Surviving Black Friday and Cyber Monday

I don’t do Black Friday. I would rather have every hair pulled out of my head individually than fight hundreds of people for the last Nintendo DS on the shelf. But there are people who live for the deals offered by stores on the day after Thanksgiving – and there are some good deals if you’re willing to brave some serious crowds.

Cyber Monday, in my opinion, is retailers’ solution to people like me. They wait until the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend when people go back to work and offer hundreds of deals exclusively online. No crowds. No lines. No waiting.

Whether you shop one or both of these popular days, take advantage of these tips for finding the deals you really want before they are gone. 

Shop before you can shop

The Internet has revolutionized the way shopper tackle Black Friday. Back in the “old days” as my son calls them, you would stop at a newspaper stand and pick up the Thanksgiving Day special edition, which was full of Black Friday ads. You can still do that, or you can view the ads and a whole lot more on these sites:

BlackFriday.info

BlackFriday.com

Cybermonday.com

Cybermonday.net

In-store, online or both?

Pay close attention to where the sale prices apply. A lot of stores have “in-store only” sales that start in the middle of the night and end before a lot of people normally wake up. Or, they offer online specials that are different than the ones in stores. Know where and when you can take advantage of special pricing.

Keep your expectations realistic

Just because you show up at the store doesn’t mean you will leave with the item(s) you want. At stores like Wal-Mart, people start lining up at 10 p.m. for sales that don’t start until 2 a.m. or later. There are limited quantities of those items that are price too low to be true.

Use Facebook and Twitter to find deals

Liking your favorite stores on Facebook and following them on Twitter could help you find special deals not published anywhere else. It also may save you a trip by indicating when sales are over or merchandise is sold out.

Use store websites and your mobile phone to your advantage

Many store websites will let you shop by location. If the store you are at is out of the item you wanted to buy, use your mobile phone to access to the store’s website and change and search for the item at a different location. If it’s there, see if you can buy the item online and pick it up at the store.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy shopping!

 

Leasing a Vehicle Can Steal Your Financial Freedom

There is a lady at my church who always seems to be driving a new car. One day I asked her if her husband worked at a car dealership. The answer was no. She was actually leasing these vehicles. She said she loved her lease because she was able to drive a new car more frequently than she would by buying them.

This is exactly what car dealerships and vehicle manufacturers want you to think. The truth is that leasing a vehicle can be a dangerous cycle for anyone trying to get out of debt or achieve some level of financial freedom.

Leasing a vehicle is essentially renting it. You make monthly payments, but you never really own the car. At the end of the lease – usually two or three years – you either buy the car for what you still owe on it, or you turn it in. If you’re like the lady at my church, you start the process all over again with a new vehicle.

Think about this. When you purchase a vehicle – new or used – you pay on the car for the length of your loan and then it’s yours. Once the loan is paid off, you readjust your budget, because you now have several hundred dollars you’re not spending on a car loan.

When you lease a vehicle and continue to lease new vehicles, you never lose that car payment. Most people are attracted to leasing because the monthly payments can be so low, but then they get sucked in to the rush of driving a new car every few years. Before they know it, they have spent thousands of dollars over time and don’t even own a vehicle.

If they buy the car for what is still owed on it at the end of the lease, they often end up going upside down on their loan. That means they are paying more on their loan than the vehicle is worth. Should they total the vehicle before that loan is paid off, they won’t get enough money from the insurance company to pay off the loan. That means they’ll be paying on a loan for a car they can’t even drive.

Here’s a more ideal scenario. Buy a used vehicle, maybe a year or two old, with very few miles on it. If you have to finance the loan, get a low interest loan for as few years as possible. Once the loan is paid in full, continue making those payments to a savings account that you never touch, with the exception of an emergency. When you are ready to purchase another new vehicle, you’ll be able to do it with cash. That’s what financial freedom is all about.

Leasing a vehicle seems attractive because of the low monthly payments, but it can be really dangerous to your long-term financial picture.

Five Reasons to Shop Halloween Clearance Racks

In my house, November 1 is like Black Friday. I drop my son at school and immediately head to Wal-Mart to see what Halloween costumes I can buy for 50 percent off. My son loves to dress up in costume, and it’s always fun to see him get excited when he opens new ones on Christmas morning. That’s not the only reason I shop Halloween clearance, though. Here are five good reasons we all can do it.

1. Affordable Gifts

Kids love costumes any time of the year – not just on Halloween. They make great gifts for birthdays and Christmas, as well as for toy drives at Christmas time. At 50 percent off, you can afford to giver more to needy children and still tuck away a few in your gift closet for when you need a last-minute birthday gift.

2. School Activities and Costume Parties

The mascot at my son’s school is a cowboy. Every year, the PTA hosts Western Day. The kids and teachers are encouraged to dress up as cowboys/cowgirls. My Wal-Mart had a lot of cowboy/girl costumes for both kids and adults, and the one I bought should get him through at least another year or two. They may have your mascot, too.

3.  Party Supplies and Fundraising

Candy doesn’t go bad very quickly, and a lot of the Halloween candy you buy will be in neutral packaging. Buy now for Valentines Day and Easter. Think about organizations you belong to that may solicit candy donations during the year or may need the candy for fundraising purposes. Now is the time to stock up.

4.  Shop for Next year

Why spend $30 next year on the same thing you can get for $15 this year? Save yourself money every year by purchasing your Halloween costumes and décor a year ahead of schedule.

5.  Halloween is More Than Costumes and Candy

There are lots of things on Halloween Clearance that are not costumes and candy. Think about artificial pumpkins, floral arrangements, lights, yard art, socks and hair bows in Fall colors and more. You can even find Halloween cake mixes and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in jack-o-lantern shapes on clearance. Again, why pay full price for anything you can get on sale?

Take advantage of these deals this week. If you wait much longer, you will be out of luck. Stores are anxious to replace Halloween with Christmas.