Black Friday Tips//What I Bought

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and you know what that means- so are the sales!!

I went black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping for the first time ever last year and I had an amazing experience! None of the horror stories of people ripped items out of your hands or pushing you down to get to an item first. Don’t get me wrong, it was extremely crowded at some points, but it was worth it!

1. Do your Research

My main and most important tip is to do your research. By this I mean know what stores are having the best sales, what items you want to try to score from that store, and where you are going to go to shop that store. Last year I did not have a full plan of what I wanted to try to purchase, but I had an idea of a few things I had been wanting, which is what I suggest. The most important part of this tip is to know where you are going to shop- and to check that it is actually going to be open. We went all out last year. We got in the car and started shopping at about 10 Thanksgiving night and shopped until morning. Our only mistake: we did not check what times the malls were starting their Black Friday Sales. We got to one of the biggest malls at about 11:30, only to discover that it was closing at midnight and that half the stores within the mall were already closed for Thanksgiving day. I did end up scoring a major deal at this mall that I will share later in the post, but had we been better prepared, we could have shopped even more here. We ended up going to the outlets that were open near by and finding tons of amazing sales, but it would have been nice to have been able to shop both.

2. Set a Budget

Sales are exciting. You do not want to go overboard, so it is always a good idea to set a budget any time you are shopping- and stick to it.

3. Don’t Get Blinded by the Deals

This goes back to my first tip of having in mind what you want to buy. As I said before, sales can be very exciting. If you see a good deal, it may persuade you to purchase something you do not actually need and may not even really want. You’re not in love with the item, you are in love with the price tag.

What I Bought Last Year and Sales Prices:

This is the first thing I bought last year, the one item from the mall that was closing, and probably the best deal. Maybe. It’s a tough decision. Anyways, Lilly Pulitzer two pieces usually retail for just under $200. While at the mall, one of the only stores open was the Belk that happened to carry Lilly. There I was able to score this two piece for 75% off. Yep- only $50!

The store that I did the majority of my Black Friday shopping in was J.Crew Factory. Their vests retail for about $100 I believe, and I got this one for around $40. Not as good a deal as the Lilly two piece, but still 50% off and it is a vest I had wanted for a while.

As I mentioned in my Top 10 Fall Essentials post and video, vests and plaids are my go to items in the fall and winter. J.Crew ones are my favorite, so naturally, I had to purchase one I had had my eye on during Black Friday last year. This one is one of my favorites because it is designed more like a piece of outerwear or intended for layering rather than a thin flannel. Also, this one has a quarter zipper instead of buttons! This one I believe retailed for around $90, and I think I got it for around $40!

This piece may be my most favorite thing I bought over Black Friday: my J.Crew Field Jacket. This is an item that I had also had my eye on for a while. It retails for $125 and I bought it for only $50!

The last item I purchased from J.Crew was probably the best deal I got there. This vest was already on clearance and had an additional percentage off for Black Friday, making it only $25 instead of $100!

Lilly Pulitzer signature shoes do their own kind of Black Friday sale only they call it Colorful Friday! I got this tube top that retails for around $40/50 for only $12!

These leggings were not on an amazing sale, but since they are kids they already retail for only $34 and I was able to get them for $24!

This dress is another great deal I got. I believe it was originally around $168 and it was so marked down during Colorful Friday that I managed to get it for only $25!

The only thing I bought during Cyber Monday was from the Lilly Pulitzer Corporate Website. I do not know about this year, but in the past, Lilly has always done a special gift with purchase on Cyber Monody that changes every hour. No sales- just a special gift with purchase. The key is to check the website every hour until their is a gift with purchase that you actually want. Hint: don’t go for the hair ties, wait for the scarf. Through this deal, I managed to get this free scarf, valued at $78, only by purchasing a pack of tumblers that cost $30! Deals, deals, deals!