len_mullen

60x1080p, 50x720p, 43x720p, and 42x720p plasma TVs exercise my electric meter. Worth every penny!

1. You get a TV! You get a TV! Everyone gets a TV! 2. You may kiss the bride. 3. I'll take two.

Same here. When I was young -- before the day after Thanksgiving was called Black Friday -- I worked in a department store for a short time. One of the managers put together a crew to get ready for Friday -- which was even back then an important shopping day. They paid us double time to work on a holiday, bought us breakfast in the wee hours of the morning, and gave us the Friday off. He also turned the lights on and left the doors unlocked. All the upcoming sales were active. And people came in. So, I guess Zayre's Department Store in Seabrook New Hampshire was probably the first store to open on Thanksgiving. I was pretty happy to have the bump in my paycheck. They probably never placed orders for Christmas.

I don't go out on Thanksgiving, though I have stopped by Walmart on my way home from dinner at the in-laws. I also do not wait overnight in lines. BUT, this creates a great opportunity for those who do to wait on two nights -- Thursday for BB or Wallmart then Friday for something special at a second tier store. Hope the weather is nice for these die hards. Also, condolences to those who will be losing money over the closings. It's tough to lose one or two days pay during the holidays.

60" tv in the bedroom and a Deere in the barn. You are LIVING LARGE, my friend!

In for two and PLAN to win a third. Otherwise, you will see me in the shirt in my avatar on BF.

You can real all about it here. Among other things, ATSC 3.0 promises... 4kImmersive audioEnhanced linear TV, plus on-demand supportSubscription and pay-per-view (PPV) supportConditional access and digital rights management (DRM) capabilitiesMobile and fixed device, plus companion device supportHybrid delivery (broadcast and broadband), combined with pushed contentMostly ATSC 3.0 brings pay tv and targeted ads to broadcast television. When I said as important as 3D tv, I meant unimportant. Bottom line is that it's something you do not need to worry about because if it arrives and if you want it, it will probably be streamed from a router (think Tablou TV) to a set top box (Roku).

LG WM3270CW Washer and DLE3170W Dryer < $1000 @ Best Buy!

Keep an eye on Toys'R'Us. They have filed for bankruptcy and will likely be liquidating their inventory this holiday season!

It depends. First, you need to work out the minimum specs required for your work and make sure you get something that reasonably exceeds those specs. If you will be doing this coding in an office (home or at work), you probably want to ignore weight and battery life and focus on screen size and performance. If you are a road warrior, you might want to focus on battery life and ease of working off your lap (i.e., no Surface).

No electronics at the table. It's a RULE. Now you know why.

BF is just another sale to me. I actually enjoy this part more than the actual shopping. I start by compiling a list of people I need to buy for. I assign a spend limit to each. Then I brainstorm gift ideas and add them to my list (spreadsheet). For each gift idea, I research good brands and best past prices for each. Then I set up alerts on all the deal sites. Once I get within the return/rebuy period, I start buying. If a better deal comes along, I negotiate a price adjustment or return and re-buy.

My two sons, my mother and father in-law, two brothers-in-law, and one of the BIL's SO.

Your homeowners insurance policy may cover the lost food.

Harbor Freight 10/15

I'll be shopping for a washer and an electric dryer on BF. I have been slow to act on this need because I have read nothing good about the current crop. Reviews talk about exploding Samsung washers, failed transmissions in front loaders, and rusting drums after only a few years. Besides looking for good prices, I will watch this forum for recommendations from people who LOVE their washer. Thank you!

Tons of potential for this discussion to drift off topic. Should be fun. I just bought a 55" 4k HDR television. I mostly bought it because it was an inexpensive Roku TV and I needed a set for a place I cannot get to with coax or ethernet. I think it looks pretty good. $400 well spent. - There is a lot of 4k programming available and it is featured prominently on this Roku TV. Mostly, though, it isn't worth watching. - Future-proofing is not possible at this time. - ATSC 3.0 will be almost as important as 3D tv in the home.

Just got a 'we want you back' from Verizon. Hoping a couple months more absence makes their offer grow fonder.

I think a mistake that people make is saving for specific things. When I was young, I used to 'pay myself first'. If there was money left at the end of the month, I rewarded myself for being frugal. When i got a little older, I started 'direct depositing' my paycheck and using a credit card to buy things. I found that the balance on the account was its own reward and started accumulating savings faster. In fact, I believe this encouraged me to spend money more carefully. As a bonus, my 'best practice' of splitting raises and bonuses with my savings account went away. I became very familiar with my expenses and cost of living which helped a lot in determining what we could afford to pay for a home and whether my wife could be a stay at home mom. Similarly, budgeting for the holiday season starts with a list of people. Then I assign a budget for each gift, select gifts, then shop. If I get a gift at a discount, that money remains in savings. I do, however, buy stuff at the end of the season -- purchases of opportunity -- if the item is sufficiently desired and discounted...especially for my oldest whose birthday in in February. Happy shopping!

Sounded better when BFgrl79 said it

I always divide my shopping into three parts... Must haves Would like OpportunitiesI have a list of 'must haves' which includes best historical prices, stores, price protection, and return window. For most things the return window is extended from a certain date until after Christmas. With televisions purchased at Walmart, that window opens in August. With Best Buy, you can make the purchase and schedule delivery in the future (after or near to BF) to protect yourself from price changes. A lot of credit cards offer price protection as well. Would like stuff, I just watch for my price. When it hits that, I buy. In the weeks leading up to BF and the weeks leading up to Christmas, lots of bargains become available and I grab things that appeal. My first HD TV was a 55" Samsung plasma. I bought it in September and scheduled delivery for mid November so I could watch the BF prices. We bought 32" LEDs for the kids rooms a couple years later and got two price adjustments from Best Buy before Christmas. My 65" 1080p LG plasma and this 55" TCL HDR were purchases of opportunity from Walmart. In fact, I was camping with the Boy Scouts when I got an alert on the 65" set two days before the Superbowl. I purchased it with no research knowing I could cancel the order by simply not picking it up. (We love it!) I call this situational shopping and find it very effective.

96 days until Black Friday! I would like to unofficially declare Black Friday season open! Don't worry, I'm not going to post a countdown each day. I just wanted to point out that you can now safely start buying televisions at Walmart and price match, return/rebuy, or simply return with knowledge of BF ads as Walmart has a 90 return policy on televisions. Walmart ads usually come out around 11/10 -- 82 days from now. Same for Best Buy. TVs bought now can be returned if something better comes along. (I have never returned a television bought this way, but I have enjoyed a couple price adjustments.) The 55" TCL 55S401 HDR TV might be a great 'for now' set. It's not on sale, but I think it is a bargain. Rumor has it the price is about to be reduced. If it happens within a next week of purchase, Walmart will refund the difference. If it happens within 90 days, Discover Card (and many others) has your back. The TV is $396 and gets good reviews... http://televisions.reviewed.com/features/heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-high-dynamic-range-in-2017 I have been looking for an inexpensive television to hang on a wall in my pool room that is not convenient to coax or ethernet. With its AC wireless, this set should be able to stream from a Tablo DVR or a HDHomerun EXTEND. Plug in a 16g USB drive for 90 minutes of OTA recording. Watched a football game on it last night and thought it looked great. Also, tickled to discover that plugging in a 16g usb stick gets you a 90 minute pause/rewind feature. Happy shopping.

Until Prime Day, I had only purchased four things on Amazon in 2017. Alexa coaxed me back into the fold with $20 off Prime, then $10 off my first voice order, then $10 off my first refill. All in all, I placed six orders on Prime Day. Nothing exciting -- TP, socks, iPhone cables, etc.

This year, I am looking for a washer and dryer. Hoping Sears unloads before closing. Would not mind an LED for the pool room. Maybe 65-75", 4k, cheap.

A couple years back, I bought a couple 40" televisions from BB.com. Both had stuck pixels and I called for a replacement. Best Buy sent two new sets and instructed me to return the sets to my local store. Local store would recycle but could not return the sets because they did not sell the model. They would not give me a receipt. The woman told me to just keep the televisions. So, I contacted BB.com again and they sent an RMA for one set. Then they sent me an RMA. Finally, by mid January, I was able to return the two defective sets. Then they credited me for one of the sets. I decided I had earned the $220 and kept it.