Deals & Bargains: Best Things to Buy in November

Despite popular belief -- and the insistence from some retailers -- Black Friday is not the single best day to buy everything this month. The entire month of November actually hosts spectacular deals on specific items.

Here are some of the best things to buy in November:

Furniture

Researchers at bargain-hunting website Dealnews.com tracked some of the strongest furniture deals over the previous two Novembers; they expect we'll find great low prices this month at Walmart, Target, Kohl's, JCPenney, Sears, Amazon and Overstock.com.

"Many other media outlets will tell you January is the best time to buy furniture, since manufacturers begin introducing new styles in February," says Dealnews features director Lindsay Sakraida. "However, when it comes to the best month, we saw stronger deals in November for the past two years."

Apparel

Clothing is the second-most-requested item on holiday wish lists this year, falling behind gift cards, according to the National Retail Federation. And based on sales data, this is a best time of year to buy apparel.

This time last year, several clothing retailers offered their biggest online coupons of the year -- and most could be stacked on top of existing sales and markdowns, according to Dealnews.com. "Expect to see an abundance of 'best of the year' coupons that take 20% to 40% off, with some reaching even higher discounts," says Sakraida.

Blu-ray Disc Movies

Blu-ray movies tend to reach rock-bottom prices this month, especially around Black Friday. "Last year, we saw a plethora of popular titles for as little as $5 shipped, and we expect to see it again this year," says Sakraida. Amazon.com has daily deals where you can save up to 55% on select Blu-ray titles.

Wedding Dresses

Beginning this month and continuing through December, wedding dresses experience substantial price drops due to a fall-off in demand. Prices will likely pick up in January after a surge in engagements around the holidays.

(Had I known this, I would have purchased my wedding dress right after getting engaged last November, instead of waiting to buy a dress this past summer -- when nothing was on sale. I did save 12.5%, however, simply by asking for a discount at Kleinfeld's.)

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