5 Tips To Avoid Overspending on Black Friday
Written by
Ashley Donohoe
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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According to PwC’s 2025 Holiday Outlook survey, Americans plan to spend 11% less on holiday gifts versus last year, and 39% of these purchases are expected between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday.Â
Shopping on Black Friday can be a smart money move if you land major discounts on gifts like clothing, electronics and home goods. However, the shopping holiday can also wreck your finances if you get caught up in the sales and aren’t mindful about your spending.
Here are five tips to help you plan your shopping trips and avoid overspending on Black Friday.
Have a Strict Gift Budget
A 2024 Empower study found that 34% of Americans thought they’d spend more on holiday gifts than they expected. If you head to Black Friday sales without knowing what to get or how much you can afford, you’re putting yourself at risk of making this issue a reality.
First, you should make a holiday gift budget that accounts for your total available spending and sets aside amounts for each person or family on your list. During the process, you’ll likely need to prioritize your spending, such as setting aside more cash for relatives than friends and coworkers.
Have that budget with you on Black Friday and avoid going over the limits you set. Even better, make a shopping list beforehand to remove some of the guesswork and give you a clear plan.
Discover Next: 5 Best Types of Items Retirees Should Buy at Costco During Black Friday
Always Compare Prices
Stores often advertise that their Black Friday deals offer big savings, but don’t immediately believe them. Instead, research how much that item usually costs and what competitors charge.
You don’t have to spend time browsing Black Friday ads for this information. You can try searching for the item in Google Shopping and ordering the prices from lowest to highest. Another option is using ShopSavvy, BuyVia, Price.com and other price-checking apps. While you’re at it, also check reviews to make sure the item is even worth the money.
If you’re set on buying the gift at a certain store, find out if its price-matching policy applies on Black Friday. The Krazy Coupon Lady website listed Target and JCPenney among retailers that allowed competitor price matches on Black Friday in 2024.
Stack Store Promotions
To stretch your cash further for necessary purchases, get familiar with your favorite stores’ policies for using coupons, reward certificates and other promotions with Black Friday deals. Some stores ban coupons altogether or on doorbuster items, while others allow deal stacking as usual.
For example, the 2024 Kohl’s Black Friday ad showed that customers got 15% off their total eligible purchases, including many sale items, and earned $15 in Kohl’s Cash per $50 spent. These deals were stackable with mail-in rebates for certain products and Kohl’s Rewards points.
You can check Black Friday ads to learn about each store’s promotions and rules. Another option is looking for Black Friday-specific information on your favorite retailers’ websites.
Skip Store Credit Card Offers
On Black Friday, many stores will encourage you to sign up for their credit cards so you can enjoy special promotions, such as a first-purchase discount, extra loyalty points or financing deals. However, skipping the store card and its tempting offers is likely the wiser move.
The Consumer Financial Protection noted that store card promotions can lead to overspending and are sometimes even hard to take advantage of, which has led to customer complaints. Plus, store cards often come with very high interest rates, either immediately or after a promotional period for your purchase.
Create Some Friction
While impulse spending can happen any day, it’s especially common on shopping holidays like Black Friday, when you’ll see tempting offers almost everywhere. It’s easy to find yourself buying things you don’t need when it’s as simple as swiping your card or tapping a button.
Try taking a few steps to make potential Black Friday purchases require more work and consideration. For example, you could remove your saved payment details so that you’ll need to decide whether you really want to enter everything to check out. In a blog post, money expert Rachel Cruze also suggested using cash and giving yourself at least a day to consider a purchase.
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