I love Christmas! I love everything about it. The music, the lights, the parties, the treats, EVERYTHING!!! I especially love Christmas shopping and finding awesome deals. My kids know they're not getting what they want unless I can find it for a good deal. When they open their presents, they sometimes ask how much I paid for it because they know I wouldn't have bought it unless it was a good deal.
I usually go to a few stores every year on Black Friday but I've never gone in the middle of the night. Once I went to Walmart at 10 pm on Thanksgiving and it was CRAZY!!! I got everything I wanted and it was a huge adrenaline rush. I actually really loved it! But I just don't like the fact that the stores are opening earlier and earlier every year on Thanksgiving. I think that time should be spent with family and not in a store.
So did you know that you can actually get Black Friday prices without going shopping on Black Friday?
Here are my tips...
First, decide what your budget is going to be for Christmas gifts. Then have your kids make a list of everything they want. From that list, make another list of what you want to buy. Check different stores online to find out how much each item will cost and write it down on your list. I usually check Amazon, Walmart, and Target and that gives me a pretty good idea about how much each thing will cost. Then check the websites frequently to see if the price drops. If the price drops significantly, buy it. If you can get everything on your list for a lower price you'll be able to save a significant amount or maybe even get more for your money.
When the Black Friday ads come out, check the ad for each store. The ads should be coming out in a few weeks and you will be able to view them online. Decide if there's anything that is worth going shopping for on Black Friday. You might find something that's worth going to the store for but keep in mind that you might have to go early and wait in line. It also might cut into your time with your family on Thanksgiving.
If you find something in the ads that you really want, check around online. You may be able to find it for the same price before Black Friday.
Here are some things that I have learned about different stores:
Amazon
Amazon is very competitive with their prices. If there is something advertised at another store, there is a good chance that Amazon will lower their prices to match it. Right now Amazon has their Countdown to Black Friday sale and you can get some awesome deals. They also have a Holiday deal page with lightning deals. If you're not familiar with this you need to check it out. I've used this multiple times and scored some amazing deals. How it works is each day there are specific items that will go on sale at certain times. The price won't be listed until the sale is live. Once it goes live, you can buy it for the sale price but the quantities are limited. I've seen things sell out in less than five minutes! If you're an Amazon Prime member you can have access to certain deals a half hour early.
I would recommend checking the Lightning Deals page every morning to see if there's anything you want. If you find something, go back to that page at the designated time and buy it. But you have to hurry because it can go quick.
Here are the links:
Lightning Deals
Toy Lightning Deals
Walmart
There are some great deals at Walmart on Black Friday but that place can be a madhouse! I know because I've been there on Black Friday! Did you know that some of the items advertised in the Black Friday ad are also sold online for the same price on Thanksgiving day? This is unadvertised and you never now which items will be sold online but it's worth a shot. Last year I wanted to get a Little Tykes kitchen for my daughter that was advertised in their Black Friday ad. So I woke up early on Thanksgiving and I checked the Walmart website. The kitchen was in stock! I added it to my cart and it took 15 minutes to get to my cart because there were so many people on the website. But I got it and I was so excited that I wasn't going to have to leave our Thanksgiving dinner early and fight the crowd to buy a toy for my daughter.
Kohl's
Sometimes I feel like I have to get a little creative when I shop at Kohl's. A lot of their prices are higher but when you combine the 20-30% off coupons and the Kohl's cash, you can get some great deals. Kohl's also has a new rewards program Yes2You Rewards. You earn 1 point for every dollar that you spend and once you've reached 100 points, you'll get a $5 reward certificate. This is in addition to all of the other deals that they have.
Kohl's also sells a lot of things online for Black Friday prices and their sell starts a few days before Thanksgiving. So there really is no need to even go to the store.
Target
Target is also very competitive with their prices. This year they are offering free shipping on all purchases made online until Christmas. No minimum purchase required! They also have a Cartwheel app that is awesome. If you pay attention to the Carthwheel app you might be able to score some great deals. Some of their deals are one day only so you have to go to the store early because they run out fast!
*When shopping online don't forget to shop through Ebates and earn cashback! It's a great way to earn some extra cash just for shopping. It's totally legit. I've earned about $75 in the last year!
*To maximize your savings, check out my post on how to earn money by shopping online.
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