Every year, Black Friday is a day of savings and a way for stores to get rid of overstock. Here are tips and some of the best deals for students. Start early since stores like Target and Walmart already have Black Friday deals going on.

Tips

1. If you are buying for yourself, make a list of things you want or need and a budget for the maximum amount you want to spend. It is easy to overspend during the next month, so if you have a budget, you’ll be able to stick to it better.
2. If you are buying for others, write out a list of all the people you’re buying for and put down any ideas you have of what to get them so you can refer to it while shopping for Black Friday deals in person or online. Eighty-six percent of millennials overspend on holiday gifts, according to CNBC, so being prepared can help prevent you from overspending.
3. Have a specific date of when you want to have all gift shopping completed, leaving yourself plenty of time for wrapping. Doing so can avoid last-minute panic buying and save you from buying more than you should.
4. Look for things that can be split up and thrown into gifts, such as multiple-item gift sets, cheap beauty products, candles, and candy.
5. Be sure to bring your student ID if you go shopping in person, and don’t be afraid to ask if stores have student discounts. Downloading the store app may also provide extra coupons.

Electronics

For students, Black Friday is one of the best times to score on electronic deals. Amazon has some MacBook Pros from 2021 with 20% discounts. Walmart also has much cheaper MacBook Air laptops for $299. There are some HP Chromebooks under $100. For laptops under $200, there are Lenovo options and Acer options, other laptops.

Airpods have been a hot ticket item for the last few years and can be found as low as $159. Beats headphones are on sale for $150, and Beats earbuds are going for $100. Even the newest airpod max headphones can be found on Amazon for a slight discount of 13-18% off, depending on the color.

For coffee lovers, single-serve Keurigs can be found for as low as $35.

Walmart also has iPhones for as low as $8 a month for 36 months and 0% APR.

Entertainment

Shoppers can find endless deals for entertainment.

Nickelodeon star Jeanette McCurdy’s book can be found at an all-time low at Walmart for $19, normally nearly $30.

For movies, Christmas favorites under $10, like “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “A Christmas Story” are available at Walmart for $7.99 each.

For non-holiday movies, Target also has Blu-ray DVDs for $5 and less.

Books are also currently “buy two get the third free” on select books and DVDs at Target, a sale that only happens a few times a year.

Self-care

Now more than ever, self-care is important. You don’t have to buy anything to achieve self-care, but if you are looking to treat yourself or a friend with some self-care items, Black Friday may be the perfect time to.

Various candles are at Walmart, and Target has them year-round for under $10.

Music can be a huge source of stress relief. If you need a speaker, you’re in luck.

Portable speakers by JBL are on sale for $59. If that is too pricey, there are also Amazon echo dots for $17.99 and Amazon nests for $19.99.

Home

If you need some new home electronics, rice cookers can be found as low as $50 at Walmart. Air fryers are also available at Best Buy for as long as $39.99.

UniDays, a website for student discounts, also has a range of Black Friday deals from various brands. Discounts opportunities include food, makeup stores, HP products, and clothing brands like ASOS and champion

Gifts for othersEvery year, Walmart has many low-price gift sets for people you may not have time or money to spend on.

Some good ones this year under $20 include the Ghirardelli sleigh chocolate gift basket for $15 and the Houdini gift basket for $15, which includes Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares, Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles, Shell Bella Madeleine Cakes and more. 

Another Houdini gift set goes for $19.98, with more snacks and a reusable tin holding all the treats.

For $10, options include various Ghirardelli hot cocoa mug sets for $9.98 and many others.

Target also has a range of beauty sets for $10, including a nail set, Dr. Teal’s bath set, and beauty face mask gift sets.

For $20, Target also has advent beauty and skincare calendars.