Whether you’re a Black Friday lover or hater, there’s no doubt that the temptation of a good sale is always strong. You’re probably already being bombarded with sale emails, discount ads, and your fav influencers ‘top Black Friday picks’. If you’ve been great at avoiding the Black Friday rush by staying home in the past, the internet and Covid will make it increasingly hard to combat your spending urges this year. So I say, give in to temptation!
Unlike other personal finance bloggers, I’m not going to tell you not to shop on Black Friday or that you should feel guilty if you do. Instead, I’m going to give you 5 tips on what to buy on Black Friday so you can actually save money and how to avoid impulse buying.
What to Buy
Christmas Gifts
Black Friday shopping is a fantastic opportunity to save money on your Christmas, Hanukah, or other holiday gifts. You’re going to have to buy the gifts anyway, so you might as well save money on them!
To make sure you get the best bang for your buck this holiday season, make a list of everyone you’re buying for. This includes family, friends, and any other exchanges you’ll be participating in like at work. Next, list out several gift options or ideas for each person. If you only list one option for everyone, you may get frustrated or anxious if you can’t find that option on sale. Listing a few allows you to avoid this conundrum. Once you have a few ideas written down, list some competitor stores where you’ll be able to shop around for the best deal on Black Friday.
Appliances and Tech That Needs to be Replaced
My microwave has been on the fritz for the last 6 months. No, it hasn’t totally quit on me yet, but sometimes it takes me 5 minutes on full power to heat up a normal plate of food. And I’m tired of it. So on Black Friday, I’ll be shopping for its replacement.
If you have a similar story with something around your house, Black Friday is the perfect time to find a great deal and replace your worn out items. Appliances and tech are two of the most heavily discounted categories on Black Friday, so you should be able to find some seriously amazing discounts. Many items in these categories will be 40-50% off! That’s a steal!
These steep discounts will put some of the top of the line brands and models that you wouldn’t normally fork the money over for within your price range. That means that you will not only be able to replace the item, but also upgrade to one of better quality. To make sure you can get the highest quality at the lowest price, compare prices and discounts at multiple stores before deciding to buy.
Some stores to check for appliance and tech deals include:
- Best Buy
- Home Depot/Lowes
- Target
- Walmart
- Macy’s
- Sears
- Bed Bath & Beyond
- Wayfair
- And obviously Amazon
Shop Small Business Saturday
I’m a HUGE proponent of buying as many items as you can from small businesses. If you like to give unique holiday gifts, don’t miss out on Small Business Saturday deals. You probably won’t find the huge 50% off savings that the big box retailers give, but 10-20% off of unique, handcrafted items will help you save some money, and give unexpected and super cool gifts to the ones you love.
If you’re into art, vintage, and handcrafted items, these sites will help you find just what you’re looking for.
- Etsy – if you’re not set on a specific item, Etsy can help you find exactly what you’re looking for from a small biz
- Pinterest – Since Pinterest images link directly to websites, you can often get right to the purchase page for the item you’re interested in, in just one click
Avoid Impulse Buying
While it’s great to have a plan for Black Friday, the deals you’re being bombarded with can get harder and harder to pass up, especially once you start shopping. These tips will help you avoid spending extra money and falling victim to the big box retailers marketing traps.
Unsubscribe from Marketing Emails
It’s tempting to keep getting marketing emails from your favorite stores so you never miss a deal, but this can have disastrous consequences on Black Friday!
While it is super enticing to stay up to date with your fav stores, buying things you don’t need just because they’re on sale doesn’t save you money. It can make you feel like you saved money, but if you weren’t going to buy the item before you saw that it was on sale in an email, you fell victim to a marketing trap.
Since these emails are going to be flowing at astonishing rates into your inbox before and during Black Friday, do yourself a favor and make it easier to avoid the massive temptation to shop ‘til you drop by unsubscribing from them. These retailers are smart. If the emails didn’t get people to spend money, they wouldn’t be sending them. Don’t fall victim to their marketing tactics and blow your budget on something you weren’t even considering buying in the first place.
Delete Shopping Apps
Unsubscribing from emails is a crucial first step to avoiding overspending on Black Friday, but once the day actually arrives, you’re probably going to be tempted to “check up on” the deals being offered from your fav stores and brands. To avoid FOMO when it comes to super amazing deals, delete the shopping apps on your phone. Instead of being able to see what deals are being offered in just one tap, you’ll have to physically type the retailer’s website into your browser and search for it. Creating this “hassle” for yourself will help you avoid repeatedly checking on deals that could lead to unnecessary purchases, and may even make you forget about checking altogether. Out of sight, out of mind.
By setting up a plan for yourself and eliminating the temptation to spend, you can make the savings and deals retailers are offering work for you instead of against you. Black Friday shopping can be a great way to stay on budget, or an impulse buying extravaganza that makes you go over budget. It’s all about how you tackle it, knowing what triggers you to spend, and avoiding that at all costs. Now go prep so you can make this Black Friday your bitch!