Wednesday, 11/25/09: Black Friday tips-read the fine print

It's almost time for one of the biggest shopping days of the year! As you head out this Friday (which I will NOT be doing for the first time in a few years!) I have a few tips for you. First, read the fine print on all the sale papers with offers you're interested in. Check out how many items the store will have so you can plan where you need to be first. See if the computer comes with no software so you'll have to buy $500 of software to use it for anything. Look for quantity limits, and time limits (i.e. the deal is only 5-11 a.m. or whatever). Remember, all sales and advertising are designed to get you to spend money on specific products. That's not bad, because if you need a product you're going to buy it one way or another. Just be sure that you're spending the amount of money you planned (or less) on the products you want, without spending more because you missed the hidden rules.