You may be thinking that this article is coming out late when Black Friday already passed and you’d be right. But since I only have a dozen consistent readers at the moment, I think this article will be more of a guide for future readers. Did you buy anything this year? Being frugal you may have thought I didn’t, but after years wearing the same wardrobe, I decided to get new pants and shirts.
My deal
Gap and Banana Republic had a 50% off sale on Black Friday. I went into the store and purchased one shirt and one pair of pants. This was a good decision because it confirmed what size I am. I then paid with a gift card I used my Discover rewards to get. An $80 shirt became $40 + tax and I used $40 of Discover rewards to get a $50 Banana Republic gift card. They gave me the $7 gift card balance in cash, so I got an $80 shirt for $33, a 59% discount. If you don’t have Discover rewards you can often buy discounted gift cards on many sites including Staples, eBay, or Raise. I had a good start, but my day didn’t end with a pair of pants and a shirt. I went back home to their website where I purchased five more items. The benefit to shopping online is you can use a cashback portal, but you can’t cash out the gift card balance. The portal gave me an additional 5% cashback.
Your deal
So you are probably American and that probably means you’re a consumer, so you want to buy stuff. Apple just came out with a new MacBook Pro with a touch bar. I tried it, you have lived your life without it and probably can continue to do so, so if you are looking for a new computer, try some of my advice. For the things you have wanted, opposed to impulse buys, you can get a good deal at this time of the year. I think Black Friday and Cyber Monday will have great deals, but retailers still want your money today and going forward, so I believe that good deals will continue to the end of the year. As for Sears, it seems like the weekend is enough of a reason for them to run a sale.
Conclusion
If you have been waiting for a 4K 78” 3D Curved TV to go on sale, it probably is discounted to $4,000. But maybe you could consider a 4K 60” TV for $947.71 at Walmart. If you are flexible you can really get a good deal. When you want something do a bit of research to find a good deal and then jump on it. If you later find a better deal and paid with a credit card, you may be eligible for price protection. Don’t get sucked into overconsumption, but always look for a good deal.