Quick Black Friday Shopping Tips from a Shopaholic

Quick Black Friday Shopping Tips from a Shopaholic

I have to admit something right now and it is that I have a love/hate relationship with Black Friday. The part of me that loves to shop lives to look for the deals (check out Molly’s top picks here and here) and I love the rush of getting a fab discount. But the other part of me feels pressure to get all of my holiday shopping completed. With some mindful changes I’ve learned to love that shopping-filled Friday a bit more and put some fun back into finding the perfect gift. 

With B-Fri (I’ll never say that again but let me know if you liked it) later this week, the deals are APLENTY and we are at the official countdown to the holidays. If you’re a seasoned shopper or a timid first-timer, here are some quick tips to make Black Friday – and holiday shopping in general! – a bit easier. 

Get a LAB (List And Budget, Baby)

We live by a list and a budget! If I shop for anything without a list I will overbuy. Groceries, holiday gifts, stamps, whatever. I will lose track of things in my head and realize I have more than I need. So I create a budget every year for gifts and keep a running list so when sale days hit, I know exactly what I’m still looking for and I can research deals ahead of time.

Molly and I bond over our shared love of Excel docs and we both have docs for holiday shopping. I believe there is an Excel doc for everything and shopping is no different. I keep my shopping list organized and set a budget to track against when I shop. I have columns for everything and use a quick =sum formula to keep a running total of my remaining budget (example below using the Scooby gang because my real spreadsheet has gifts for people who are reading this newsletter). Extra nerd points for moi because I also highlight people in yellow once I’m completely done shopping for them. Color coding is my love language and it serves as a nice visual cue to STOP picking out presents for Velma, she has enough.

Avoid Your Impulses

In line with making a list, try to avoid impulse purchases. I am VERY guilty of impulse buys when I go to Target in December. I will see something cute and just *need* it for someone on my list. But do I? If I buy a bunch of stuff on a whim that I never planned to buy, I guess I’m not saving any money. As a longtime consumer PR girl, I know Black Friday sale coverage sometimes starts in September so Google around to see if there are deals out there for things you really need and then throw them in your cart to buy when the deal starts. Put those blinders on if you need to avoid impulse purchases!

Compare the Price (and Look for Promo Codes!)

We all know sometimes retailers drive up prices to make them look lower on Black Friday. Make sure you’re doing research, particularly on big ticket items, a few days ahead of time to see what the price usually is and if the BF deal is actually worth it. Consider shopping a few retailers against one another.

There are also a few different deal auto-scouters out there but I’m partial to Honey. I installed it on my browser toolbar a few years ago and I use it every. Single. Time. I. Shop. A quick check for a promo code can help save a few bucks! I once hit the Honey button and wound up saving nearly $60 on clothing for a trade show. It’s truly as easy as the click of a dang button. 

Protect Yourself!

I obviously love online shopping but I’m not here for scams or getting my information stolen. If you are shopping – especially on sites that maybe aren’t as popular as Amazon, Etsy, etc. – consider safeguarding your info. Make sure your anti-virus programs are up-to-date and ready to battle off any bad bots. Staying logged in to some store sites can make shopping WAY less time consuming but play it safe.  After getting a password stolen a few years ago I’ve been a loyal customer of Dashlane to store all my website passwords including retailer sites. Better safe than sorry!

Looking for more great Black Friday shopping tips? These from Good Housekeeping are some of my favorites! Do you have any must-buys this Friday??

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