How to Make Black Friday Deals Work For You

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I can earn a commission off of products at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclosure here.

It’s that time of year again: every shopping app, email and website is going to have it plastered on a festive red and green banner. Of course, I’m talking about the Black Friday deals that now last the entire month of November. This post is all about being ready for them and how to make Black Friday deals work for you.

Black Friday is a big deal for me. It has its origins back to childhood–my grandparents took their kids and grandkids shopping with them every other year when we celebrated Thanksgiving with them. I’ve done the crazy show up at midnight, I’ve stood in line for 2-3 hours for a tv, and I’ve ventured out almost every year since then.

Yes, I love shopping and want to get great deals and items that I need. I feel like I should reiterate that last part–“items that I need”. More often than not, Black Friday turns into the day of impulse buying of items I don’t need, don’t have room for, and probably will no longer use in less than a week after purchasing.

Something’s Got To Change

Aside from blindfolding the hubster on the receipts and bank account post Black Friday, I quickly realized that I needed to either forgo Black Friday shopping altogether or make Black Friday deals work for me. What I mean by that is the items that I purchase are legitimate good deals, they’re items that we actually need as oppose to want, and we end up saving money on the purchase, rather than spending it. Here are some steps I have taken to make that happen.

Step 1: Pray About It

I know this is the typical Christian response to pretty much anything. Unfortunately, more often than not, we tend to ignore this step. And by we, I’m calling myself out because I’m the one who forgets to pray about small dilemmas.

For some reason, in my mind, I have this idea that God doesn’t care about silly, small dilemmas, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Even if it was, problems like trying to save money on Black Friday deals and still purchase the items that we need at a discount aren’t small.

At the end of the day, saving money on purchases means that I’m being a good steward of the finances. That also relates to a much happier hubster and in turn makes our marriage better. These are both a very big deal that God certainly does care about. Sadly, though, I rarely tend to pray about financial matters entirely.

So, before you even open a store app, promotional email, or breathe the word “Black Friday” around your Permanent Roommate, pray.

Step 2: Have a Plan

Next (and before you open a marketing email, flyer in the mail, or shopping app on your phone), have a plan. Always have a plan. Just like you know that going to the grocery store with a list helps you tone down the impulse food purchases, it’s the same concept here.

In the days, weeks, or even months before Black Friday, take an inventory of what you have. Make a mental note of what’s broken down and what needs to be replaced. This can be as small as realizing that you need more kitchen towels because you have too many with worn holes in them. Or, it’s as big as deciding your mattress is past all help and you need some better sleep.

Use Wish Lists To Plan

Take advantage of online wish lists or personal favorites you can set up through your account. Amazon is great for this because you can make so many different ones. It’s actually scary how many wish lists I have set up on their app.

What’s great about it, though, is that you can use them to do some quick shopping on big shopping days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Prime Day. Whenever it’s one of those three days, all you have to do is scroll through your wish lists and see if anything you have saved is on it.

If it is and you still need it, you’ve taken away the impulse and know it’s something you’re actually going to use. Plus, with it being on a discount you’re saving some money you were going to spend anyway. If you don’t find any of your items that you were wanting to get were on discount, move onto step two.

Step 3: Don’t Stay Brand Loyal

Take this step with a grain of salt. Don’t sacrifice quality for price, ever. You’re always going to end up hating it and it will cost you more money in the long run. If there’s a certain item you’re extremely picky about, by all means stick with that brand.

However, it doesn’t hurt to do a little bit of shopping around to see if a different brand other than the one you were originally looking at has a better deal. Again, this is going to require some research on your part. Additionally, you’re taking a risk by venturing into unknown waters with an unfamiliar brand. Thankfully you have reviews you can rely on for that last part.

Step 4: Fix Your Attitude Ahead of Time

I’m talking about the “I deserve it”, “I really, desperately want it and have wanted it for a long time, therefore I need it”, or any other mindset we conjecture up in our heads to justify our poor spending habits. We need to fix those attitudes ahead of time, or the steps mentioned above won’t work.

Take your feelings out of the equation and look at Black Friday shopping from a pure logical standpoint. Look at the bank accounts, discuss with your partner beforehand how much you’re willing to spend (or can spend at the time) and allocate the funds for the most needed items. If there’s no money at the end for the clutch that’s at a 40% discount, then there’s no money at the end. Trust me, your bank account and marriage will thank you in the long run.

Lastly, Just Skip It

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you don’t need to go shopping. Me, I’m the one who needs to hear this. Probably, you don’t actually need any of the big deal items you’re looking at. I definitely encourage you to look through your shopping cart before you enter the check out.

If you’re shopping in person, I’ve found it’s much easier to second guess every item that’s in your cart. All you have to do is stare at the long, endless, seemingly unmoving line of people ahead of you and ask yourself “Is this really worth it?” You certainly have quite a few minutes to question your purchasing decisions and decide if you’re going to send one back or not.

Sure, it’s not as simple when you’re shopping online. But you can still scroll through your online shopping cart and decide if you truly want the item you’re ordering. At the same time, you are going to have to wait a few days before you get the item you bought. This means you have plenty of time to decide if you actually need it, or if you should just send it back.

And if all else fails and you don’t trust yourself this holiday season, close your phone, refuse to go out and spend the day after Thanksgiving being thankful for everything you do have this year.