just delete everything, but when I’m looking for a deal, I check out the emails/social accounts before I buy.
Do your research. These days it’s so easy to search the internet for prices to know what’s a great deal and when you can pass. Before you buy anything, google it AND search on Amazon. You can see all of the prices at various sites and sometimes products are deeply discounted by sellers on Amazon. Check out price match policies for 18 top retailers here from Deal Watch. You may be able to get a deal matched if you miss it or buy from a store with a better return policy.
Also, there is a ton of research on what NOT to buy on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Here’s one for Black Friday from Retail Me Not and 3 things to buy and one to watch from CNBC.
Let someone else do the work. There are a ton of websites and blogs that aggregate deals. Why? They usually get commissions/perks for doing so. That’s fine with me and should be fine with you. Search Black Friday deals on Amazon – Prime members get early access to some. [Note: This link is to my storefront so you can see products I recommend and I get a small commission if you buy from it. It helps fund some of my giveaways and promos! Look around and then search Black Friday deals.] Here’s some I looked at from Pretty Little Shoppers, Deal News, CNET and Black Friday.com. You can also check out offers from some of my favorite companies/discount sites on my Found Links page.
Pass on these deals and shop later. What? The shopping season is short this year because Thanksgiving falls later in the month. Retailers are going to be offering great deals to get the shopping dollars in. So if you don’t like to go shopping on Black Friday or don’t want to spend the weekend and Monday scouring the ‘net, don’t fret. There will be tons of deals for the next bunch of weeks.
Any great tips that I missed? Please leave them in the comments.
Some great Black Friday deals from my favorite companies:
- Get 75% off at GoLite!
- Get 70% off on already discounted prices at RuMe Bags!
- Get 40% off at Seattle Gummy Company plus an extra 15% off with code erica15.
- Get 25% off at Run Gum plus a free headband for purchases over $50.
- Get 25% off everything at Ministry of Supply.
- Get 25% off at 88 Acres.
- Get 20% off at Janji.
- Get 35% off of your first NOOMA online order with code SWSQERAG.
- Everything on sale at Belcorva with giveaways. Buy two items get FREE racerback tank with code FreeTank20 – or – buy three items get FREE Off-the-Shoulder-Sweatshirt with code FreeSweatshirt20.
- Friday only, get 30% OFF + FREE GIFT (6.2 oz pouch nut butter) at SuperFat with code BLK1. Other deals Saturday (BLK2), Sunday (BLK3) and Monday (BLK4).
- Get $10 / month off on regular sized boxes or $15 / month off #Supersnacker boxes at Clean.Fit box! Gift a subscription and get a free bonus box + a t-shirt!
- Love with Food is bringing you Black Friday & Cyber Monday savings early this year! Order before 12/2 to get 20% off all subscriptions!
- Get a free box when you gift Urthbox (or subscribe) plus additional savings with this link.
- Get 25% off your order of Bombas with this link. For every pair you buy, they give one to a homeless person in need.
- Get 35% off on awesome phone cases from Casely with this link.
- Get 20% off of your first order at Humblemaker Coffee with this link.
- Buy one get one free Tasterboxes from Tastermonial!
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and that you enjoy the holiday season!
Please note: This post contains affiliate links for several brands, Amazon and Rakuten (formerly ebates). If you use these links, I’ll receive a small commission. That keeps the blog running and lets me offer some great extra giveaways.