That day of the year the shopaholics within us have been waiting for is right upon us. The doors of sales heavens open and we give in to our guilty (or not so guilty) pleasures. Because Black Friday is also a good opportunity to choose Christmas presents and save money for a getaway. Or for a little something for yourself. Or even for more presents, you know best.
Plan your shopping route
Traffic can become manic, so you need to be organized from this perspective, as well. You can’t just risk wasting precious time in your car or waiting for the bus or subway. The number of items on sale is limited and the best deals find their happy owners in the blink of an eye. So, use Google Maps or another app you usually rely on in traffic, choose the fastest route option and be a traffic and shopping guru on Black Friday.
Make a list
Even Santa makes the list and then he’s checking it twice, so it would be wise for you to do the same. Shopping without a specific list causes you to spend more and purchase items that you don’t need. By creating a shopping list with specific items, you avoid falling into the trap of buying unnecessary stuff.
Don’t forget about the Christmas presents
If you’re anything like us, shopping for Christmas presents can quickly turn into an expensive affair, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Black Friday is one of the biggest sale days of the year, and it’s close enough to Christmas to be perfect timing for a sneaky gift shopping session.
Stick to a firm budget
We’ve all been there – the shopping haze kicks in and we find ourselves grabbing the first item we see, suddenly obsessed despite not wanting anything like it 30 seconds ago. And naturally, it’s way out of our price range. This urge gets even stronger on Black Friday.
Avoid this dilemma by budgeting well in advance. If you’ve got a big list, this is even more important. The same holds true for Christmas presents: trust us, you don’t want to spend big on one family member and then realise that everyone else is getting stuck with keyrings because you didn’t manage your money – it makes for a very awkward Christmas dinner.
Make sure you got the best deal
So you’ve found what looks like the perfect deal, and you’re ready to pull the trigger. Stop. Before you buy anything, use a price-comparison engine, such as Google Shopping, ShopSavvy or PriceGrabber to make sure you’re getting the best price on the item you want to buy.
