6 Essential Black Friday Shopping Tips

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Flipp for IZEA Worldwide. All opinions are 100% mine.
Black Friday shopping has evolved and changed in the past few decades since I've been taking part. Store hours are creeping backward and instead of a one-day event, it's more of a weeklong anticipation with previews and special prices and sales leading up to the main event. We still get a paper delivered and I used to love the Thanksgiving delivery because I'd sit on the floor in front of the fire and spread all the circular ads out in front of me. I'd thumb through each ad circling the items that caught my eye and then I'd develop a plan of action. I've found an easier way to do it and I love it just as much! We live in a world where there is an app for that. Isn't it a great time to be alive? I'm going to share my 6 essential Black Friday shopping tips and how you can streamline the process to find the best deals and make the most of your limited time.

6 Essential Black Friday Shopping Tips

My Black Friday shopping is getting a total overhaul this year. I just downloaded Flipp and I can see that it's already saving me time and money, which is always a bonus this time of year!

Flipp is a free shopping app that helps you save money on your weekly shopping by allowing you to locate the circular ads of the stores you shop the most right on your phone. You can also use it as a tool to find the best Black Friday deals near you and plan out the best way to shop for the best deals on the hottest products. Flipp will save you time and money and is the only app you will need for your Black Friday shopping.

Download Flipp

1. Make a List

I used to have a jumbled mess of paper circular ads. Sometimes if I was really organized, I'd have a master list that I would write out with the store at the top and the items I planned to get. Now I can use the Flipp app to help manage my list. I can look at the ads for my favorite local stores, tap on an item that I see in the circular on my smartphone and that item is then added to the clippings on my shopping list.

Flipp sorts the items on my list by store so I can easily shop store by store and see what's on my list and take advantage of the deals I find in each place. 

2.  Start Shopping Early

This is getting harder and harder to do with stores opening before the turkey dinner is even cleared off the table. Black Friday shopping is no longer a one-day event, instead, you are seeing early bird deals and sales released in ads before Thanksgiving has even come and gone. 

Keep an eye on the hot deals using the Flipp app. You can set your favorite stores or browse the app for stores that have ads nearby so you don't miss a thing!

3. Make a Plan for the Doorbuster Sales

It wouldn't be Black Friday if there wasn't a doorbuster sale to entice you, but be smart before you follow these loss leaders into the store. A store will usually have very limited numbers of doorbuster deals in stock and unless you are first in line, you may not score the deal you were hoping for.

Instead, use the Flipp app to keep track of the hottest trending deals. You can easily price match and comparison shop to find the lowest price on stores in your local area. You can even search Black Friday deals by category {electronics, toys and games, home and garden, you name it!}.

4. Do Your Research

If you are looking for a particular item find out what deals are available. You can enter in the item you're looking for in the search tab of the Flipp app and compare store prices for that particular item. Can you order that item online and avoid the crowds? A little research can save you a lot of time and money.

5. Use Coupons and Rewards

The best deals always come when you combine a sale with a coupon. Keep track of both using the Flipp app. You can find coupons and save them {along with your rewards cards} and easily see how you can combine the coupon with the current store deals. 

6. Divide and Conquer

You can't be first in line at every store. Why not split up your shopping with a friend? Share your Flipp shopping list with a partner and let them shop one store while you shop another making sure you both can take part in all the best deals.

Flipp is celebrating the biggest shopping event of the year with a home theater giveaway. You can enter Flipp's Black Friday Sweepstakes for your chance to win a 4K Smart TV and a Walmart gift card so you can create the home theater you've always dreamed of!

Enter Flipp's Black Friday Sweepstakes by November 22!

You can use these 6 essential Black Friday shopping tips and the free Flipp app to make the most of your holiday shopping. It's changing the way I do my shopping {in a good way} and I know if you use these tips you can have the best shopping experience possible for Black Friday.