2025 Black Friday shopping tips: How shoppers can save money when buying gifts for the holidays

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and with it the holiday season will kick into full gear. On its heels are the annual shopping extravaganzas, Black Friday, Small Business and Cyber Monday.

So once you’ve let all the turkey, stuffing and pies you gorged on Thursday settle, you’ll be able to feast on the deals retailers are offering. However, shoppers will want to be sure that they are finding the best price, and even if it is really a deal.

How to snag the best deals this Black Friday

One of the best ways to save money when shopping is to check around. While you could spend the whole day going from store to store, pounding the pavement and burning off the excess calories from your Thanksgiving meal, there are a number of apps that can make life a little easier.

One that receives broad praise is the Capital One Shopping app, which you do not have to have a Capital One account to use. Other sites include CamelCamelCamel, Keepa, Honey, and SlickDeals. Amazon Assistant is also handy when shopping on the company’s website or using it to scan barcodes if you venture out to a brick-and-mortar store.

One of the benefits of some of these apps is that they will give you a history of where the price of the product has been over time. Thus, you can see if it is really a ‘Black Friday Deal’ or just a gimmick to get you to make a FOMO purchase.

How to save money on Black Friday and beyond

There are some other things to keep in mind to save money when you are shopping this holiday season, or anytime during the year. A personal recommendation for Christmas presents, get it in writing what your kids want early, and no last-minute changes. “Santa and his elves are miraculous, but not miracle workers…”

Procrastination in making a purchase, if the product is still available, could mean paying more not least for shipping to get it there on time, if it will arrive by Christmas at all.

Try to avoid impulse purchases. Always think about whether you truly need the item, or is it just going to end up being tucked away somewhere never to see the light of day until you do a Marie Kondo decluttering.

Finally, given the imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration, buying locally could help save some money as well as helping your local businesses and economy.

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