Another Black Friday is nearly upon us, but navigating all those deals isn't easy and can actually lead to overspending.
Consider this: the average person will spend 15 hours shopping this holiday season. At even $25 an hour, that's nearly $400.
"Know exactly what you want to buy and don’t let some of those sales seduce you into buying things that aren’t on your list," advised says money expert Lou Scatigna, who just wrote the "The Financial Physician."
Black Friday deals have already been knocking on wallets for weeks, and many of the biggest deals are yet to come. The trick is navigating Black Friday and Cyber Monday without busting your bank.
"Know what you are going to buy each person, research online and just go buy what’s on that list," said Scatigna.
The research is made easier with a series of websites showing you all the doorbuster deals for Black Friday. Savings.com, Blackfriday2010.com and CyberMonday.com have sneak peaks at the ads to give you a head start.
Some are leaked by the retailers themselves, but others can come from employees that may not be correct in your area, so double-check each retailers website so you don't race to the store for nothing.
Keep in mind: what is on sale in New York may not be in Chicago.
Most of the ads should be out by Thanksgiving Day, and true to form, the best deals are still always the earliest.
The national retail federal anticipates 138 million will venture out Black Friday, up 4 million from last year.
"Everyone runs in there, and before you know it the items are gone so you want to be there early," said Scatigna.
Sears, Toys R Us and Kmart and are open Thanksgiving. Kohl’s and Carson’s open at 3 a.m. Friday.
Kmart is teasing cooks with $39 dollar HD video and digital cameras. Best Buy has Toshiba Laptops for $189 and Walmart has a 32” Emerson LED-HDTV for $198.
And if you don’t mind doing the work, the online auction site Quibids.com is advertising a 50" Samsung for $87.99. That's 95 percent off its regular price.
For comparison shopping and promotion codes, Scatigna advised shoppers to try Pricegrabber.com. Couponwinner.com has promotion codes and coupons for free shipping and discounts.
And speaking of phones, app-capable smartphones are likely to be a big help to shoppers this year. Shopsavvy is one app available for both the Android and iOS platforms.
$MART MONEY: Navigating the Road to Financial Freedom
Special Section: Holiday Shopping Guide
