Last-minute Thanksgiving information you can use

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.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist