Black Friday Deals and Tips

Last week we talked all about Thanksgiving, now it’s time to talk about the very hectic day that follows, BLACK FRIDAY, which coincidentally actually starts on Thursday evening at a lot of large retailers this year, such as Best Buy.  Best Buy will be opening their doors 6 hours earlier this year at 6:00pm on Thanksgiving Day.  Although Best Buy has numerous Black Friday deals they have a great selection of TV’s on sale, like this 50’ Sharp TV for only $399!

Click this link to be taken to Best Buy’s  TV’s in the Black Friday Ad. http://blackfriday.bestbuy.com/#!/tv+amp+home+theater2

I have put together a list of some things you should make sure you are doing this year before heading out on Friday morning! (or Thursday night):

1. Do proper research before going out shopping.  Some things may appear to be a good deal, but are actually marked up just to be marked down. 
2. Make sure you are comparing Black Friday Ads to make sure you are getting the best deal.  Target, Best Buy and Wal-Mart all have the iPad mini on sale this year for $299, but after looking at the Ads Target is really the best deal.  Not only do you get a iPad mini for $100 off, but also a $75 Target gift card with purchase.   Click here for Target’s Black Friday Ad and many more deals and door busters!
   
3. Make a list: Only buy items that you need, don’t let retailers trick you into buying things you don’t need just because they are such a good deal.  Many people use Black Friday for Holiday shopping.  Like we mentioned in point number 2, look through Ads beforehand to find the stores you need to go to, organize a list of when they open, how many quantities of the item they have, if there are any guarantees on the item and so forth, and map out your path wisely. 

Organizing a list and doing proper research can really help you get the most bang for your buck.  Many of you might not know that Wal-Mart has a 1 hour window this year where a number of their sale items will be guaranteed at that price, even if they run out of stock. RAIN CHECK! Some of the items Wal-Mart is guaranteeing include the iPad mini for $299, a 32’ screen TV For $98, a Blu-ray player for $38 and many more electronics!  You must be in line at Wal-Mart on Thursday, 11/28 in between either 6-7pm or 8-9pm to get the guaranteed sale prices!  Wal-Mart also has multiple DVD’s on sale through Saturday for as low as $1.96. Check out their ad here, Wal-Mart’s Black Friday Ad

Fortunately, and unfortunately I will not be participating in Black Friday this year.  Fortunately, I won’t be up all hours of the night, I won’t be fighting the crowds and I won’t be fighting to find a parking space! Unfortunately, I will be at work… NO, and I won’t be saving tons of money on my Christmas gifts this year.  Although Black Friday can get hectic there really are some EXCELLENT deals if you so your research properly.   I hope the deals I did find can help you out with your shopping this Holiday Season! Get your lists ready, your sneakers on, coffee made and Alarm set! Happy shopping everyone!

Thanksgiving Feast Deals and DIY Fun

Turkey day is right around the corner, or the more formal name, Thanksgiving Day! I’m excited to have a short break from work while enjoying the 3 F’s: Food, Football and Family/Friends.  This Thanksgiving I will be heading out to spend the day with my boyfriend’s family in Brighton.  I’m in charge of bringing an appetizer, and I need to impress the family.  Pinterest has given me a lot of great ideas for cute appetizers that look like Turkeys.  There is an assortment of fruit and veggie trays with a Thanksgiving twist!  There is also a Pin for a number of Thanksgiving DIY decorations, although I am not holding Thanksgiving this year this will be a great money saver and creativity booster for the first time I hold Thanksgiving.  

Depending how many people you are cooking for the Thanksgiving meal can get expensive.  Before heading out shopping for the big day make sure to clip as many coupons as possible.  Couponing can save a lot of money in the long run.  I’m currently part of the MPerks club at Meijer which gives me the ability to clip coupons for their store right from my iPhone.  I can also create my grocery list and check out their weekly ad on the go.  Check out this deal on dinner rolls that can be used for Thanksgiving.  Although the rolls are probably my least favorite part of the meal, Hawaiian rolls are by far the best.  They can make great little hot Turkey sandwiches the next day.  If you have never tried Hawaiian rolls I highly recommend them. 

Another great app for your Smartphone is called Grocery Pal, I just recently discovered this app and I love it!  It’s very similar to the MPerks app, but it searches all grocery/drug stores in your area, simply enter in your zip code and watch the coupons come alive!  Feeling lazy this Thanksgiving, take advantage of this excellent deal; everything comes included for $69.99 from Kroger!

Whether you’re having a small gathering this Thanksgiving, having a large family get together or are hosting Thanksgiving for the first time ever I hope these tips and sites/apps can help you to save some money this Holiday season.  Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

Gobble Gobble

These are a few of my favorite things

If you have been following my blog you have probably learned I love a good deal, and you could probably already guess a few of my favorite things (deals of course).  I am here to share more of my favorite things with you and why I think they are so great!  I literally get overly excited over some of the things I’m going to write about, just ask of my friends or family, they make fun of me all the time.  Of course they always take it back when they realize how much money I save every year by practically living the life I want!! (Well…for the most part, not buying any Bentley’s or anything… lol).  

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GROUPON is and has been one of my favorite things practically since it’s been created! Yes, I have to admit I have bought a couple of items on there that were not the best purchases…. (cough..shake weight..cough).  Groupon has excellent deals on many things I have been able to utilize, such as Groupons to go out to eat, get my hair done, get my nails done, get massages and buy goods!! I’ve bought socks, work out pants, teeth whitening pens (that work!), phone cases, and many other things! All of these items have been at least 50% less face value.  I know I’ve already told you all that if you haven’t checked out Groupon you need to, but I am serious! DO IT!! 

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Retailmenot.com is also one of my favorite things, it’s like the online Entertainment Book for all retail stores!!  I have the app downloaded on my phone and it’s very easy to use.  All you have to do is type in the name of the store or restaurant you want to find coupons for and any coupons they have to offer will pop up.  If there are no coupons for the store you can click a button that says recommend this store offer coupons.  Although recommending that they offer coupons might not do anything, if enough people click the request it might just happen. 

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Another one of my favorite things is actually a collaboration of many things! Restaurant clubs! Most restaurants have member clubs now a days, some physically give you a card to use each time you visit the restaurant to earn points on and get rewards, others just send sporadic emails with coupons and special deals and events coming up.  Below I am listing some of my favorites: 

QDOBA: Sign up for their club and earn points every time you eat, the points will earn you a free meal once you’ve earned enough! They also send you emails with BOGO coupons and special offers on occasion. 

CHILI’S: I am part of their email club and I swear I receive a coupon once a week for a free appetizer or dessert with the purchase of one adult entrée.  They also send you a free dessert on your birthday! 

Mongolian BBQ: If you join the Mongo club they will send you sporadic emails with special offers and special event weekends they have going on.  Certain weekends they have $9.99 bowls, or free appetizers with the purchase of a bowl.  Best yet on your birthday you get a FREE bowl, no purchase necessary. 

BENIHANA: Although Benihana doesn’t normally have coupons, they send emails about once a month with specials in their restaurant.  My favorite part of their club is on your birthday you get $30 to use towards ANYTHING! (besides alcohol).  I have gone the past two years on my birthday and gotten the spicy chicken hibachi with an upgrade to fried ride, and a crunchy roll (which by the way if you haven’t had, is delicious).  I’m such a crazy saver, that the bill for those items is EXACTLY $30.  I like to get the most for me (free) money, haha.  

There are a number of other restaurants and even retail stores now that have member rewards, before shopping or dining out next time visit their web page, I’m guessing you can save a little money, or A LOT if you’re lucky!

Things retailers don't want you to know!

It’s officially starting to get colder which means it’s time for new winter clothes, cute new boots, gloves are scarves to keep us warm, a new color palette of makeup, cold medication, hot cocoa and much more…. Target is a place where you can get them all!! I love Target, I mean who doesn’t?  There are many secrets retailers don’t tell you, and Target is a large retailer with plenty of secrets to be told. 

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Target has an “unofficial” mark down schedule for all departments throughout the store, if you’re looking for something in particular check out this list before heading to Target:

• Monday: Baby items, children’s clothing, electronics, and office supplies/gift wrap/stationery
• Tuesday: Home décor, women’s clothing, and domestic items
• Wednesday: Food, health and beauty items, men’s clothing, toys, and garden items
• Thursday: Lingerie, housewares, sporting goods, shoes, and luggage
• Friday: Cosmetics, jewelry, hardware, automotive, and home improvement

So Tuesday sounds pretty good to me, I love clothes, and I’m still looking for new decorative pieces for around my new condo! Target also has a specific clearance schedule, anything ending in a 6 or 8 will be marked down again as long as there is inventory in the store.  Prices ending in a 4 are the final mark down and won’t be marked down again.  Look at the below link for a ton of other Target secrets, just more reasons to love Target!! Be Green and bring your own bags, get $0.05 off for each bag you bring, although $0.05 doesn’t sound like a lot it can really add up if you do a lot of shopping at Target.  Especially if you go your grocery shopping there and have multiple bags!

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/style/code-red-how-to-read-target-clearance-tags/

Another amazing site out there is called Retailmenot.com , if you have not visited it I highly recommend it, and they also have a smart app! It allows you to search for any of your favorite retailers for coupons! Currently some of the hot deals include, 25% off at JCPenney, 15% off at Macy’s and a double BOGO offer at Yankee Candle, Buy 2, Get 2!! I just love Retailmenot so much, I could spend hours on end researching deals and imagining all the money I can save (on things I actually need!! Otherwise I wouldn’t be saving money now would I? haha).  

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Watch this video to learn some other great tips just in time for the holidays, and always remember before doing bargain shopping to make a list of the things you really need! Otherwise you will most likely end up spending more money than originally planned, not saving much money after all.
Great tips in time for the holidays!  

Weekday Wacky Specials and Happy Hours

If this week calls for Happy Hour then you’ve come to the right place! Going out for a drink or some food can get expensive, but when you do proper research to find restaurants that offer specials and Happy Hours you can save a buck (or two or three!)  Restaurants often don’t do as much business on the weekdays so more and more restaurants are offering specials and extending Happy Hours to bring in the crowd.  A lot of other places are also throwing entertainment into the mix as well, such as running trivia nights or Karaoke.  Anyone have a karaoke go to song?  I’d love to hear it below. I used to live in Farmington, and still will head back to visit two of my favorite places for week night specials.  Basement Burger Bar, in downtown Farmington, and Peterlin’s about a mile away from downtown at 9 mile and Farmington Road.  (I only live in Walled Lake now, so I guess it’s really not that far, haha)  I’ve attached the links to both restaurants week night specials and events, personally I’d have to say my favorite would be Basement Burgers Bar’s amazing deals on Monday night. Half off draft beers, appetizers and Trivia night, AWESOME! Also, they offer Happy Hour everyday from 3pm-6pm.  Check out all the deals here http://basementburgerbar.com/home/specials/

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Wednesday night is also a personal favorite of mine at Peterlin’s my mom and I and some family friends of ours like to go as it is BOGO appetizers as well as Happy Hour drink deals all day long!  Normal Happy Hour is also served everyday in between 3pm-6pm.  Check out all the deals here http://peterlins.com/specials/

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Happy Hours usually run at most places from 3pm-6pm or 3pm-7pm, perfect for going out after work to grab a drink with a friend, coworkers or a significant other.  A lot of people run into the problem of not getting off work in time for Happy Hour (which is sometimes me!).  Don’t fret, there are also places that offer Happy Hour deals “late night” usually starting after 9pm.  Applebee’s has all of their appetizers ½ off after 9pm as well as drink specials!  (and bonus, going back on a previous blog post, Wednesday is girls night, grab some ladies and get some drinks, wait until after 9 and get some cheap appetizers too!)

Bennigan’s also has multiple $3 and $4 appetizers and mixed and specialty drinks under $5 after 9pm.  I went with a friend once and we ordered 3 appetizers and each had 4 drinks (liquor drinks, not beer!) and our tab was $20, I was shocked!

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So grab a friend, or two or anyone that likes a good deal for that matter and hit up  Happy Hour or weeknight special deals!! Enjoy drinks and food on a budget, a (1/2 off at Basement Burger Bar on Mondays) Beer Budget! =)