After the turkey has been digested, the last board game played and the kitchen cleanup is underway, there is a family tradition that takes place in my household. It's the time renowned tradition of grabbing your laptop and starting the cyber race to Black Friday deals!


This has nothing to do with this blog...I just like the image!
Last year, I had a bit of a Black Friday extravaganza, but this year it will probably be more necessity based (hey, I am unemployed!) I am looking for a massive external hard drive, possibly 1 terabyte which will store all my media files. I would like to snag an all-in-one printer, fax, scanner laser color printer, and perhaps a new monitor for my PC. I currently have a Jabra Bluetooth for my cellphone, but will look for an affordable Jawbone. Lastly, some DVDs and thumbdrives that are typically dirt cheap.

I am sure you all will be making the rounds at Best Buy, Frys, Circuit City and other retailers, but there is also the web component where a number of good deals are found. Here are some of my favorite Black Friday sites (in no particular order):

1. Black Friday Ads: Black Friday Ads is a site that I have used extensively in the past. It is one of the most organized sites, with clear navigation and the option to sign-up for the Black Friday newsletter which will email deals to your inbox as they become available. Both electronic and more general items are listed, and the most popular deals are highlighted and starred.

2. Black-Friday.net: This simple blog shows off Black Friday deals in a Wordpress format, and also has categories and store subdivisions. This site includes many retailer ads, a good resource for those of us waking up at 4AM to get those doorbusters!

3.Black Friday @gottadeal.com: blackfriday.gottadeal.com is like a combination of the last two sites. Similar to Black Friday Ads, gottadeal has a newsletter sign-up; like Black-Friday.net is is subdivided by category. They have time line of what to expect on their site as the big day nears and an active forum for gains and gripes.

4. FatWallet.com: FatWallet is a great place to visit anytime you are looking for a deal, but they definitely cater to the Black Friday crowd as well. FatWallet offers an iPhone app to follow BF deals, as well as a Twitter account that everyone should follow. There is also the nice "compare prices" feature that comes in handy when trying to find the best deal.

5. TGI Black Friday: TGI Black Friday captures the spirit of the holiday and provides pictures for a number of the stuff that is on sale. You can make a shopping list by clicking the "add" button, or email it to a friend. There are many tech and non-tech items, as well as discount coupons for popular chains like Macy*s.

Most of the above sites will also continue coverage into Cyber Monday, so check them out again for the stuff you couldn't acquire on Black Friday. I hope that you all get what you are eying! If anyone sees good deals on external hard drives or printers, please let me know. Happy holiday shopping, readers!