Black Friday Tips!

Black Friday is coming up and you know what that means- tons of sales! I love using this time of the year not only to shop for Christmas/holiday presents, but to also take inventory of things I’ve been wanting for my own apartment. Often my wish list is filled with a few bigger ticket items that only go on sale a few times a year, so Black Friday is the perfect time to shop for them!

One store with amazing deals every Black Friday is Macys! They have tons of online savings as well as ‘Doorbusters’ offered in store. Usually the doorbusters are free after mail-in rebate, so if you are good about mailing in your receipts, you can score something great. Last year Macy’s had a slow cooker and some beautiful glassware sets as doorbusters aka they were free. So excited to see what is on the free-after-rebate list this year!

Want more info on the amazing Black Friday sales going on at Macys and other department stores? Check out this link for tons of tips and details.  I’ll be keeping an eye out for discounts on my absolute favorite kitchen item: the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. I already have one, but I know a ton of friends looking to add one to their kitchens. My mixer was a gift from my oldest sister. I’ve had it for almost a decade and I couldn’t imagine my kitchen without it. I use mine for cakes, tarts, pasta, and so much more. I’m even thinking about getting the ice cream maker attachment this year, especially if it goes on sale.

Here is a lemon tart I recently made using my stand mixer- couldn’t have been easier. Here is the recipe in case you score a mixer this year:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix together 2 C flour, ½ C powdered sugar, and ¾ C cold butter. Press into your tart pan. Bake with pie weights or pierce with a fork and bake for 15 minutes.

2. Beat together 2 eggs, ½ C sugar, zest of 1 lemon, ¼ C lemon juice, 8 ounces room temp cream cheese, and a pinch of salt. Pour this into the tart crust and bake at 350 F for 13-15 minutes until set.  

3. Allow the tart to cool fully. Serve with fresh fruit and powdered sugar! Voila!

Want a few tips for getting the best Black Friday deals?

• Research early: A lot of stores will publish lists ahead of time of what will be on sale. Prioritize the things you really want and assume you won’t be able to get everything.
• Check Macys and other department store hours: Lots of stores have special Black Friday hours. Though I personally don’t like that this takes store workers away from their families on the day after Thanksgiving or even Thanksgiving night, it does mean that sales between stores start at different times.
• Shop online when you can so that when you are in the store you can focus on the “doorbusters” or other in-store only deals.
• Drive safe! I’ve heard way too many stories about sleep deprived drivers getting into accidents, so safety first!
• Happy shopping! #sponsored