How are your Thanksgiving plans shaping up?
Here are some last-minute tips you need to know:
Cooking mistakes
What should you do if you make a mistake when you’re
preparing Thanksgiving dinner? If the gravy is lumpy, use a potato masher to
smash the lumps or strain it. Don’t leave the potatoes in water. It will make
them sticky. Keep your smartphone, iPad, or laptop handy and look for articles
such as “The Five Biggest Thanksgiving Turkey Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” and
“Top Five Thanksgiving Cooking Mistakes.”
Black Friday duds
Be sure to compare prices. While Black Friday often offers
the lowest deals of the year, you might not be able to get one of the
doorbuster items. Gift sets, holiday products, private label merchandise, and
specially-created bundles can be filler items, merchandise that is fluff
compared to the real deals. See dealnews.com’s “Watch Out for Black Friday
Filler Deals” for more information.
Black Friday precautions
Bring coupons and ads to the store with you, read the fine
print about limitations, be sure the deal doesn’t change at the cash register,
and ask about the refund policy. If you have problems, ask to talk with the
manager. Visit the Better Business Bureau's “Black Friday Bargains: Good Buy or Bust?” for details
Winter car tips
If you’re taking a trip, you might want to get a new pair of
wiper blades and carry jumper cables with you. See shopautoweek.com’s “Prep
Your Car for Winter Weather” for details.
Cyber Monday scams
Watch out for extremely low prices, blurry photos, little
product information, no contact information, unsecured web pages, and bad
reviews from consumers and the Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB’s “Cyber
Monday: Counterfeit Sites and Sales” to learn more about computer shopping
traps.
Best wishes on Thanksgiving. I hope you have a good day.
