10.20.21 17

Black Friday Savings Hacks

I know we are over a month away from Black Friday but I wanted to share my Black Friday savings hacks now as I know SO MANY of us are already holiday shopping and so many of these tips work no matter when you shop! Saving money should always be something we strive to do!

Black Friday Savings Hacks

  • Do your research: Figure out what you want and where the best deals are. For me this usually means scouting the websites I frequent and making a list. Most likely the websites and stores will have a catalog of items that will be on sale on black Friday.
  • Compare: Say you find a coffee maker you really want. It’s on sale for $50 off on black Friday, but at another store, it’s $60 off. ALWAYS compare. Unless it’s an item that’s ONLY sold in one store.
  • Use a service like Rakuten for cashback: One reason I try to ONLY shop online is to get cash back. I could kick myself for the years I didn’t do this. Rakuten (formally Ebates) is a great place to get cash back. I mean you literally sign up for an account and get cash back when you shop. No gimmick! That’s money you can put towards holiday spending or even extra money you can use to pay down debt!
  • Use price checks for other stores if shopping in-store: I almost always check Amazon, Kohls’s, and Walmarts prices when shopping places. When we were getting a few of the last baby items we needed we found cheaper prices in several places and the place we registered for price-matched. MOST stores will price match! So have a few of the store apps ready to check common product prices.
  • Have coupons/discount codes ready: This is going to sound VERY nerdy but I always make a list in google docs of discount codes/coupon codes for big shopping days. Usually, these codes come out a week or a few days before and they will send you an email (more on that below).
  • Abandon your online shopping cart: This works all year not just for black Friday but did you know that a ton of stores will email you a discount code if you add stuff to your cart then close your browser and abandon it. This is mostly smaller stores but worth a shot!
  • If you know you want a certain store’s discount, sign up for their emails a week or two before: I know I know it’s annoying to get store emails. So here’s what you do. Create a throwaway e-mail address and sign up for all the stores you like. That way you have the discount codes but none of the annoyance.
  • Divide and conquer: If you MUST go to stores maybe divide a few up with a friend and each check out the sales, deals, etc. You can get what the other person needs and save time.
  • Go for big-ticket items first: I think this is pretty obvious but the $10 sweater will probably be in stock longer than the espresso maker that’s half off. Get your big-ticket items first because that’s where you are saving the most money!
  • Stock up for future gifts: This is SUCH a great time to stock up your gift closet. I love to keep candles, blankets, little gifts on hand for when we get a last-minute invite or I just blanked on a gift or hostess gift.
  • Skip the stores, shop online: I hate shopping in-store on a regular day, so black Friday hard pass. Shop online. Honestly, for most things you get the exact same discount. Want that candle from Anthropologie at 20% off yep online and in stores. Skip the parking, skip the stores. You are more likely to spend more shopping in stores than online!
  • For fun calculate your savings: This is the best part. When you are all done take everything you got and calculate what you saved. Then put that money towards a big debt or savings! I love to take that chunk and put it towards debt.

What are you planning to buy on Black Friday? Do you have any black Friday savings hacks?

This post was originally published in 2019 but has been updated for 2021

Leave a Comment

17 Comments

  1. Thanks for Sharing!

    Published 11.20.19
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  2. Thanks for the tips! I’m so excited for the Black Friday sales! 😀

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Published 11.20.19
    Reply
  3. I love Black Friday! And for the same reason! It makes it feel like it’s really Christmas time. I’ve never been brave enough to wrangle for the big ticket items but I love the excellent deals.

    Published 11.20.19
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  4. Tara L wrote:

    I think I lack researching on Black Fridays because like you said it gets you in the mood for the Holiday’s I think for myself it gets me anxious I want to say because the holidays are approaching and everything is so hectic with work and such. I just love shopping in general but when you have tons of stuff to pay for like my lawyer I can’t really shop for many things and it makes me sad sometimes, but my boyfriend will literally buy me anything I want, but I hate the traffic on Black Friday’s but this year I think I will consider going out for a bit. (:

    Published 11.20.19
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  5. Stephanie wrote:

    I don’t think I’ve ever gone shopping on Black Friday. I’ve bought a few things online, but I leave that crazy to others! My husband has gone out a few times, though, when there are great deals on electronics.

    Published 11.20.19
    Reply
  6. I love Black Friday! And for the same reason! It makes it feel like it’s really Christmas time. I’ve never been brave enough to wrangle for the big ticket items but I love the excellent deals.

    Published 11.21.19
    Reply
  7. Chad wrote:

    These are amazing tips especially ahead of the holidays!!! Super creative wow! Thank you so much for sharing.

    Published 11.21.19
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  8. These are all great tips. I try to do most of my Black Friday shopping online. The stores are just too crowded!

    Published 11.21.19
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  9. Christa wrote:

    I love Black Friday shopping. It’s such a great time to save on big ticket items. This year, I grabbing a new laptop.

    Published 11.22.19
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  10. Oh gosh, I wish! Nope, I’ll be driving all day on black Friday, bringing my mama several states away from our house (where she’s been living for 2 mos recovering from shoulder surgery) to her own house. No shopping for us this year!( But awesome tips, though!)

    Published 11.22.19
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  11. Di wrote:

    I went to black friday stores once, and that was enough to put me off for life! I stay at home and shop online.

    Published 11.22.19
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  12. Very savvy! Abandoning the shopping carts is a brilliant trick. 🙂

    Published 11.25.19
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  13. What are good Black Friday shopping hacks?

    Published 10.20.21
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  14. Stephanie wrote:

    I don’t do Black Friday shopping either. I wouldn’t be able to handle the crowds. I much prefer online shopping. I use Rakuten and also use Honey to search for coupon codes.

    Published 10.20.21
    Reply
  15. Stephanie wrote:

    These are excellent hacks! I’ll definitely have to remember them for Black Friday this year 🙂

    Published 10.21.21
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  16. These Black Friday hacks are great! I really need to start using a cash back app. I hear a lot about them but I haven’t tried one myself. It’s a great concept!

    Published 10.21.21
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  17. aisasami wrote:

    Is it already that time of the year for Black Friday? I need to do my research and find the great deals that I need to buy things on. Thanks for the tips!

    Published 10.22.21
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