The Best Black Friday Shopping Secrets

As of right now, there are 26 days until Black Friday – WOOP WOOP!  Black Friday is one of my favorite shopping seasons – yep, you read that right – SEASONS.  While it used to be the case that Black Friday was a one day shopping extravaganza, times have certainly changed!  Sales start long before the clock strikes midnight and last long after the day is done.  Here are my best Black Friday shopping secrets!

1. Money, money, money.

Source: Pinterest.

Okay, so this isn’t a secret so much as a tip.  It is SUPER easy to overspend during this deal bonanza, so it is crucial to set a budget ahead of time.  You don’t want to go overboard, then be out of money for groceries.  Just because you could buy a thingamabob for a heckofaprice doesn’t mean you should.  Make sure you keep all of your receipts in case you get a case of Black Friday buyer’s remorse and need to make a return!

2. If you don’t know the deals, it’s really hard to find the deals.

There are several websites I watch for sales year ’round.  These people/companies make a living finding deals… I do watch stores directly for sales, but the professionals also find great sales.  I use Brad’s Deals – Black Friday most often during the Black Friday season… if they don’t have an ad, just try Google.  For individual deals you can check out the Brad’s Deals homepage or another coupon website like Family Friendly Frugality.

3. Stay in your pajamas if you can, obviously.

Do you know what’s better than going out in the cold and crazy crowds on Thanksgiving or Black Friday?  Staying at home in your pajamas.  There are lots of deals to be had from under your cozy blanket.  Amazon offers Gold Box Deals {daily deals} and Lightning Deals {limited time or quantity deals} for weeks before Christmas.  I’ve gotten some phenomenal deals by checking Amazon each morning to see what the deals are each day.  Your prime membership will come in super handy during the holidays!

4. Shop early.

Like I said before, deals start long before Black Friday.  Make sure to pay close attention to the ads – there are great deals to be had leading up to Thanksgiving as well.  The last couple of years, Kohl’s Black Friday deals will start online several days early.  There are some in store only deals to be had, but I buy everything I can online before Thanksgiving even arrives.

5. Shop early, like now.

Just because it’s not Thanksgiving week yet doesn’t mean you can’t get great deals.  3 or 4 years ago I went to JoAnn Fabrics on Black Friday {because I’m an exciting person like that}.  It was complete INSANITY with long lines and scads of people.  A few weekends ago JoAnn’s had a sale that easily rivaled Black Friday.  Sign up for email alerts from your favorite stores to make sure you don’t miss out on Pre-Thanksgiving Week deals!  We are actually going to buy a major kitchen appliance this week – I’ll write about it once we get that bad boy home.

6. Don’t come home empty handed.

Source: HelloGiggles.com

Let me start this out by saying I detest shopping at Walmart.  I’d much rather support a smaller corporation or a more enjoyable marketplace {read: Target}.  I loathe going to the “W” megastore, but I do typically make an exception for Black Friday {or Thanksgiving, as the case may be} because I don’t want to be the guy in the meme above.  The last several years Walmart has had 1 hour guarantee items, where Walmart employees will give rain checks to every customer that shows up during the allotted time period.  I LOVE this because I don’t have to worry about rude shoppers trying to beat each other to a deal.  The last couple deals I’ve gotten electronics {a TV last year; a DVD player the year before} during the 1 hour guarantee.  Watch Walmart’s ad for great deals without worrying about whether an item will be in stock.

7. The best things in life are free.

Seriously, though.  Do you know what one of my favorite Christmas season specials is?  It’s the Hallmark Christmas movies.  They started today {CUE THE CELEBRATION}.  If you’re anything like me, you look forward to these gems all year long.  If you haven’t caught the Hallmark movie buzz, check out a few {or twenty} of their original Christmas movies.  They will give you all the warm fuzzies and are a great way to relax during the craziness of the holidays!  If you have Directv in Southern Indiana, go to channel 312 on the guide and practice pushing that “record” button… and again. and again. and again.  If you look at my DVR right now, you’ll realize that I’m not kidding. Not.at.all.  Oh, and just in case you’re wondering – you can get about 2 weeks out on the TV guide before the networks won’t have their programming up for recording yet.  Here’s the list of the 2015 new Hallmark Christmas movies, but keep in mind that they show each of these several times as well as re-showing older movies, so there are lots of movies on every single week from now until Christmas.  For those of you that think Christmas movies shouldn’t be on yet, have no fear!  There are also a few Thanksgiving themed Hallmark movies, albeit not nearly as many as Christmas themed ones.  #hallmarkchristmasaddict

Good luck with your Black Friday shopping!  Share this post with the buttons below or follow Borrowed Blessings with the links at the top of the page.  Thank you!