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In this week’s edition:
What to buy (and skip) on Black Friday.
How NerdWallet deal experts are handling Black Friday.
Don’t forget Small Business Saturday.
Is “giftflation” blowing up your budget?
Nerdy money tips.
In case you missed it.
Elsewhere in money news:
Surprise, surprise: Consumer sentiment dropped during the government shutdown.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) meets its demise months ahead of schedule. (Reuters)
Shop ‘til you drop
What to buy (and skip) on Black Friday 2025
Photo by Michael Nagle/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Black Friday of yore — where deal-seeking consumers would wake at dawn for a one-day, in-store, competitive-shopping bonanza — is no more. For several years now, retailers have expanded “Black Friday” into a five-day period beginning on Thanksgiving and ending on Cyber Monday (and this year, we saw sales creep up even earlier).
Black Friday has roots dating back to the 1950s when Philadelphia began using the term to describe a chaotic influx of shoppers into the city. In the 1980s, the term spread nationally and took on a slightly different meaning: The "black" in Black Friday referred to a time when businesses were able to move from “the red” (operating at a loss) to “the black” (making a profit).
While stampeding shoppers are a thing of the past, some 63% of consumers still plan to do their holiday shopping during the extended Black Friday weekend, according to an October 2025 survey from the National Retail Federation, compared to 59% in 2024.
To manage the madness — and be kind to your budget — NerdWallet shopping experts suggest narrowing your shopping list. Stick to the items that are most likely to be priced lower during the Black Friday weekend.
Buy:
This year’s must-have toys.
Big-screen TVs.
Kitchen gadgets and small appliances.
Skip:
Furniture and home decor.
Winter apparel.
Shopping expert Tommy Tindall breaks down the why behind each buy-and-skip call.
-Anna Helhoski
Hear from the Nerds
NerdWallet deal experts: “Here’s our Black Friday take”
NerdWallet writers Amanda Barroso and Tommy Tindall
NerdWallet’s in-house deal experts, Amanda Barroso and Tommy Tindall, have mixed feelings about this year’s Black Friday frenzy. Here, in an excerpt from their conversation, they debunk the “best time to buy” myth:
Amanda: This is the question we return to every year at Black Friday. Is there really a best time to buy, or has that idea become a myth?
Tommy: Paying attention to prices is more important than timing, I'd say. You can get a sense for what’s a good deal by just looking at the price history. And as we’ve seen, good prices come and go whether sales are happening or not.
Amanda: I track products, too. I add items to my cart and check in every couple days to see what the price is. That helps me, because when the actual Black Friday sales happen, I can spot a real deal or just hype.
Tommy: I’m like you — I save items I want in my cart and watch. I know how low the price has gone in the past. I get it when a good deal strikes.
Amanda: I’m always surprised when I see a lower price the week before a big sale than during the actual sale.
New technologies allow retailers to change prices by the day, hour or minute. That can be really frustrating, and it’s a lot different than previous Black Friday pricing models.
I can remember waking up early the day after Thanksgiving with my mom and driving to Best Buy to get in line to buy a DVD player. I might be aging myself, but that memory feels really different from what Black Friday shopping is like today.
Tommy: Is it weird that I miss those days? Now browser extensions make it easy to spot truly low prices. That said, those who don’t get a kick out of all the research can go into Black Friday knowing there will be lots of great deals.
Amanda: True — but they might also get caught up and overspend, too. I think the best thing you can do is have a list of your ‘must haves’ and track those in the weeks leading up to a big sale.
Read Amanda and Tommy’s full conversation here. They reveal their true feelings about Black Friday, how to use AI to shop for deals, the retailers they’re keeping tabs on and what holiday shoppers should watch out for this season.
-A.H.
Let’s get small
Holiday shopping is not just about the Amazons and Walmarts of the world. Small Business Saturday comes right on the heels of Black Friday, and it’s a chance to support your local merchants, and maybe find some new favorites.
Those merchants depend heavily on the holiday season: For 60% of small businesses, the holiday season accounts for up to half of total annual sales, according to a new report from Constant Contact, a digital marketing platform.
In 2024, shoppers spent $22 billion at small businesses on Small Business Saturday, according to the U.S. Small Business Association, an event cosponsor.
Tips for local shopping:
Looking for places to shop nearby? Find participating local businesses on this interactive map from American Express.
Looking for deals? Follow your favorite local merchants on social media — 40% of small businesses say social media is their most important marketing channel.
Prefer to shop online? Look up your favorite small business online. Many local businesses can handle online orders, so try starting there before you leave home. While 61% of consumers are more likely to shop in-person at a small business, 32% say they are more likely to shop online at small businesses, according to a survey released this week by AT&T Business.
Planning to pay in cash? Grab a scoop of pennies from your coin jar on your way out the door — in case you haven’t heard, there is a nationwide shortage.
- Rick VanderKnyff
Is ‘giftflation’ blowing up your holiday budget?
“Giftflation” — aka the rising cost of gift giving — is hitting shoppers’ wallets hard this holiday season. The double whammy of persistent inflation and widespread tariffs is hiking prices for big-ticket items like appliances, clothing and home goods (along with everyday costs like food, energy and transportation).
A recent NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll found that holiday shoppers plan to spend $1,107, on average, for gifts this year — an increase of $182 compared to last year.
What’s a shopper to do? Start with a holiday-specific budget that lays out all of your spending priorities — the nonnegotiables and the nice-to-haves. Then review last year’s spending and ask yourself the important questions like:
Were you happy with your spending?
Are there spending categories that no longer serve you?
Has anything changed in your budget between this year and last, like a job loss or a new child?
Next, lay out all of your holiday spending categories and determine how much you’ll need to fund each one. Here are more tips for building a holiday budget that works every year.
- A.H.
Nerdy money tips
Plan a no-spend day. Visit a museum. Explore a farmers market. Volunteer at a charity. Take a hike. Even free activities can be fun.
Holiday sales aren’t just for gifts. You can get deep discounts on essentials. Make a list of household items you’d buy anyway and start tracking their prices. Use tools like Keepa, CamelCamelCamel or Karma to set price alerts.
Add a personal touch. When personal finance writer Kim Palmer asked fellow Nerds for their best budget-friendly gift ideas, the consensus was clear: Creative, personal touches are the most memorable and tend to cost less. Consider a DIY play, a custom photo puzzle or dried flowers.
- Courtney Neidel
Quiz: What’s your holiday shopping personality?
When it comes to buying gifts this season, are you a Vibes Only Buyer, a Prepared Planner, or a Savvy Strategist & Deal Optimist?
Take our new quiz to find your holiday shopping personality.
- Pamela de la Fuente
How to win Black Friday without losing your wallet
In case you missed it
Here’s what else you may have missed from NerdWallet:
November money questions. Personal finance writer Kim Palmer answers readers’ top questions on using AI to shop, spreading out holiday expenses and the best methods to pay for purchases.
The housing market is unlikely to crash in 2026, but expect sticky high prices and stable rents. Home mortgages writer Kate Wood has more.
Data writer Erin El Issa shares how she used bank bonuses to fund her holiday shopping.
A new NerdWallet survey found that 31% of 2024 holiday shoppers are still paying off last year’s gift spending. Thinking about borrowing to pay for holiday shopping? Personal loans writer Ronita Choudhuri-Wade compares Christmas loans and other alternatives.
How will the Education Department be dismantled? Contributing writer Lisa Mulka explores the changes coming to financial aid, loans and what it all means for current and future students.
Your MoneyNerd team:
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Until next week,
