3 Holiday Budget Tips That Are Overrated (Plus 3 To Try Instead)

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Cooling weather means the holiday shopping season is fast approaching, and with it comes a barrage of expert tips and strategies on how to get the most for your money. Many of them are good, but others are taken for granted, even if they don’t always provide the most bang for your buck. 

The following three tips are often taken as holiday shopping gospel, yet are often outdated and have better alternatives. 

Also see eight holiday gift shopping hacks that can save you big this season.

Spend Big on Black Friday When Prices Are Lowest

The day after Thanksgiving was historically the biggest shopping day of the year, with Black Friday sales offering deep discounts the likes of which shoppers wouldn’t see again for another 364 days. 

However, in the run-up to the 2023 and 2024 holiday seasons, outlets like CNBC and The New York Times reported that the game had changed in the post-pandemic world, and that comparable sales were now available from the end of summer into January.

To compensate, many retailers inflated prices in the run-up to Black Friday to make the day’s discounts appear more attractive than they were — and that trend will likely continue in 2025. 

Instead: Track Prices All Season — or All Year — Long

Consider using apps or browser extensions like Camelizer and Honey to track price changes, get price history and receive alerts throughout the season or year for real-time data on actual discounts, whenever they may arrive. 

Shop From Home on Cyber Monday

According to Newsweek, many of the season’s best deals start online well before the traditional Black Friday starting gun and that of its digital cousin, Cyber Monday. While it’s true that there are deals to be had, the traditional tip of doing all your online shopping on the Monday after Thanksgiving no longer holds up. 

Instead: Shop Online Before and After, and During Platform-Specific Events

The same Newsweek analysis found that many retailers launch their best online sales a week or so before Cyber Monday to get a jump on the season, and then lower prices again a week or so after to offload excess inventory.

Loyalists to a specific store or e-commerce platform should research that retailer’s specific online sale events. For example, Amazon holds Prime Day in July — and recently has consistently doubled up in October — offering deals as good or better than shoppers might find on Cyber Monday.

Never Pay for Shipping

Free shipping has a strong psychological appeal to shoppers that platforms like Amazon have capitalized on. However, Shopify reported that retailers often bake shipping expenses into the price of the product to pass the cost of delivery onto the buyer. 

Instead: Compare Prices Without Free Shipping or Pick Up When You Can

When you find a product you like with free shipping, check Google Shopping or a similar platform for a broad range of prices for the same item and calculate the total cost if you paid to have it delivered. Even better, check if there’s a local pick-up option available for less.

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