💰The Deal Guy Newsletter - Issue #63

🧾 INSIDE THIS WEEK’S NEWSLETTER:

**These deals could end or sell out at ANY time. If you buy something through any of the links featured in this newsletter I may get a small share of the sale.

🛞 SAVE ON WINTER TIRES! At a time where the colder weather is creeping into many communities earlier than expected, I thought it worth flagging Walmart’s FULL Black Friday tire sale is now live.

📸 6 Free Photo Cards! Perfectly timed for Christmas cards or thank-you notes, if you use promo code “6FREE”, you’ll score 6 premium 5x7 photo cards completely free for in-store pick up.

💰 NEW AMAZON CREDITS: Here are two brand new opportunities to get some cash back while shopping on Amazon this holiday season:

🍰 $15 BONUS AT CHEESECAKE FACTORY: If you’re eyeing a winter visit to The Cheesecake Factory, they’re offering a FREE $15 eCard when you buy a $50 gift card before December 31.

The bonus credit is valid January 1st through February 28th, so you get a little treat on the house after the holidays.

BONUS TIP: If you’re more of an Applebee’s person, they’re also offering a free $10 eCard with the purchase of any $50 gift card, but only until January 4th!

📦 GET FREE SHIPPING OVER BLACK FRIDAY! If you primarily shop for gifts online over the holidays, here are all the current store membership deals and trials to help you score free shipping over Black Friday/Cyber Monday.

Here are some recent subscriber submitted money-saving tips:

Bree B from CA writes: “I have worked for many big box stores. craft, groceries, etc. and they all do the same thing. Let's say you are looking for vinegar for cleaning … try going to the water area (and look) for distilled vinegar thats maybe cheaper there and it's the same thing. My favorite is when making jewelry for gifts and you want the clear invisible plastic for threading beads. Skip the craft aisle and head over to the fishing lines. Same thing, sometimes the same price but you can get 3 to 4 times the amount.”

Anne S. from VA writes: “Here's a tip our waitress at IHOP alerted us to. IHOP has a new $6 Value Menu this year for a cheap & Delicious Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner”

Cindy H from Iowa writes: “I have a hot tip for the reader who asked about above-ground pools being on sale in a prior newsletter. I swear by Amazon in January. They are sometimes ½ price (because of the time of year). If you don't mind storing it for several months, you can score a deal!”

Reply to this email and share it with me! If I feature your tip, I’ll give you a shoutout in next week’s newsletter!

(Include your first name + the state you live in so I can add it to the shoutout)

If you’re deciding between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, these are the products that typically get a better discount if you’re able to wait.

💄 Beauty: Cyber Monday deals often include bonus gift cards, online-only bundles, and higher-value promos.

👟 Shoes: More stackable coupons and sitewide discounts drop on Cyber Monday rather than Black Friday.

👗 Clothing: Black Friday pushes store traffic with big “sale” banners but Cyber Monday unlocks the real promo codes for apparel.

🍳 Small Kitchen Appliances: With the exception of Amazon (where deals are identical on Black Friday and Cyber Monday), prices drop further on leftovers like air fryers and blenders once the rush clears.

🕯️ Home and Gifts: Décor, candles, throws and small giftables lean heavier on Cyber Monday with sitewide codes (warehouse clubs are excluded from this).

🎮 Digital Games: Downloads and bundles are rarely the focus on Friday. Cyber Monday has the stronger savings with gaming computers often in the mix.

✈️ Travel: Many airlines and hotel chains wait until Cyber Monday to launch their seasonal offers with Travel Tuesday (December 2) having the best deals.

To get your question answered, simply respond to this email with any money-saving related question and feel free to include your first name so I can address you properly.

💡 Mary in PA Asks: “Is Black Friday the best time to buy home exercise equipment such as ellipticals?  And who has the best deals on it?”

Hi Mary! While we will see sales for exercise equipment and ellipticals on Black Friday, I recommend buying in the days that follow Christmas. The After Christmas sales are better and many of the “new year, new you’ promotions will shift from sale to their clearance phase. I’d keep an eye on Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Amazon sometimes has deals as well.

💡 From Jay: “We’ve been fans for years. You do a great job! We’ve been waiting to buy the battery powered Blink floodlight until the price came down closer to Black Friday. It was $100 and is now being offered everywhere for $49 with the sync module. Would now be a good time to pick a couple up or do you think there will be additional discounts closer to or during Black Friday?”

Jay, thank you so much for the compliment! Anything marked as an “early Black Friday” sale on Amazon, specifically a product line they own like Blink, will not drop any further on Black Friday or Cyber Monday so I’d buy now if you need it.

💡Veena Asks: “I need to buy a decent sized humidifier for my bedroom as I have severe COPD and my skin is very dry. I would really appreciate if you could direct me to a good deal. Thanks a lot.”

Hi Veena: I’m sorry to hear you have all of this to deal with but you’re not alone in your needs as I’ve received many similar requests. My favorite humidifier offering both warm and cool mist with a generous tank size and quiet operation is this model from Dreo.

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Every week in this section of the newsletter, I share some of the most interesting and helpful money-related articles I’ve read over the past week. I hope you find these as valuable as I did!

💵 “3 ways retirees can close a retirement savings gap” - READ HERE

💵 “20 things that are actually worth stockpiling” - READ HERE

💵 “Here's what a complete Thanksgiving meal costs at big stores” - READ HERE

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this week’s newsletter. By this time next week, almost all major Black Friday deals will be listed and I promise to help sort frugal fact from fiction to ensure only the real deals are on your radar.

Happy Savings!👋

The Deal Guy (Matt Granite)