How To Shop the Black Friday Sales on a Budget

How to find the best black friday deals uk

Hey Owlets,


There’s Christmas music playing in the supermarket (earlier again this year!), Black Friday is here, there’s pressure to buy Christmas gifts and apparently 2020 is the gift that keeps on giving, because having navigated multiple lockdowns and a global health crisis, we’re now faced with the challenge of heating our homes, looking after our loved ones and enjoying the festive season with next to no budget (I write this as I’m in pyjamas and a wearable blanket, under a duvet for warmth). The pressure to spend more is huge at this time of year, and with the festive season looming a lot of people are turning to the Black Friday sales to try and make their money stretch further. 


The issue, as I’m sure most of you are aware, is that Black Friday is just one giant marketing tactic and a ploy to get you to part ways with your hard-earned cash. So before you dive head-first into the sales, here are a few tips to help you shop without breaking the bank.


How to find the best black friday deals uk


Not All that Glitters is Gold


You’ll often get bombarded with brands telling you how great their deals are, but things aren’t always what they seem. A Which! study found that 98% of the products on sale for Black Friday 2021 were available at the same price or cheaper at several times throughout the year.


Doing your research before going to checkout will massively pay off - take some time to compare the prices across a few different websites to ensure that you’re getting the best deal. You can also use websites like Price Runner and Price Spy to check the price history of the product. It will help you to find the best deals as well as show you if now is a good time to buy the item you’re looking at.


Make a List BEFORE Going Shopping


I know that this is a really old tip, but I feel like it’s important to give you a reminder. It’s so easy to get sucked into the sales hype and spend more than you were intending to because something seemed like a good deal. Go into the sales with a (mental or physical) list of what you need or want to buy. If you’re doing the Christmas shopping then think about what you want to give each person before you start looking. If you’re not sure what you want to get them then make a list of criteria, including your budget, their interests and if it’s useful, before you begin shopping. This way you can ensure you’re buying something because it’s a good fit rather than a good deal, even if you don’t have an exact item in mind. You can also find gift inspiration in my “Travel Lovers Gift Guide”, and I know that several of the brands I’ve partnered with are offering great deals this year.


How to find the best black friday deals uk

Use Cashback Sites to Maximise Savings 


Cashback sites are a really great tool that surprisingly few people know about. If you spend any time online then you’ve probably heard of affiliate links before - this is when you shop through someone’s link and they get a percentage of the sale for referring you, without it costing you any more money. Cashback websites work by getting you to shop through their links, then they split the commission with you. It might only be 3% of your bill, but it all adds up over time, and cashback websites often have their own sales where you can make extra money back when you shop with them.


There are a few different websites but Top Cashback is usually my go-to; the cashback rates are often higher and they have a better range of brands. If you sign up through my link at the moment you can get £10 for free.


Sign up to Top Cashback for £10 free


I’m signed up to a few different cashback websites as you often find that the rate varies across the websites or they might have exclusivity deals with certain retailers which means you’ll only get cashback through a specific website. Quidco is my backup of choice, and they’re currently offering £1 for new members who sign up through my link. 


Get a £1 bonus when you sign up through my link.


As an example, at the moment Quidco have some great deals where you can get up to 30% back on your shopping from certain brands. However, I’m looking to buy some furniture from Dunelm and Top Cashback are offering 0.2% more back which, when you’re buying high ticket items, makes a big difference.


How to find the best black friday deals uk

Stacking Discount Codes 


This is definitely one that’s more trial and error than others, but if you get a winning combination it’s well worth the effort. Stacking discounts means using discount codes on sale items, or using multiple discount codes at once. Most offers will say “cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers” in the terms and conditions, but occasionally a company will allow it, or they’ll mistakingly forget to set the restrictions. This means that you could use a 10% off code and a 20% off code as an example, or get a 20% off code that works on sale items. As I write this, Boots have an affiliate discount code (not mine sadly!) for 10% off - AFFBF10 in case you need it - which also works with sale items. If you stack this with the Black Friday discounts you could end up getting up to 80% off the RRP!


It sounds like a lot of effort but there are ways to find stackable codes without trawling the internet for hours. One of my favourite resources for finding discount codes is Honey - you’ve probably heard of it as they’ve sponsored pretty much every influencer alive (except me, sadly) but in case you haven’t it’s basically a database of discount codes with a plugin for Google Chrome. Once you’ve installed it (very easy, and there are instructions on the Honey website) you go to the checkout as normal and Honey will open up to let you know that there are discount codes. It will then test every single code in the database and calculate how you can get the best price. It doesn’t always find a code that works, but it boosts your chances at finding a stackable code and it also gives you points for using Honey that you can convert into gift cards.


Join Honey here - I’m not sure what my referral link will give you on this one as they change it quite often!


Another great way to find out about stackable discount codes is by following discount pages and groups on Facebook. Stackable discount codes are often a result of human error so don’t stick around for very long. Social media is how I find out about most of the error codes and you have to be quick to get a bargain. My favourites to find out about new discounts as soon as they appear are Ways to Have More Money and the UK Deals and Giveaways group.


How to find the best black friday deals uk


Avoiding the Sales 


Sometimes it doesn’t matter how big the discount is; if you can’t afford it then it’s not a good deal. If you’re feeling the pressure to shop this Black Friday then try temporarily muting any accounts that are pushing lots of deals. You could also try unsubscribing from company mailing lists - most shoppers make a purchase as a result of getting an offer in their email inbox so unsubscribing will take away the temptation. 


Christmas is hard for a lot of people - even more so this year - so hopefully these tips will help your money to stretch further and give you the knowledge you need to know if you’re getting a bad deal.


Love and Feathers, 
 The Owlet 💜 
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest

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