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Black Friday Tips and Tricks for Both In-Store and Online Shoppers!

November 18, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

Ok, so how do you roll on Black Friday? Are you up hours before the sun in order to get those awesome deals? Or do you kick back at home and do your shopping online? 56% of consumers believe that Black Friday is the day to get the most savings out of all the major winter holiday sale days (source), so the odds are good that you are going to be buying something that day, and for a good price! And whether you are in the stores or just in cyberspace, I’ve got some information that is going to save you even MORE money this November 29th! Here’s how to get instant access to over 500,000 coupons at over 60,000 stores! 

For the Brick and Mortar Shoppers

You simply MUST download the . It is free (see? saving money already!) and it will send automatic alerts to your phone when deals are at nearby malls. It gives you the ability to save coupons and to receive notifications about when they are about to expire. I think this feature is fantastic all year long, as I have thrown away countless great coupons simply because I forgot to use them before they were expired. Additionally, since in-store shoppers need to have a very smart strategy to maximize their time on Black Friday, you may want to save some of those sales that last more than one day for later that weekend and focus your energies on the one day only blowouts.

To use the coupons that you have on your phones in the stores, you just show your phone at checkout and the person ringing you up can either scan the barcode or enter the code provided into their register and BOOM! Savings for you! Nothing to print and remember to fish out of your purse!

For the Online Shoppers

If the “in your jammies” shopping is more your style, I’m right there with you! But you don’t have to wait for Cyber Monday to scoop up some FANTASTIC deals. And you also don’t have to scour the papers and plot your strategy for an hour before shopping. Just do what I do, and head to  to scoop up your coupons. Want a sneak peek of those amazing deals? Check out their constantly updated page! I’m dying over here at some of the bargains!

And since great deals are happening every single day online, and not just on Black Friday, can I suggestion that you sign up for RetailMeNot and their newsletters, which show you the very best deals across the site each week? RetailMeNot is making it SO easy to save as much money as possible, and for that, I truly love them! 🙂

 Not Sure What to Buy?

If you know you want to get a great deal this year, but don’t know what you want to buy, RetailMeNot can help you out! They offer (tied to great coupons, of course!), and if you are in a bit of a hurry and need to quickly find the best ideas and prices, check out which offers gift suggestions , savings tips and the best sales of the week, all in one spot.

Save More, Earn More!

If you become a member of RetailMeNot and make 2 purchases of $10 or more each by using their coupons, you will get a $5 eGift card to use. If you make 3 purchases, you ! Is the awesomeness of RetailMeNot sinking in? They work hard to save you as much money as possible, make access to these savings totally free, and then, on top of it all, they are giving you extra money back?!

 Snow Me The Money!

Snow Me The Money
In addition to all the savings you can expect from RetailMeNot on Black Friday (and every day!), you also need to check out the Snow Me The Money Sweepstakes! Use the RetailMeNotMobile app, which you have already downloaded because you are super savvy, and simply shake the snow globe for a chance to win a $25 eGift card, or the grand prize of $10,000!

There are SO many ways to save with RetailMeNot this holiday season. I’ve saved a ton of money over the years thanks to this website, and I’m getting geared up to save even more this year. Thank you, RetailMeNot!

 This post is brought to you by RetailMeNot. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

 

Filed Under: My Favorite Finds · Tagged: black friday, black friday deals, black friday sales, online black friday deals, retailmenot

My Holiday Shopping Strategy and My Best Tips for Keeping Your Credit Card Info Safe

November 14, 2012 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

You may have already heard me mention on Twitter and Facebook that I have 25 people on my Christmas shopping list. I have a lot of siblings, in-laws, and a TON of nieces (and one sweet little nephew, too!). I have a 6 page list where I keep track of the gifts I have purchased, as I shop all year long so that I can afford to get fun and interesting gifts for everyone.

My goal every year is to be completely finished with my shopping by Thanksgiving.

I rarely meet this goal.

But I almost NEVER subject myself to Black Friday. I don’t think it is fun at all. I think it is stressful and a little bit sad, as it just seems to be a day of grabbing as much stuff as you can before someone else grabs it. No thanks.

But Cyber Monday? Now that’s a different story! I think I like it because I can’t see with my own eyes how many other people are shopping, and somehow that makes it easier to accept. Also, my work day starts around 4am, and if I can get some shopping done in the wee small hours of the morning, that’s ideal for me! No need to get out of my yoga pants!

Oh who am I kidding; I still wear my yoga pants when I go to the store…

Whether you are hitting the stores for those tempting holiday deals or just going online to get what you need (or both, which is what most Americans are doing now), you will likely be making use of your credit and/or debit cards. They are so convenient and in the short run feel much safer than cash, but each shopping experience you have with them is also another opportunity for identity theft.

Sorry to be a joy kill, but as you know I’ve been a victim MANY times, and a few of those times happened around the holidays, when I was using my credit card quite liberally.

I have a few tips to help you stay safe this holiday season. These are tips and tricks I have picked up over the years and I hope they help you.

Shopping in a store

1. DO NOT get your credit card out of your wallet until it is time to pay. Many people have it out and on the counter or in their hands while they wait for the total bill. In this day and age, security cameras and cell phones can easily get a picture of your credit card numbers and the name on the card. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true. Don’t get would-be picture takers the chance!

Shopping online

1. If you are like me you do price comparisons online before making a purchase. Sometimes a lesser known store might have a better deal than some of the online giants like Amazon. I’ve seen it! BUT….if the best deal is coming from a store or site you’ve never heard of, please take an extra moment to do a web search on the company and see if there are any complaints out there. You need to make sure that you are shopping with a reputable retailer before handing over your credit card information. Checking out the store with the Better Business Bureau is also a good idea and it only takes a few seconds. This strategy has kept me from handing over my credit card information to businesses that turned out to be shady on more than one occasion.

2. Keep your internet security software up to date to help you catch anything fishy (or should I say phishy?).

Holiday donations

1. I never make donations to organizations over the phone, because I don’t know if the person who is calling me really is from the organization in question, or if they are just claiming to be from the organization. Unfortunately this is a popular way to get people to hand over their credit card info, along with their addresses. Instead of donating this way, go directly to the organization you support online and donate through their site.

I hope my tips will help you play it safe this holiday season! For more helpful hints and tips (and for chances to win GREAT prizes, like a $1,000 Visa card!) remember to play the LifeLock for Life game online. It’s one of my favorite weekly games to play as it teaches me something new every time!

Do you have any tips for keeping your personal information safe while shopping and making donations this holiday season?

I am a compensated ambassador for LifeLock.  All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Filed Under: Featured, General · Tagged: black friday, christmas shopping, cyber monday, how to prevent identity theft, identity theft, identity theft insurance, identity theft prevention, identity theft protection, identity theft protection reviews, internet identity theft, life lock, lifelock, lifelock review, online identity theft, protection from identity theft, shopping online

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Welcome!


Grab your beverage of choice (mine is iced coffee) and let's hang out for a spell! I'm Tiffany, and I've rambunctious little girls and a fierce desire to share any tip and trick I can find to make lives with little ones a bit less hectic and a lot more fun. [Read more...]

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