Black Friday Plan: Set Your Price Ceiling First

Black Friday is Friday, November 27, and Cyber Monday is Monday, November 30. Sales often start earlier. The easiest way to spend less is a list you write this week, with a maximum price next to every item.

Key takeaways

• Write a short list of things you already planned to buy.
• Put a price ceiling beside each one before any sale starts.
• If it is not on the list, wait 24 hours before you buy it.

Build the plan in 20 minutes

1. List what you actually need. Five items is plenty. Include gifts and anything you were going to replace anyway. Leave off anything you only want because it is on sale.
2. Write today's price. Check the current price at two stores, note the date, and take a screenshot. That is your baseline. A sale price only means something next to a price you wrote down.
3. Set a ceiling for each item. This is the most you would happily pay, at any time. If the sale price is at or under the ceiling, buy. If not, skip it. Not every Black Friday price is the lowest of the year, so the ceiling protects you.
4. Set one total budget. Add the ceilings. If the total is more than you planned, cut an item now. See our 15 minute holiday budget.
5. Check the return window and price adjustment. Holiday purchases often have extended returns, but the rules differ by store. Read what to check before you buy gifts and see how to get money back after a price drop.
6. Skip the doorbusters. Limited stock deals are built to make you hurry. If the item is not on your list, it is not a bargain, whatever the sticker says.
7. Use a waiting rule for everything else. Put extra items in the cart and wait a day. The 24 hour rule removes most impulse buys.

On the day itself

1. Start from your list, not the store's homepage. Homepages show what the store wants to move. Your list shows what you need.
2. Compare with your screenshot before you add to cart. If the price is above your ceiling, close the tab. Another sale will come.
3. Count shipping and tax. Your ceiling is the total you pay, not the tag. A cheap price with a high shipping fee can land above it.
4. Keep the receipt and the date. You will need both for a return or a price adjustment.

Check the discount is real

A "50% off" tag is only as good as the price it started from. Our guide to checking whether a sale is real shows how to compare against past prices. Your own screenshot from step 2 helps here.

Your quick checklist

• [ ] List up to five items you already planned to buy.
• [ ] Screenshot today's price at two stores, with the date.
• [ ] Write a price ceiling for each one.
• [ ] Add up the ceilings and compare with your budget.
• [ ] Add November 26, 27 and 30 to your calendar.
• [ ] Look up each store's return window before you buy.

Next step

Open a note on your phone right now and write the list and the ceilings. Add the sale dates to Nusafa so a reminder lands before the sales start.

Check current prices before you buy. This is general information, not personalized financial advice. Some links on Nusafa are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.