‘Tis the Season for Holiday Shopping. My husband and I LOVE Black Friday shopping. We are both bargain hunters and love looking for deals on items we know our gift receivers will enjoy (hopefully). While it has been changing over the last few years to more online shopping, this year’s Black Friday is definitely going to be different. However, the same rules still apply...here are my 5 favorites.
#1: Make a Budget. If you’ve read my posts at all, you had to know this would be my #1. It is very easy to get caught up in the moment on deals and to overspend. Having a budget will also make sure that you don’t spend all your money on one person because they are easy to buy things for and forget about the other people in your life. Figure out how much you have for Christmas spending and make a list of each person and the budgeted amount. I do this on my phone so that I always have the list with me.
#2: Do your Research. Black Friday shopping and cyber Monday shopping can suck you into a deep, dark hole as you search for the best deals. Have ideas of what you’re looking to purchase and research ahead of time to know the deals available. I signed up on BlackFriday.com for emails sending me the Black Friday flyers for me to browse.
#3: Relax. Remember that it is just stuff. Do you even remember what you bought for people 2 years ago? Don’t get so caught up in buying the perfect gift that you lose sight in why you’re shopping and giving gifts in the first place.
#4: Don’t Spend Money you don’t Have. This goes along with making a budget...if you have to put the item on a credit card to afford it, then you can’t afford it. You don’t want Christmas debt to follow you into the New Year and for the deal you got on the gift to be lost with interest payments.
#5: Venture out later in the Day. This is a little easier this year, as many businesses aren’t open on Thursday and are extending their deals to last for days instead of hours to help with social distancing. As someone who has never liked crowds of people, this is good news for me. Also a lot of deals are both in person and online, so perhaps you don’t have to venture out at all!