Financing Your Life A Guide to Controlling Your Finances, Today
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For some, Black Friday isn’t just a cheap shopping day—it’s a sacred event. But no matter how important Black Friday is to you, it shouldn’t be a spending free-for-all that puts a dent in your budget and a hole in your wallet. Instead, it should be used to give you a strategic advantage in both your holiday and everyday shopping needs.
Determining What You Need
The first step in being strategic about Black Friday is to have a very clear idea of what you need to buy. It’s easy to buy a lot of stuff you don’t need on Black Friday because everything is so cheap. But you have to resist this urge and spend the weeks leading up to the date making a list of things you need. Maybe your luggage is worn out and needs replacing. Or maybe you need presents for your kids. Or maybe you need to replace your broken, chipped and scratched wine glasses. Whatever it is you legitimately need, add it to the list.
Look for the Best Deals
By the time you’re done writing your list of needs, you may have a list that’s way too long to actually buy everything on it. That’s okay because buying everything is not the intention. Instead, you’re going to review all the sale papers and find the best deals on the items you listed. Plan to buy only those things that are offered at a significant discount that you don’t usually see. You can get an advance look at the sales by visiting sites like bfads.net.
Prepare Your Budget and Make the Final List
After you’ve identified the best deals, you still have to pare down your list so that it fits into your budget. Once again, flip through the list and identify the best deals on the most needed, high priority items.
Ideally, credit card debt should be avoided during the holiday season. Instead, use Black Friday to purchase only those things you can afford to buy with cash. That way you can ensure that you’re actually working within your budget.
