With Black Friday today and Cyber Monday coming soon, I know many of you are raring to go.  Here is our list of items that often have the best deals.

1. Clothing: Mid-range stores like Kohls and Macy’s typically have pretty good sales today, so if your work wardrobe needs to be less threadbare this is a good day to shop.
2. Cookware and Kitchen Appliances: With the winter holidays coming up, we aren’t out of the woods yet for family gatherings and gigantic table spreads.  So if you’ve had your eyes on that turkey-sized crock-pot that is ABSOLUTELY necessary to finally get a kind word from your great-aunt’s cousin’s ex-girlfriend’s roommate Susan, this is the day to do it.
3. Electronics: Granted, the electronics that are most likely to be on sale are older models that are already lower in price.  Newer models are more likely to be on sale in January.
4. Household Appliances: Similar to cookware, there are often sales on vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, and washing machines around this time.  However, even a cheap refrigerator still takes planning to move and install in your kitchen, so you may want to avoid impulse purchases in this category.
5. Tools: Since tools are mostly used and bought for projects in the summer, many hardware stores have very good deals right now.  This goes double for tools meant for outdoor use, if they are still available.
6. Toys: Up through the first week of December, toys may be discounted up to 50% off (or even more when shopping online).  Later in the month prices go back up to make a small fortune off of last minute shoppers.  Especially if you need to buy many toys for a charity drive, this is the time to do it.
7. Video Games and Movies: Summer releases typically go on sale around this time, including many of the big budget action flicks.  Many times they are between 50-75% off, making buying more cost effective than streaming in many cases.

Happy Shopping!