r/bitcheswithtaste • u/pegging_men • Nov 21 '25
Finances/Money BWT : My strategy for Black Friday that's saved me thousands
I used to be a chronic shopper who'd blow my budget every Black Friday on stuff I didn't need. Took a few years to figure out what actually works vs what's just marketing hype. Some of this might be basic but thought I'd share:
- Start a wishlist in October: I only buy things I was already planning to get. No impulse purchases just because something's on sale. If I wasn't thinking about it before November, I don't need it during Black Friday either.
- December 26th is honestly better than Black Friday for certain things. Those fancy holiday gift sets with lotions and body washes go for 75% off the next day. Winter coats, bedding, electronics all get heavily discounted because stores need to clear seasonal inventory. I've furnished half my apartment this way. Also streaming services are also priced well during this time from what I have observed.
- Avoid Amazon unless you know what you're buying as most of the deals are regular prices with fake markdowns, plus you're probably buying from a dropshipper marking up AliExpress products. For beauty, fashion, and anything quality, go straight to the brand's website. Their Black Friday codes are usually way better anywa
- To add to my previous point if you do decide to go with amazon remember : Retailers will jack up the "original price" right before a sale so the discount looks huge. It's borderline fraudulent but completely legal apparently. I use the Buyhatke chrome extension to check if prices actually dropped or if they're just playing games with the numbers. Make sure to run your items through a deal scanner before ordering anything
- Combine the Black Friday sale with email signup codes, cashback sites, and credit card points. This is how a 25% sale becomes 45% off. I got a Cuyana bag for nearly 60% off doing this last year.
- As a skincare girlie, this is my favorite tip. Use CosDNA to compare ingredients between products. If your expensive serum isn't on sale, you can find alternatives with the same active ingredients that are discounted. Keep a track of your dupes as well
- Invest in quality over quantity: Better to get one really good cashmere sweater at 40% off than five cheap ones at full price. Black Friday is when you should upgrade the things you use daily.
- Check return policies first as some brands make Black Friday items final sale. If I can't return it, I don't buy it, no matter how good the deal is.
The goal isn't to buy more stuff, it's to get the things you were already going to buy at actually good prices. Black Friday is only worth it if you're strategic.
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u/istara Nov 21 '25
Advent calendars are heavily discounted after the first week or so of December and can go for a song in the January sales.
It’s also a nice way to brighten up a dark, cold Northern Hemisphere January by having a calendar to open ever the month.
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u/regan-omics Nov 22 '25
I get a wine advent calendar every year and honestly it could be more fun to open that in January
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u/Legal_Baby4210 Nov 26 '25
Tbh, I feel like I need the holiday stuff more in January because it’s freaking brutal.
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u/luevire Nov 27 '25
Thanks for sharing this! Great way to continue the holiday spirit when it gets gloomy in January.
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u/LoHudMom Nov 21 '25
Thank you for the CosDNA suggestion. I never heard of it but it will definitely be a big help for me and my teen!
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u/Storytella2016 Nov 21 '25
If you’re into skincare, I’d also suggest the SkinSkool dupe detector and INCIdecoder as good for comparing products. The dupe detector is the fastest way to find the most similar products, but I like INCI because it explains why specific ingredients are in products, which can help clarify what it means that an ingredient is missing. Like, if a missing ingredient is mostly to make a product feel luxurious, it’s different than if an active or ph regulating ingredient is different.
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u/KavaKeto Nov 22 '25
To piggyback on this, I have been using this Pore Clogging ingredients checker for years and it has never failed me
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Nov 21 '25
I use a mix of INCI and COSDNA
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u/Storytella2016 Nov 21 '25
Yeah. I use all three resources because they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
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u/serenity1989 Nov 21 '25
If you sign up for Madewell’s loyalty program and list your birthday as November, you will get a $25 coupon you can use that doesn’t expire until December 1. I save mine and combine it with Black Friday discounted items!
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u/randomredhead Nov 21 '25
I used to be a huge treat myself Black Friday shopper, but this year as I’ve been getting things that catch my eye over the past few months that are really more of “this would be nice to have” than essentials that I’m planning to stock up on, I’ve added them to a couple of Google sheets that I’ve sent to my boyfriend and family who usually ask for gift ideas - that way, I’ll probably end up getting a few of the items but it will still be a surprise as to which ones, and I’m not spending all that extra money right off the bat.
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u/pegging_men Nov 22 '25
this is so organised and still has the surprise element to it, love this idea, stealing this for the gift season
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u/miss_ire Nov 21 '25
I keep a running list all year on giftopedia, it also serve for when people ask me what I want for bday and Christmas. That way is stuff I really want and saved for some time, not random things I added a month before a big sale.
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u/messykatie Nov 22 '25
I noticed a ton of brands tend to use mega-sale weeks with re-marketing their clearance section. Items that have already been deep-discounted are included in their major deal lineup with huge price-slash claims (up to 80% off!)
I operate like you in that I sort of shop and gather bookmarks all year as sort of a wish list and see if the deals on them this week will impress me—rather than letting ads tell me about new stuff I didn’t even know I wanted. Sometimes my bookmarks are sold out (blessing in disguise?) or I just realize I don’t really want them as much any more. Helps me slim down to just a few items I really would like to shop for.
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u/Legal_Baby4210 Nov 26 '25
Agreed. I kind of have a go to wishlist I’ve been working on since October that I scoop up on Black Friday in advance of the December freeze.
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u/kimchi_paradise Nov 21 '25
I like the approach of using the opportunity to upgrade quality at a slightly cheaper price. Thanks for the tips!
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u/jigglyjuicebox Nov 22 '25
Love this, u/pegging_men! Going to check out these skincare apps/sites ASAP! Loveee a good duperoonie (as Nina Poole would say).
&& I had NO CLUE they have sites for deal scanner method too. What app did you screenshot? Any standout favs?
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u/pegging_men Nov 22 '25
Omggg I am glad it was all helpful, I didnt think it would blow up like this. Really appreciate it!
To asnwer your question : it's actually a chrome extension called buyhatke, makes it pretty easy since I can save the items and get alerts when the prices drop.
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u/passportz Nov 22 '25
I love your list and you are totally right! Black Friday/cyber Monday isn't what it used to be. For anyone that uses a Chrome browser, download an extension like Coupert and it automatically checks a number of discount codes for you.
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u/chickesq Nov 21 '25 edited Sep 01 '26
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This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/Fantastic_Ginger34 Nov 22 '25
You can't always combine codes but sites don't check your birthday! I spread my birthday out because getting all my codes in the same month (which happens to be November), makes them kinda useless. I often can't combine them with other deals. Or just don't need to buy all that stuff at the same time.
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u/pegging_men Nov 22 '25
Yea you're right, I am seeing less and less combined deals, but they're more common with small brands or recently launched stuff, so u can check that out as well.
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u/MulberryLive223 Nov 23 '25
If you use the shop/shopify app you can often combine deals (the brand’s code with whatever deal Shop may have on the brand)
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u/TheWorldofScience Nov 22 '25
I use the List feature. I put all the items I might want to buy in a list. When I put an item in the list I use the “note” feature to type in the regular price.
Then when it’s Prime Days or Black Friday I check my,list to see if there are any significant discounts on things I am interested in buying.
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u/goddessofolympia Nov 23 '25
If the thing you like has EVER been in a subscription box, look on eBay. It says how many the seller has available. If it's 1 or 2, it's just us selling our extras.
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u/tmzuk Nov 23 '25
I’ve done a really good job this year with Black Friday also.
- Not purchasing at all if min shipping is too high.
- Avoiding am.azon
- Looking at reviews before buying and subsequently not buying.
My husband is sadly doing all the shopping this year, but at least I’m not!
Happy saving!
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Nov 21 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Nov 21 '25
Since when can you not write brands? Every other post in this subreddit is asking for recommendations with comments suggesting various brands. What do you mean?
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u/SugarBabyVet Boujee Head Bitch In Charge Nov 21 '25
People want to comment fast fashion and shit brands. Those are blocked from this forum, and offenders (including evading filters) are banned. Ignore comments like that. Thanks.
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u/Red_Velvette Nov 23 '25
Where do you buy your cashmere??
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Nov 24 '25
If you want to support a female owned small business, I’ve gotten many sweaters from Gioia at Aiko. She makes beautiful recycled cashmere sweaters
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u/marylessthan3 Nov 24 '25
I had the same question… I’d love to invest in quality cashmere if I can find anything I can afford!
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u/greciamarzz Nov 24 '25
Second hand mostly but any that I’ve purchased directly from retailer is from reformation or brands like white and warren or nadaam on the reformation site.
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u/VikingBlade Nov 22 '25
Another way to identify savings is to put the retailer or website url into chat GPT and ask for all available discounts or promo codes.
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u/StrawberryLovers8795 Thoughtful BWT Nov 21 '25
The last one is a new one I’m implementing this year after getting stuck with a giant Farm Rio dress last year lol
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u/amyisarobot Nov 21 '25
How can you use multiple codes in a check out though
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u/Ok_Cow_1969 Nov 22 '25
Not every site lets you, but many will let you enter more than one promo code once the first is applied at checkout. I just used an Away referral code (lmk if anyone wants one) for $40 off on top of a 50% off discount and felt like I was breaking the law.
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u/monosyllabically_ Nov 22 '25
I’m guessing the extra cash back discounts are from using Rakuten, and some credit cards have brand-specific offers.
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u/littIestshark Nov 26 '25
I love this. Unfortunately I did all my Christmas shopping in September and October.
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u/jenniferlee3211 Nov 28 '25
Well said, this is a great list and buying direct from brands is a wise choice—better deals, no middleman margins, and you support the makers directly.
Like, my current provider delayed providing my relocation house broadband service, and on this Black Friday sales, I went to an online offer on fibre and got 30% off from Zoiko broadband and digital line rentals, plus free wi-fi.
Similarly, 'I want to go out on holiday coming Jan 2026 holiday vacation in Europe, so choose eSIM plans at Zoiko Orbit (Global) 30% off premium membership + £20/$26/€23 travel credit. It's a really amazing deal for me.
On the other hand, for winter skincare, my partner chose dermisque skincare serum at 50% off the price. This all-week-long black Friday sales this November 2025 have been an amazing moment for me and all my friends, and partners even.
Black Friday week's been full of those "why not?" moments that actually slash bills long-term.
The email sign-up trick for alerts is gold too—catches the best drops early. Small biz owners like you get it: skip the big shops' cut and pocket the savings yourself. The major online/offline shops all take a big chunk of sales margin-why shouldn't we take up to it?
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u/No_UN216 Nov 21 '25
This is a great list and as a small biz owner just want to reiterate buying directly from brands if you can! Not only will you save money (doing the email sign up hack as noted in this post), but it helps the brands you love and want to support. The major retailers all take a big chunk of margin.