22 Genius Black Friday Shopping Tips To Get The Most Bang for Your Buck

Black Friday is just around the corner. If you’re wondering how much do you really save during this shopping extravaganza, you’re not alone.

The key is to write a list of smart things to buy on Black Friday and shop around for the best deal.

To help you out, we’ve written a comprehensive list of Black Friday shopping tips to give you a head start this year.

Black Friday Shopping Tips To Get Ready for The Big Day

“How much money should I spend on Black Friday?” “How much do you really save on Black Friday?”

The key to answering these questions is forward planning and keeping yourself accountable. Here are our best Black Friday tips to consider before the big day.

1. Set a Budget and Know What You Can Afford

This is one of the most important Black Friday tips and tricks.

Setting a budget will keep you on track and make sure you don’t overspend on unnecessary things. You’ll need to know what you plan to buy and the rough sale price of those items. Use a budgeting app like Money Patrol or Personal Capital to help you out.

2. Make a Black Friday Shopping List

It’s easy to get suckered in by glitzy discounts, but a Black Friday shopping list will help you compare Black Friday deals and make sure you end up with the items you want.

Start by writing out who you’re going to buy gifts for and then make a list of what you’re going to buy for each person.

3. Compare Black Friday Deals and Research Pre-Black Friday Pricing

With discounts galore, you might find you become “blind” to how much Black Friday deals are really worth.

To avoid this, research the pre-Black Friday prices of the items you’re on the hunt for and make sure you’re getting a good deal before you hit the buy button.

4. Look for Thanksgiving Early Bird Specials

Look around to see if there are any Thanksgiving early bird specials to get your Black Friday off to a good start. Not only will this give you a headstart on your list and help you feel accomplished right off the bat, but it will help you save a few extra dollars too.

5. Understand Price Matching and Shop Policies

“Do you really save on Black Friday?” The answer is yes – if you do it right.

Price matching is an integral part of Black Friday. If you see a store selling an item for $20 more than a competitor, there’s a high chance that they will come down on that price to gain you as a customer.

Look into your favorite store’s policies and their price matching opportunities so you’re prepared for the big day.

6. Follow Retailers on Social Media

Brands are increasingly meeting their customers where they’re already hanging out – on social media. They are posting exclusive deals for their Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook followers to reward them for being part of the community.

This means you can snap up a few extra discounts on the day if you go ahead and follow your favorite stores on social media.

7. Get a Black Friday App and Coupon Aggregator

How much do you really save on Black Friday? More, if you use the right tools!

Black Friday apps help you focus only on the smart things to buy on Black Friday. Instead of having to wade through non-Black Friday related content, these apps and Black Friday coupon aggregators will take you straight to the middle of the action.

8. Plan Where You Want to Shop

There are a lot of shops out there and, with DTC brands on the rise, there are many websites and shops you have to check out on Black Friday.

Instead of aimlessly wandering from store to store (or navigating from site to site) on Black Friday trying to find deals, plan where you want to shop in advance.

9. Consider Using Cash (To Stick To Your Budget)

It’s easy to ignore how much money you’re racking up on your credit card during Black Friday, which makes it even easier to go over budget.

Avoid this by dealing only in cash. Draw out your budget for the day from an ATM or the bank and decide to stop shopping once it’s all gone.

Black Friday Shopping Tips To Make the Most of Your Shopping Experience

The million-dollar question is how much money can you save on Black Friday? The answer is completely up to you. If you look for the best deals and compare the best prices, you can end up saving a lot of money.

10. Use a Rewards Credit Card

Rewards credit cards offer benefits throughout the year, but they’re ideal if you’re looking to make a big purchase on Black Friday.

Most big-name rewards credit cards will give you cash back when you make a purchase. You can use apps like Dosh App or Mypoints to get money back, too.

11. Take Advantage of Sign-Up Bonuses and 0% APR Promotional Periods

Black Friday is the perfect time to get a new credit card if you’re in the market for one – but only if you choose one with a good sign up bonus or 0% APR promotional period. This gives you time to pay back your holiday buys without going over your limit.

12. Dress Comfortably

A day of shopping is strenuous. Especially if you’ve got a list to hand and lots of items to buy. Kick things off right by dressing comfortably.

Choose flat shoes that you know are comfortable, and clothes that will keep you warm while out in the streets but cool while in-store.

13. The Best Time to Go Black Friday Shopping is at Night

The best time to go Black Friday shopping is as soon as possible!

If you want to get ahead of the crowds and snap up some deals before the rest of the country is even awake, check out night owl discounts on Thanksgiving. Once your turkey dinner has digested, hit the stores that are open through the night to get a head start on your shopping.

14. Bring the Ads

If you’re asking the question of how much money can you save on Black Friday, the answer is a lot more if you take the right information with you.

Take the ad or flyer where you saw the promotion with you for proof. This is often enough to persuade store associates to honor the discount even if the deal is no longer running. On top of this, physical proof of a deal is crucial for price matching opportunities.

15. Get a Gift Receipt

Make sure you get a gift receipt for every potential returnable purchase. If Aunt Sally doesn’t actually need that new rose gold toaster, you can return it and get your money back.

Get a regular receipt, too, as this will help you track your spending at the end of the day.

16. Use Discounted Gift Cards

There are plenty of websites that offer discounted gift cards. These will help you dramatically cut costs on the day and will help you keep track of spending if you’re asking “how much money should I spend on Black Friday?”

Start by looking for popular clearinghouses like Raise and CardCash where you can buy gift cards with discounts anywhere between 2% and 35%.

17. Shop For Gift Cards

Certain people in your life might be harder to buy for than others. Avoid risking disappointment by getting them the wrong thing and buy a gift card instead. This eliminates the need for returns and gives the recipient the chance to choose an item they love.

How to Shop Black Friday Online

If you’re wondering how to shop Black Friday online, we’ve got you covered. From using the right websites to tapping into the best deals, we’ve rounded up our best Black Friday online shopping tips.

18. Use Only Trusted Websites

Avoid sketchy situations by only making purchases from trusted and legitimate websites. You can identify them through SSL encryption and Verisign protection. These two elements eliminate the possibility of card fraud and keep hackers at bay.

19. Shop in Private Mode and Disable Cookies

Cookies track your past visits to websites and stores can change the price based on your apparent interest in a product.

It’s not ideal, but you can get around it by making sure you shop in incognito or private mode, with a VPN, or only after you’ve disabled your cookies.

How much money can you save on Black Friday? A lot more if you shop incognito!

20. Use a Price Comparison Tool

Black Friday is probably the most competitive day of the year for retailers. Instead of manually shopping around for the best price, use a price comparison tool to get the information you need right away.

21. Use Your Credit Card’s Online Shopping Portal

Many of the major credit card providers have shopping portals exclusively for their customers where you can unlock discounts ranging from 2% to 10%.

It’s worth checking out the deals available to you and decide whether the in-store discounts are better.

22. No Rewards Credit Card? No Problem!

If you don’t happen to have a rewards credit card lying around, don’t worry. There are still ways you can access hefty discounts. You simply need a browser plugin or a dedicated app that hands a portion of its retail affiliate discounts on to shoppers.

How Much Can You Really Save on Black Friday?

It’s completely up to you. Write a list, shop around for the best deals, and plan ahead. The tips and tricks we’ve laid out here will help you have a successful shopping day where you can get everything you need without spending over the odds.