Shopping Season Tips

Black Friday is here and that marks the beginning of shopping season. I hope you find these 4 tips helpful as you venture out to spend your hard earned cash.

H ave your list ready for what you want. If you aren’t sure, give yourself possibilities of items you might be on the lookout for. If you go with nothing written down, but all in your head, you might get distracted and forget an item or two.

Also, with smart phones, create a list using Notes, Evernote, reminders, or any of the free, easy-to-learn note-taking apps available for Android or iPhones.

When it comes to clothes… I ALWAYS go to the clearance area first. You never can tell what is on the rack. Many times I’ll find a must-have shirt that was out of my price range last season but it’s 60% off now. Win!

Also at the clearance is the end-of-season clothing. Yes, you may not be able to wear that adorable shirt over the winter, but it’s going to be great for the summer. If it’s priced at under $9, it’s worth it to buy now to have for later.

Odd-hour shopping. Go early or shop late. Black Friday aside, first thing when the stores open are usually great times to shop, while also later in the evening, before closing are good times. During the day is hard to tell when a store is having a rush, but like most places those rush times come in waves and it’s a blessing when you can arrive at a store at either pre- or post- rush!

Finally, keep in mind your budget. Know your limit on your spending and stay with it. See that perfect shirt that will work but it’s not on sale? Maybe that’s fine if you other items were off the clearance rack and you’ll not bust your budget. Otherwise, watch for that shirt next season on the clearance rack.