Five Black Friday Overspending Traps to Avoid 

Friday, November 20, 2015, By Keith Kobland

You just had a wonderful, albeit crazy, Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. Now it’s time to go shopping! Black Friday deals abound, or so they say, and you are poised to take advantage of them. Here are some tips to avoid overspending from MaryAnn Monforte, professor of accounting practice at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.

-Establish a budget for your gift giving. Know how much you can spend comfortably and how you are going to pay for it.

-Make a detailed list of WHO you are buying for and WHAT you are buying for them.

-If the item you are looking for is not available, MOVE on—you can always check on Cyber Monday or for future sales.

-DO NOT shop for yourself! That is positively the easiest way to overspend—there is no list, there seem to be no limits. Not good!

-Make sure you are well fed and well rested before embarking on your Black Friday trek. Many impulse purchases are the result of shoppers simply wanting to get it done to be able to get to the more important task of nourishment or sleep!

-If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! An iPadPro for $200 means the store has only 1 iPadPro for $200—the remaining inventory are at $799+. If you are not the first person in line, after waiting in line for a long time you may feel compelled to purchase it anyway. There goes your budget!