98. The Ultimate Game Plan for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Savings

Looking to make savings this Black Friday and Cyber Monday? This episode is not just about the nuts and bolts of smart shopping. It's about real-life experiences and strategies we've picked up along the way. PLUS we discuss Travel Tuesday - the little-known opportunity for discounted travel!

WEBSITES MENTIONED:

• Google Shopping - https://www.google.com/shopping?hl=en
• TopCashback -
  https://www.topcashback.co.uk/ref/whatzitoya
• Quidco - https://www.quidco.com/raf/3561322/
• CamelCamelCamel - https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/
• HotUKDeals - https://www.hotukdeals.com/
• RetailMeNot - https://www.retailmenot.com/

OUR IN-PERSON EVENT, 14th DECEMBER 2023 - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/new-year-wealthier-you-tickets-750767986257?aff=oddtdtcreator

*some links may be affiliate links

Chapters

• 0:00 Black Friday and Cyber Monday Tips
• 7:55 Maximizing Savings
• 13:53 Black Friday Shopping and Travel Tips

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey guys, welcome back to the Penny's Plans podcast with your host, kia, and this is the podcast. We're into the Spongebob myths, simplified difficult financial jargon and rectify your own personal problems. Happy Monday everyone. I hope you've had an amazing weekend. I have actually had some Monday blues. I don't really get you know when people say, oh my gosh, it's Monday again. I've never really had that. I've just said like, oh, we're back into the working week, but today it's been, it's been a day, it's been a day, but I'm always happy and excited when it comes to recording this podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:30

As we all know, the sales are up coming. This is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, literally around the corner. So this episode is dedicated to those two events, if you are a shopper, and they're dedicated to getting you the best deals and making sure that you are saving money, because that is the key thing when it comes to the Penny's Plans podcast and the whole platform in general all about helping you to save money and make the most of your money when it comes to investing credit, everything in between. That's all we're here to do. So I want to make sure that you are in good stead for these deals Now, when it comes to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I'm going to be honest, I'm not really a shopper. I'm not really someone who will go into those deals and say, yeah, I'm going to buy. I'm not really that person. I'm going to make sure that you guys are set up and I might shop this year. So these are some tips for me, but I'm going to give you 10 tips that you need to make sure you're implementing this Black Friday. Now, without further ado, let's get straight into it.

Speaker 1: 1:25

Number one, and probably the one you need to start with, is to make sure that you have a shopping list. Now, I say this because you might veer off track. I have had so many emails already about early Black Friday deals, this, that and the third. And if you don't have a shopping list, you will fall into the trap of buying any and everything just because it's there. You're like, oh, it's shiny and new. Oh, I might want to get that if you have a shopping list. So if there's things you want to get for yourself maybe you really wanted this item, these new pair of headphones, these new trainers and they've been on your list for a minute If you have that list, you are really focused in on what you want to get. Obviously, christmas around the corner you may also have a list of presents that you want to get. So make sure you have that list. You're not distracted and tempted by other deals. You're just going in and going for what you want to buy.

Speaker 1: 2:11

Number two, very key set a budget, please. I love a good deal, but what I don't love is going over and above and spending way more money than I need to. So have a budget in mind for whatever you want to get. So, when you have your list figure out right, I want to spend no more than 100 pounds, 200, 500, whatever your budget is. Have that in mind so you're not going to go crazy, because, trust me, it is easy and it's tempting, but you don't want to do this. Number three this is my key one.

Speaker 1: 2:41

Okay, this is if you remember no other tip from this episode, this is the one I want to resonate you with is compare prices. Now, I've mentioned this before on the podcast, but a lot of people don't realize that retailers are very, very tricky. They're very, they're cunning. I think that's the better word. They're cunning.

Speaker 1: 3:00

What you will find is some retailers will have a product. Let's just pick a random product, I don't know. I'm going to pick some airport maxes. Right, I'm looking at mine. Let's just take airport maxes. You'll see some retailers and you'll think, right, I'm going to go for a good deal on the airport maxes. What they will do is they will hike up the price of those airport maxes, for example, before Black Friday. Let's just say, obviously, apple retail them for 550 pounds. Let's just say you look at someone like Amazon, for example, and they retail them at 479. What Amazon may do is hike them up to 530 pounds or 550 before Black Friday, and then Black Friday comes and they bring it right down to 479. You're like, oh my gosh, airport maxes 479, water bargain. But if you had compared the prices you would have known Huh, actually that's not really a saving there. That is actually the original price prior to Black Friday.

Speaker 1: 3:56

So if I were you from today or tomorrow, so Monday or Tuesday before Black Friday, saturday, monday you want to make sure that you're noting down the price of whatever you're going for. Have a look across all the websites online as well, to get a good understanding of how much their item or items you're looking to buy or retailing for, just so you know. But you need to make sure you're on top of that, because these retailers, they will try their best. They will try their best and hike up prices before and then bring it down. So it's down to you to make sure you're comparing your prices. Google Shopping is a tool I always like to use because it makes it so easy to compare prices across all the retailers. I just think it's just a good layout and you just have it right there. But make sure you have your notes page on your phone or you have a note pad and paper to write down these prices so you know what you're looking at.

Speaker 1: 4:42

Number four will be to subscribe to alerts. So, wherever you want to shop if you have favorite retailers in mind I don't know Adidas, nike, anything in particular that you really want to shop at sign up to the alerts because, a it's gonna let you know when their Black Friday deals start. Some retailers have really started. Some will be starting on Black Friday, but you'll get the first notification when they start and B you'll be able to keep track of what deals are going on when. So this is what you need to make sure that you're getting those deals. And time of the previous point about tracking prices. So not only are we gonna compare prices across different retailers, but you wanna track historical prices. So if you're looking for Amazon, in particular, camel, camel, camel, so the animal Camel times three that has a website where you can track the price of any item on Amazon and it will show you the historic price and what it was yesterday, what it was a month ago, what it was three years ago. You can see the price of any item that you're looking for. You can also sign up within Camel, camel Camel to get alerted when it drops down to a certain price you can pick a price or when it's discounted to 10%, 15% whatever you want to pick, you're able to get alerts straight to your inbox.

Speaker 1: 5:58

I'll give you a little story about I think I was in sixth form and I'd gotten my first or second job so I'd get a good paycheck right my first time I've ever seen like 800 pounds on my account on like 17. And I decided to treat myself to some headphones and my dad had told me about Camel, camel, camel when I was 17. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna get these headphones and they were on sale at the time. But I said I'm gonna have a look and see the previous prices that it has been and I'd seen that it was like 50 pounds cheaper about three months prior and I was like I'm going to wait and I'm gonna get it at that price or lower so you can set within Camel, camel, camel. When I said it and I said, let me know when it's either 50 pounds cheaper than this price or less than that. And it took a couple of months but I finally got that email that one day I had my money set aside for these headphones and I got that email saying Kia, the headphones have dropped down by 60 pounds and I bought them straight away. So Black Friday, anything you're looking to get, this is, in particular, for Amazon Camel, camel, camel is your best friend. There are other price tracking tools that you can have a look online, that you can track across all websites, but if you're looking for Amazon in particular, camel, camel, camel is your way to go.

Speaker 1: 7:07

Next one if you're not new to pennies, pounds, you know we always talk about cash back. Please, please, please, make sure that you're making use of cash back sites. To give you a quick reminder if you are unsure of what cash back is cash back is when you get cash back on your purchases. Typically, when we think about cash back, you think about cash back credit cards, so the things like AmEx where, when you spend, you may get points back in a form of travel points or obvious points or money back into your credit card. But there are also websites like TopCashBack and Quidco that allow you to get money back on any purchases that you make online and that can be withdrawn straight into your bank account or your PayPal account. This is my favorite thing to do. Even when shopping the deals make sure you're using cash back sites.

Speaker 1: 7:55

The only caveat of cash back sites is that you need to make sure that you click through on a cash back site before you shop. So you need to remember if I'm gonna shop on New Look, for example, I need to go to TopCashBack or Quidco, first, search up New Look within the website and then click through to New Look through Quidco or TopCashBack. The reason being is these websites use things called cookies and that's how we track where you've gone and what you've done on that website. So you need to basically allow Quidco or TopCashBack to track the cookie between their website and you go into New Look so they can see oh right, you spent I don't know, 25 pounds at New Look, so you're gonna get X amount of cash back into your account. But this is what I do all the time.

Speaker 1: 8:35

I also forget how much I've made or gotten back. I should say, through Quidco or TopCashBack, I think. When I checked Quidco the other day, over my whole lifetime of having it and I've been using it properly for the last three and a half four years I think I've made or gotten back, I should say, into my account, 1,971 pounds, because I use it for pretty much the majority of my purchases. So whether I make big purchases, like I'm buying a laptop, I use the waitress, my cash back sites, or smaller ones, even for flights, hotels, everything. Whatever I'm booking, I will check there first and if I can get cash back, I'm getting that back and that £1,900 has been withdrawn into my accounts. Obviously, it's not only one go. I take it in bits. I'll be 100 here, 50 there but I've taken that back into my account and I've been able to spend it on other things.

Speaker 1: 9:21

So before you shop this Black Friday, make sure you are signed up to a cashback site and make sure you are searching on that cashback site to get your money. If you are someone who thinks I'm going to forget I'm honestly going to forget to go on cashback sites before I shop if you're using the Chrome browser and I'm not sure about anything else, but definitely for Chrome they have an extension. So there's a top cashback reminder extension and a Qwidco extension which reminds you on any website that you're on that's eligible for cashback. It will say click here to activate, and that is it. You don't have to worry about trying to go on the website first. You click on the button and it will activate it for you and you're earning your cashback as long as you go through and purchase on the website that you're on. Any links, by the way, that I mentioned here will be in the episode description, so don't worry if you've missed what I've said. You can just click through on the episode description to make your life a lot easier, and we also got it on our website too. But cashback, cashback, cashback all the way.

Speaker 1: 10:16

Next one is to make sure that you're looking at websites where they have flash sales. When I say this, I'm talking about things like Groupon, voucher codes, voucher those places which can have a flash sales on absolutely anything. Now, I love a good Groupon good voucher when I'm looking for deals for travel or retreats. If you're looking for a spa time, if you're looking for travel abroad, those two are usually my go to. But what you'll find is that these platforms often offer limited time discounts and vouchers on a variety of different websites, different items. So it's a good way to make sure that you get in the best deals or whatever you're purchasing, and maybe even just get some things that aren't always advertised, especially for voucher codes. Voucher codes if you've never visited it before, it is like the holy grail for online discounts. When you're shopping, you need to go on there and make sure that any website you're looking to purchase from, if there's a voucher to be had, voucher codes will have it on their website and anything flash, anything that's really quick voucher codes is more like to have it than you getting it, for example, into your email box, so you might miss it by that time. So make sure you look at the websites before you shop so you don't miss out on anything.

Speaker 1: 11:28

Another one I think is almost overlooked a little bit is to follow the brands that you want to shop from on social media, even if it's just for that short period of time because I think, if you're someone who perhaps can sometimes fall into impulse purchasing, following these retailers online isn't advantageous. However, however, if you're looking to get the best deals this Black Friday, what you'll find is often the social media managers are tasked with posting up quick deals, quick discounts, on the Instagram stories or put out tweets, and I know this because I have consulted with many brands on their social media and I have been in charge of helping that happen. So I know that that is where it happens. It'll be like oh, anyone who follows on the Instagram will get the quick little discount. If you don't follow them, you'll miss that discount code. So make sure you're following any brands you want to shop from can be big, it can be small. Follow them on Instagram because you'll likely get first dibs and perhaps even just exclusive discount codes that you wouldn't get anywhere else, just on the website. So definitely follow anyone that you want to purchase from on social media and, like I said, if you're someone who can fall into impulse purchasing, hit on follow after Cyber Monday.

Speaker 1: 12:37

Next one is leading to what I just said is to hold out till Cyber Monday. So Black Friday is always the one that we push a lot. Everyone talks about Black Friday, black Friday sales, black Friday discounts, but Cyber Monday is also another good time to get some discounts. So if you're looking to buy any tech items, for example, or just anything in general, it might be worthwhile holding out until Cyber Monday. Places like Tech Raider or Hot UK Deals one of my favorite websites ever are good places to check and see what's upcoming, what's been released and what deals and discounts you can get Hot UK Deals. If you haven't been on there already that place my dad showed me it. It is so good. I have been able to get deals on things that I have never seen other than on Hot UK Deals. I remember I got. What did I get? I got Spotify, the premium subscription. I managed to get that for like 99p for six months, and that was just because someone in Hot UK Deals it's almost like a forum where people can submit deals that they've come across, put it on there limited time only were able to get that deal and save my money that way. Hot UK Deals is a great place to have a look, especially during this time, to make sure you get all the deals and discounts that you need to be getting.

Speaker 1: 13:53

Next one is we love shopping new. We do you want to purchase is new, this is new, that but maybe during this time, also consider shopping secondhand. We're coming up to the festive season and buying new is great, but if you're looking to buy, especially things like clothing and you know you're not going to wear it that many times, or you know, you know what I could actually just buy it pre-loved in secondhand. Have a look and do so. I have made the shift, especially this summer. I was traveling a lot, I was going to a lot of different places and initially in the beginning of the year, I was shopping everything brand new. I'm online, buying this, buying that, buying it all brand new, and you spend a lot of money doing that. Then it got to summertime and I was like you know what? I'm going to have a look on Deep Pop and eBay and see what I can find.

Speaker 1: 14:39

More often than not, you'll find people who have items that are even never worn or only worn once and are in amazing condition, and they get it for a fraction of the price. I've got some amazing outfits that I bought pre-loved, secondhand, got a good discount on, and sometimes you can bargain people down. I know that myself. I've got a Deep Pop. People bargain me down. I'm like, yeah, go on, and you can up for that price. So consider shopping secondhand, because there are also still deals and discounts on there. People still run deals because it's Black Friday. Just because it's secondhand doesn't mean that you can't get a good deal on your items.

Speaker 1: 15:13

And then, lastly this is more of just something to consider is what I've touched on a bit earlier in the episode is to be weary of impulse purchases. You want to make sure that whatever you're purchasing is something that you actually want and not just because you've seen it's on sale and you think this is great, I want to just buy something. Impulse purchasing is often done just so you can feel that hit or dope on me, because when we add things to our basket, we get this rush of dopamine, which is what makes you feel happy. So people do that and say, yes, I really want this. And when the item comes, they're like, ah, I didn't actually want that. So you want to make sure that whatever you're buying is actually things that you want to buy and not just for the sake of it, not just so you can get that hit of dopamine. It's actually things that you really want. You can also visit this website called Retail Me Not, which will show you all the places right now that have Black Friday discounts. It will also show you places that you can get cashback. It's just a great place to have a look at. They also have a deal finder extension on the Chrome browser which automatically applies discount codes for you, allows you to earn cashback whenever you're shopping online.

Speaker 1: 16:29

Honorary mentions at the end of this is to make sure you've got things like Honey and Pouch installed on your browser. I believe you can get them on Firefox. You can definitely get them on Chrome. If you use any of your browser, you have to have a look. Definitely not on Safari, but Chrome and potentially Firefox. You can get these add-ons. All they do is just add onto your browser. So I have Honey installed, I have Pouch, I have Karma. Karma is a really good one. So when I was mentioning earlier about tracking the prices of items and I mentioned Camel, camel, camel is specifically for Amazon items, but it's great to see historical data on the prices and be able to track the future prices of items. Karma allows you to pick any product from any website and track it and Karma will let you know and give you an alert through your web browser, so through Chrome, when there's discount code to be had, when there's a price drop, so you can make sure that you're shopping with confidence and getting the best price. So Karma K-A-R-M-A is another one to add to your browser, but these are just all good add-ons to have to ensure that you're getting the best deals possible when it comes to Black Friday.

Speaker 1: 17:40

Hopefully some of these tips have resonated with you. I want to make sure that you're getting the best deals. Also, if you're looking to travel abroad in the new year, then travel Tuesday may be the thing that you want to keep an eye on. Travel Tuesday this year falls on the 28th of November, which is a Tuesday, as I mentioned and this is known where you typically should be able to get really good prices and hopefully discounts on traveling abroad. That includes your airline ticket, accommodation, train tickets, on a variety of different things. They also fall in Black Friday. I feel like Black Friday. We always talk about items, but you can also get good discounts and deals on flights and trips. So if you're planning for the new year and you want to get a nice discount to see the world and travel abroad, but not break the bank. Then Black Friday and travel Tuesday are probably two days that I'd say. Make sure you're having a look, but again, as I mentioned, track the prices. If you want to go somewhere in particular and you want to get a package deal, see what it is right now. Then, on Black Friday, compare the price, see has it actually gone down or is it the same price I'm actually getting a discount and then make sure you're looking on travel Tuesday as well to get the best prices when it comes to traveling online. There you have it, guys.

Speaker 1: 18:55

Another quick but informative, bite-sized episode from us here at Penny's Pounds. I hope you have enjoyed this one. If you are around and available, please. We are having a last in-person event on the 14th of December 2023. It's a Thursday from 6.30 to 9.00 PM in a Samsung King's Cross building. The link to purchase tickets will be in our bio. Early Bird is officially sold out. Completely Super duper excited. It's going to be really fun now. We're so much planned, so many great panels on the night. It's going to be a really fun time 11 days before Christmas. So if you're available and you live in London, please do come through. I love meeting you guys all in person, but yes, until next week, guys, bye.