Well Thanksgiving is over and thus begins the holiday shopping season. Unlike previous years, in 2020 almost all Black Friday shopping will be done online due to the pandemic. And of course there is Cyber Monday, which has always been the place to go for savings and deal on the web.
While there are lots of benefits to shopping online, such as a wider variety of options than you can get from a retail store and of course the convenience. But there is a downside too. Not only do you lose the human connection where you can ask questions, but you also can’t see, feel, or touch the products in question.
Believe it or not, you are also at risk of spending more when you shop online for Black Friday weekend deals. First of all, when you are a store, you can physically see what is in your buggy and can only carry so much. This adds a visual limit to what you may buy. However, on the internet your virtual shopping cart has an unlimited capacity.
Additionally, when you are online, it’s easy to get caught in the rabbit hole, following one sale sign and promotion banner after another. Before long, you may have forgotten what you were looking for in the first place. Did you really need that gadget that slices and cores pineapple in one easy step, and then cuts it into bite size pieces?
Psst, we do think it is pretty cool. And it is on sale for over 50% off for Black Friday!
See what we mean?
In order to give you a hand, we have some useful shopping tips for Black Friday. Don’t worry, once we get through those, we also have some of our favorite deals and savings ideas for you. And they are not all for cleaning!
6 Tips For Black Friday Deals and Cyber Monday Savings
These shopping tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday are actually best practices all year long. The reason for bringing them to your attention now, however, is because with all the ads, promotions, and promises of big savings it can be really easy to go into a buying frenzy — with logic and common sense going out the window!
So, before we get to some of our favorite Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals — and before you start shopping — we urge you to take a few minutes to read these tips.
Tip #1 – Start with a Shopping List and a Plan
This tip is an oldie but goodie, and it’s likely that you use a shopping list when you go out to a brick and mortar store. But in our opinion, it is even more important to have a plan when you are shopping online. Especially during the Black Friday weekend and on Cyber Monday. If you are someone who eagerly sits with Amazon open, waiting to see the next door buster deals to appear, the countdown to new savings can be lots of fun. But it can also get you into a lot of trouble if you are not careful!
Before you go to your computer, write down the things you know you want. If you are shopping for holiday gifts, write down the names of the people you are buying for. It will also be helpful to include a budget. Then, as you make purchases or add something to your shopping cart, make sure you write it down on your list. Trust us, it is really easy to forget that you found the perfect gift for little Bobby at 10 am, when a few hours later you see all the drones on sale! This will also help you keep track of spending, especially if you are shopping at more than one online store. Which brings us to our next tip…
Tip #2 – Don’t Spend More than You Can Afford
With all the sales that abound on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it can be tempting to go crazy. Before hitting that final checkout button, make sure you assess what’s in your cart. It’s one thing to use these deals to get savings on things you were already planning to buy.
But if you find yourself adding stuff just because it’s on sale, you may end up spending way more than you planned or can afford. Ask yourself whether yourself this question. If the item were not on sale, would you buy it? If it is something you been waiting for a good deal on, go for it!
Tip #3 – Read the Fine Print on No Interest Payment Promotions
If you are taking advantage of any “no interest payment” promotions, always read the fine print. And ABSOLUTELY set a personal alert or mark your calendar for one month before the end of the promotion. What many people don’t realize is that for most of these promotions, if you don’t pay it off by the end date the interest owed is on the TOTAL purchase.
To explain it another way, if you miss that final deadline, you will get interest added for what has accrued for the entire promotional period. You will absolutely kick yourself in the butt if you work diligently getting a $1000 bill down to $25, only to miss that deadline and wake up to a new bill for $225 (or whatever your interest rate may be)! By the way, this is also true if you use a “no interest balance transfer” with a new credit card. It’s how these companies make their money, by banking on the fact that most people won’t pay off the full balance by the deadline.
Bonus Tip: Because there is no interest, it can be very tempting to only pay the minimum payment during a promotional period. Unfortunately, what happens in most cases is that you will be left with a large final payment. For example, let’s say you have a one year, no interest promotion and make a $1200 purchase. If the company says the minimum payment is $50, at the end of 11 months you will still owe $650. If you don’t have it at the time, bang!, you will be hit with the total interest accrued for the entire year. Instead, we recommend dividing your total purchase by 12, in this case $120, to avoid a large final payment balance.
Tip #4 – Watch Out for Shipping and Handling Costs
Make sure you take shipping costs into account. Sometimes it will be worth spending a tiny bit more on the up-front cost to save on shipping. Another strategy to save on shipping and handling costs is bundling purchases from a single online store.
This is especially true if there is either a minimum purchase requirement or free shipping offers for orders over a specific price. If there is a minimum requirement and you are slightly under, go ahead and find something cheap to add to your cart. This way you get a product instead of the shipping costs.
Tip #5 – Definitely Use Prime When Shopping on Amazon
If you are purchasing from Amazon and are not a Prime member yet ABSOLUTELY take advantage of the free 30-day trial for your Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday purchases. This will give you access to additional deals and many free shipping offers.
If you decide it’s not for you, set an alert one week before the promotion ends. Check to see if there is anything else you need for one last purchase, and then go ahead and cancel it. As an added bonus, Amazon Prime comes with streaming services, so you’ll have access to lots of movies and TV shows for the holidays!
Tip #6 – Make Sure You Know the Store’s Return Policy
While many stores extend their return policy for the holidays, it doesn’t always apply to all purchases. Additionally, you need to know who is responsible for the shipping costs if you don’t like the product.
In most cases if a product is defective companies will cover the expense. However, if you are returning something purely because it wasn’t what you expected it to be, you may have to pay the return shipping. And sometimes you may also be charged a stocking fee.
Our Favorite Black Friday Weekend & Cyber Monday Deals
Here at Clean Freaks we are all about clean, but all work and no play can make Jack or Jane a dull boy! So, while we do have a posts dedicated to steam cleaner deals and carpet cleaner deals, we wanted to share some of our other favorite things! And further down, we’ll give you some of our top picks for Black Friday and Cyber Monday Amazon deals on cleaning products too.
sixthreezero Bicycle Company – Savings & Discounts
Is getting in shape one of your New Year’s resolutions? Looking to get a gift for the fitness buff in your life? Or maybe Santa is planning a new bike for your child. If so, sixthreezero bicycle company has a wide variety of men’s, women’s and kid’s bikes, cruisers and even electric bikes.
In addition to getting a $25 discount off of any purchase over $100 (Use Code JOURNEY25), they also have some great Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday sales going on.
Miracle Brand Bedding and Towels – BOGO Deals
Tired of filthy sheets, musty towels, and frequent laundry? Miracle Brand has the solution! Their sheets, towels and pillow cases are made from 95% high-quality Supima cotton and 5% anti-bacterial, pure and natural silver that kills 99.9% of bacteria! Miracle products require laundry 3x less frequently than traditional linens. With no more bacteria you get no more doors. Top it off, you will also experience healthier skin because Miracle Brand linens and towels eliminate acne-causing bacteria.
We don’t know about you, but these are a Clean Freaks favorite! And of course they are on sale for the holiday season! For example, on Black Friday thru Cyber Monday you can buy one set of their ultra lush towels and get one free! Or save 33% on their sheet, pillow case and towel bundle. Miracle Brand offers a money back guarantee, so what are you waiting for?
Loot Crate™ Fan Subscription Boxes – 30% Off
Loot Crate™ delivers the best in geek and gaming gear. From collectibles, apparel, tech gadgets, art, and other epic gear, it’s like Comic-Con in a box! Also featuring subscription boxes for gaming, anime, and more. Loot Crate boxes are the perfect gift for the gamers and geeks in your life.
From Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, almost all of their Crates are 30% off, plus they are even throwing in a bonus crate if you act fast. If you miss this deal, they also have holiday promotions going on for Geekmas! Students can also get 15% off with their Student Beans program (conditions apply).
Columbia Sportwear Outdoor Apparel – 25% – 50% Off
Columbia Sportswear has been creating innovative apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment for outdoor enthusiasts since 1938. It’s a global brand that needs no introduction! And from Black Friday through Cyber Monday you can get at least 25% off of everything in their online store. But what’s even better is that you will also find 50% off door buster deals and free shipping on all orders!
Skis.com – Skiing Equipment & Gear up to 65% Off
Part of the Summit Sports Group, Skis.com offers everything a skier or snowboarder needs to enjoy the slopes. From Black Friday through Cyber Monday you can find tons of products on sale for up to 65% off. But what’s even better is there are 100’s of select items with an additional 10 to 30% off. Wow!
You’ll also find select styles of The North Face outerwear on sale for 30% off. Other product discounts range from 10% to 25% off, with almost the entire online store being on sale. On top of that, in most cases orders over $49 include free shipping! So if you are a snow lover, or are buying a gift for someone who is, the first place to start is Skis.com.
Neato Robitics Robot Vacuums – Take an Additional $100 Off
Well we wouldn’t be The Clean Freaks if at least one of our favorite things wasn’t a cleaning product, now would we? Neato robot vacuums can compete with more well known robotic vacuums like Shark and Roomba. And if you have a thick pile or shag carpet, their products are actually our top pick.
For the holiday season almost all of their products are on sale, but if you purchase one between Thanksgiving and January 2, 2021 you will get an additional 50$ off (no code needed). But wait. We can do even better than that! If you purchase either the best selling D4 our D7 Neato Laser Guided Robot Vacuum robot vacuum between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (11/27 – 11/30/2021) and enter the promotional code NEATOBFCM you will get and additional $100 off the already low sale price. This means the Neato D4 goes from $429 to $249; and the Neato D7 goes from $799 to $479.
We do want to note that Amazon is also having Black Friday deals on Neato Robotic Vacuums, so you may want to do some comparison shopping.
Amazon Top Picks for 2020 Black Friday Weekend and Cyber Monday Deals
Last, but certainly not least, we want to share our favorite finds on Amazon. In the next section we will cover cleaning products, but here’s our top picks just for fun! Of course, you will find thousands of other deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon.
NOTE: Prices noted were as of November, 2020. If you are here after Black Friday/Cyber Monday, the prices are likely to be different, but there could still be a really good deal!
- Fitbit Charge 4 for $100 ($50 off)
- Kindle Now with a Built-in Front Light for $59.99 (33% off)
- Kindle Paperwhite Waterproof Tablet (30 to 35% off)
- Instant Pot Duo Evo Plus for $69.65 (42% off)
- Ring Video Doorbell 3 with Echo Show 5 for $149 ($150 off)
- 23andMe Health + Ancestry Genetic Testing Kit for $99 ($100 off)
- Save 80% on select jewelry from Unbrovo (great gift idea)
- Save on Holiday Gifts from AmazonBasics
- Early Black Friday Deals on Fire TV Devices
Amazon Black Friday and Cyber Monday Cleaning Deals
While some people are willing to sit on Amazon for hours (or all day), scouring for the best Amazon Black Friday deals, we wanted to give you a heads up on some of our favorite cleaning products deals.
Some of these sales are time sensitive, some will go all the way through Cyber Monday and others will continue beyond into December. To make it easy for you, we have included information that shows the current price and savings available – no matter what day you are here.
iRobot Roomba i3+ (3550) Robot Vacuum
Other Roombas are on sale for Black Friday with savings as high as 33% on select models.
Eureka RapidClean Pro Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner
hum by Colgate Smart Electric Toothbrush Kit
Bissell ProHeat 2X Revolution Max Clean Pet
Need more information, read our review for the Bissell Proheat 1986.
Bissell LIttle Green Multi-Purpose Portable Carpet Cleaner
Need more information, read our review for the Bissel Little Green.
eufy by Anker, BoostIQ RoboVac 11S Robot Vacuum
Need more information, read our review for the Robovac series 11 robotic vacuum.
Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty XL Robotic Vacuum with IQ Navigation
Shark APEX Upright Vacuum with DuoClean and Zero M Anti-Hair Wrap
Need more information, read our Shark APEX DuoClean review.
Shark Rocket Corded Stick Vacuum with Zero-M Technology
And there you have it, some of our favorite deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here’s wishing you a fantastic shopping season with lots of great savings in your pocket!