If you’re ever looking to save bundles of cash on tech , fashion , stuff for the home or kitchen gadgets , Black Friday is a date you absolutely need to bookmark. The mammoth sale, which takes place in November every year, sees all the hottest products plummet in price. I’ve been covering and tracking the Black Friday sales for eight years now, and there have been years when I’ve saved all my non-emergency indulgent buys exclusively for the sale period.

It really is the best time to find a super discount on items for yourself or gifts for Christmas , and the shopping event has only grown since scenes of shoppers fighting over TV deals in the aisles of Tesco graced the 10 o’clock news. But. when almost every retailer under the sun participates in the Black Friday sales, it can all get a little overwhelming.

Where do you go to find the best deals? How do you know who has the best savings? And are there any secrets to making the most of the sales? Here, I’m imparting almost a decade’s worth of Black Friday knowledge onto you, so you can uncover the best discounts when the Black Friday sale rolls around. From pitfalls to avoid to things you must do ahead of the main event, here are my top Black Friday tips for securing the best deals. It’s not the most thrilling thing in the world, but planning and getting prepared is kind of essential if you want to save the most money on Black Friday.

A deal isn’t a deal if you don’t actually need the thing that you’re about.