Tips for Finding the Best Deals This Holiday Season

It’s that time of year again. The fright of Halloween is behind us and Thanksgiving is only weeks away. You’re determined to avoid last year’s Turkey disaster. You have everything planned, from family accommodations, to the perfect Pumpkin Pie recipe. You think everything is perfect until you realize that you haven’t planned out a strategy for Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. Don’t panic! Here are a few tips and tricks that I use to shop online and avoid the crowds.

Tip #1 – Use Deal Websites

Websites such as Slickdeals are the search engines for deals. These websites are great because people post Black Friday ads and pinpoint the best deals from many different stores. On Slickdeals, I sort the forum posts based on the numbers of replies. More often, the best deals are the ones that people respond to the most. These websites are entirely community-based driven, so there are deals on anything from coffee to televisions. This is where I go first and foremost when looking for deals.

Tip #2 – Use Coupons

I rarely purchase anything at full price, especially during the holidays. There are deals to be had, and many of the larger chain businesses have specific online coupons that can be used on Black Friday. Stores like Old Navy, American Eagle Outfitters, and Express offer discounts of up to 30% off and even free shipping. Similarly, if you’re looking to score a new laptop, businesses like HP and Dell offer coupon codes ranging from 15%-30% off of configured models. Keep an eye out for coupons, and you could save yourself hundreds of dollars.

Tip #3 – Use Your Smartphone

Quite often, there are deals that are in-store only and too good to pass up. If you’re brave enough to wait in line for such deals, I recommend that you use your smartphone before making any other purchases. Companies like to use those door busters to get you in their store, but if you decide to complete all of your holiday shopping there, you might not actually be saving money. Use your smartphone to search for any other items you may be purchasing. More often than not, the item is on sale at another store or online. Google Goggles for Android and iOS is a great tool for snapping pictures of items and receiving price comparisons from the internet.

Use these tips to your advantage this holiday season. If you’re savvy and stay organized, you will be able to purchase all those gifts on people’s wish lists without hurting your wallet.


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