Every Black Friday, shops become bustling grounds for gamesmanship and outwitting. Sellers try to close as many deals as possible, and buyers are eager to snitch items at a discount. Perfectly piled on the shelves, products at slashed prices beguile many of us into spending too much.
Shopping While Getting Suckered Into Making the Next Purchase
The November shopping frenzy is easy to fall in love with: the jaw-dropping promotions make us giddy with delight! Enchanted by BOGOF ads, we thump our way along the aisles, tossing everything into our carts. But how much is too much?
Stampeding toward a scenario that makes us feel like it’s never enough, temptation quickly overtakes us. First we turkey, and then we Target until we’re left penniless and anxious. Our tips on how to avoid overspending on Black Friday could help you shop wisely.
Plan Your Gift Buying
To survive the Black Fri-yay overspending mayhem, you should devise a detailed shopping plan. Knowing what to buy and whom you’re buying it for will help you not stray and spend money needlessly.
Scribble a list of gift recipients highlighting the stuff each of them gets. You don’t need to fret over surprising everyone with perfect presents – even small tokens of appreciation will do! Therefore, stay thrifty and shop intuitively.
Splashing out on knick-knacks and packages people dislike is another thing to avoid when hitting the pre-Christmas sales. For example, disliked clothing is likely to be returned! Gift cards – especially those attached to deals – are a better choice.
Know When and Where to Shop
Understanding how to avoid overspending on Black Friday is tied to knowing the whens and wheres of your shopping adventure. That said, trying to grab a bargain on this busy shopping day might not be the best idea.
To avoid being blinded by the Black Friday extravaganza and overspending, shop before the event takes place. If a bit of waiting doesn’t make you jittery, you could wait for Cyber Monday to shop instead!
If you can, roll up some banknotes and shop with them. Otherwise, go with online payment methods like PayPal. Furthermore, see if there are any volume discounts and threshold sales on your radar; they’re great for saving money!
Do Your Price Research
Some price research will give you a better insight into the early-bird specials and price cuts worth pursuing. After all, certain sales might be a dud! Therefore, check if your favorite heavily discounted items are truly at a discount!
On this line, price comparison is an equally good method to evade super scams. Sites like Pricegrabber and apps like RedLaser are great for that! However, some retailers don’t match competitors’ prices, so keep that in mind while shopping.
To stay on top of fantastic bargains, you should also subscribe to retailer newsletters. This way, you won’t miss out on awesome one-off deals and attractive promotions. Moreover, some sellers treat their customers with exclusive coupons, so that’s a plus.
Read Upon the Psychology of Black Friday Shopping
The Black Friday craze is not as contagious for no reason – there’s plenty of psychology involved in it! For example, retailers use many tactics to entice you into buying more. Placing expensive products in prominent places is one!
However, shoppers are prone to falling into their own psychological traps, too. In fact, many of us have spending triggers! Some love the instant gratification they get from holiday shopping, while others enjoy the events related to it.
To stay accountable, bring a friend who’ll swipe cards with you or trumpet about the consequences of overshopping. Additionally, if you have kids, leave them in the comfort of your home to not be roped into extra costs!
Shop Online
Stuffing your holiday bag online can also help you stay in control of your shopping attitude. When you hunt and peck your way to awesome virtual sales, you’re not overwhelmed by captivating product displays! Also, comparing prices is easier.
If you’re still wondering how to avoid overspending on Black Friday, there are other WiFi-based ways of tackling the issue. For example, you can buy cheaper gift cards! Sites like Raise and Cardpool are fantastic for that!
Furthermore, some sellers like to build customer appreciation by pampering online followers with exclusive Black Friday deals. Therefore, like and follow retailers’ Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter profiles, and you might score a discount!
Pinpoint the Best Deals
Many have a hard time ignoring excellent deals. However, many more won’t even take a glance at the things they buy if it isn’t for the discount! Therefore, when tempted, stick to the shopping list we talked about!
Additionally, you should do some research on the best Black Friday buys. Traditionally, the most fantastic ones of them include electronics and high-price tech. However, stay away from items that aren’t getting any cheaper for the holidays!
To find the best deals in seconds, you could pay some sites that publish these a visit. For example, you can check out DealNews, Rakuten, and BlackFriday.com to distinguish the steals from the rip-offs!
Practice Thriftiness
The best thing you can do not break your wallet the First Friday after Thanksgiving is to stay thrifty. That said, create a realistic holiday shopping budget, and stick to it like glue! That’ll help you plan your shopping spree.
Money-saving apps are great for not racking up debt, too. The Coupon Sherpa and Santa’s Bag will keep you on the frugal end by helping you find coupons and more! Furthermore, some apps can help your brick-and-mortar store journey.
To save even more money, shop from retailers who offer free shipping, in-store pickups, or carry-out options. Finally, to achieve ultimate thriftiness, store all your receipts. That way, you can return expensive or unnecessary items later on.
Don’t Shop for Everyone
As we draw closer to November 25, you might be tempted to treat everyone with a gift. However, you want to learn how to avoid overspending on Black Friday. Therefore, you’ll need to make amends to your altruistic drives.
As a bargain hunter, you might be able to pinpoint a “non-gift” or two for yourself. However, you’ll get presents from others! Furthermore, don’t buy the planet for your kids – it’s better to teach them financial mindfulness instead!
Speaking of planetary splurging, keep your pet off your gift recipient list – they’ll be more than happy with some treats! Finally, if you can’t help your buying urge, consider spending this Black Friday doing something else.
Final Thoughts
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