How to Save the Most Dollars This Black Friday/Cyber Monday

Get that bang for your buck.

With Halloween and American thanksgiving just around the corner, that means only one thing: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are comin’.

Although the huge discount day started as a US event, it’s officially gone global, and now every year in Australia, brands everywhere offer up customers some of the best deals you can get all year round.

If you’ve been hanging out for this year’s Black Friday sales but wanna make the most of your student budget money, we got you covered.

Here are our best tips on saving money and getting the best deals when shopping the 2021 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales.

Set a budget and have a planned list.

First things first, you’re going to want to go into any sale event with a budget and a list.

By knowing what you want before you go shopping, you won’t end up buying junk you don’t need and overspending money you don’t have.

One of the biggest reasons stores jump on Black Friday sales is to entice you to buy loads of discounted items that you wouldn’t usually buy.

That’s why making sure you stick to a list and a spending limit will ensure that you only get those few things you’ve been saving for at an awesome price, instead of 20 poor quality tops that might not even last in the washing machine.

Know what brands are worth your dollars.

What are your favourite brands? Do you think they give you decent deals or quality products?

Sometimes, we end up buying things from brands that can be a little disappointing, so it’s good to know what brands are the most trustworthy, high quality, and reliable—even if you’re shopping the sales.

Like many young people before them, Gen Z is very particular about which brands they like, trust and regularly shop at. So, if you’re looking for a bit of insight on where you should shop, the best place to start is with the Youth Insight Top 100 Brands report.

This survey asked a tonne of zoomers what their favourite brands are and why. So, if you’re looking to find some new places to shop at, or get some info on your peers' shopping habits, check it out.

It could save you from buying a product that doesn’t last, from a brand you’re not sure about.

Check out the exclusive Edge Fest deals page.

When Black Friday sales are on, it can feel like every shop under the sun has a big offer that you can’t turn down.

Realistically though, if you want to get the best deals and save the most money, you’ll want to shop around and see if you can maximise discounts.

AKA: you should defs check out the exclusive Edge Fest deals page that Student Edge will be running this Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.

While we can’t spill the tea on all the details just yet, there will be offers on brands like Booktopia, Lenovo, Samsung, Superdry and so many more (soz, we can’t give away everything just yet).

By checking out our deals page this Black Friday, you can compare and potentially even maximise the discounts you can get from your favourite brands. Hey, it’s worth even just a quick look.

Enter competitions for some extra $$$.

If you don’t have a lot of money to spend this Black Friday but have had your eye on something for months, why not enter some cheeky competitions for a chance at some extra dosh?

Yes, competitions that give away cash, gift cards and EFTPOS cards exist and there are heaps on the Student Edge website.

If you enter a competition and win a little bit of moolah, not only could you wind up saving some of your own hard-earned dollars, but it could even go towards that big-ticket item you’ve been saving for (hello Nintendo Switch).

So, what are you waiting for? Go check out the competitions available on the Student Edge website, they’re free and super easy to enter.

Utilise cashback apps.

What if I told you that you could get a bit of money back on every purchase you make? Well, you actually can with cashback apps.

By taking full advantage of tools like ShopBack and Cashrewards, you can get a few dollars back into your app account or even your bank account every time you buy something new.

What’s even better is that they’re usually free to sign up and show you a heap of great deals that pop up all year round.

Plus, Student Edge has an offer with ShopBack where you can snag up to 30 per cent cashback on your online purchases, as well as an extra $15 cashback.

How does that old saying go? You gotta spend money to make money? I guess it works here too.

Use buy now, pay later services sparingly.

Finally, something that really gets used to its full extent during Black Friday sales are buy now, pay later (BNPL) apps like Afterpay, Klarna and Zip Pay.

While these apps are really great tools that can help you buy items you might not be able to drop a big sum of money on all at once, sometimes you can fall into a trap of using them too often and end up spending more money than you save.

To help you take control of your BNPL usage, you can get heaps of advice via the BNPL Money School learning course on the Student Edge Plus website.

This course and many more by Money School will give you heaps of tips on how to save money, learn to budget and take control of your spending.

Check it out here.

While there are heaps of great ways to save money this Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, it’s always best to remember to spend your money consciously and keep an eye on your habits.

Shopping can be really fun, but it can also do some damage to your wallet, so keep an eye on your funds and chat with a trusted adult if you need some advice.

Header Image: Gustavo Fring via Pexels