---
title: "Black Friday: Saving or Spending in Disguise?"
description: Elaine King, CFP®, once had 10 credit cards. She shares three ideas to enjoy Black Friday without spending in disguise.
image: https://www.elaineking.com/hubfs/Ten%20colorful%20cards%2c%20one%20amused%20afternoon.png
---
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# Black Friday: Saving or Spending in Disguise?
[Blog (EN)](https://www.elaineking.com/blog/tag/blog-en)
*I once had 10 credit cards. Here’s what I learned before every Black Friday.*
*By Elaine King Fuentes, CFP®, TEP*
When I started working, I was sitting on my futon one day, organizing my wallet. I took the cards out one by one and counted them. Ten. Ten credit cards! My first thought was: who has time to keep all of this organized?
I laugh about it now. For reference, the average American has 3.7 active credit cards, according to Experian. I had almost three times that.
I think of that afternoon every November, because Black Friday is the season when the most cards come out of the wallet. And here’s a fun fact: stores didn’t invent the name. Philadelphia police did, in the early 1960s, to describe the traffic and crowd chaos the day after Thanksgiving. The stores gave it a nicer story later.
The chaos is still here. It just arrives by phone now. According to LendingTree, 37% of Americans took on debt last holiday season, averaging $1,223. And 41% of them were still paying off the Christmas before.
Every year I hear the same line: “But I’m saving. It was 40% off.” So I want to share three ideas I use myself, so this Friday is real saving.
**1. Take a Photo of the Price Today**
If your refrigerator broke and you were waiting for Black Friday, great. That’s exactly the kind of purchase worth planning. But do one thing this week: take a screenshot of the price.
Why? Because not every discount is what it seems. Some stores raise prices weeks ahead and then “lower” them for Friday. The consumer group Consumers’ Checkbook investigated major U.S. stores and found that at most of them, the “sale price” was available more than half the time.
On Friday, compare your photo with the ad. If the price is the same, you have your answer. It isn’t a deal. It’s the usual price with a new sign.
***In short: Your best Black Friday tool is the photo you take of the price today.***
**2. Divide Before You Multiply**
The $100 water filter now comes as a two-pack for $180. Sounds great. But let’s do the math: if you change it twice a year, the second filter sits in the closet for six months. You’re paying $80 more today to save $20.
And if that $180 sits for six months on a card charging around 22% a year, close to the average the Federal Reserve reports, the interest adds up to almost $20. Exactly what you were going to save.
Now add your time. The hours comparing prices across three apps, the line, the return you never get around to. If your hour is worth $20, spending four hours hunting to save $30 isn’t a good deal. That’s opportunity cost: what you give up for what you choose.
My question before any “buy two” is simple: when will I use the second one? If the answer is “who knows,” I buy one.
***In short: Before you multiply the deal, divide the price by the months you’ll wait to use it.***
**3. Two Cards, Two Jobs**
After that afternoon on the futon, I kept two cards. One for fixed expenses and one for variable expenses. And instead of points, I chose cash back. That way, one look at a card tells me what’s fixed and what I can adjust.
This system is my best ally in November. Everything Black Friday goes on the variable card. On Sunday, when I review it, I see what I spent in one place. Not ten.
And that same Sunday I do something I call the mirror rule: whatever the receipts say I saved, I move into my savings account. If they say “you saved $40,” I move $40. That way the discount doesn’t stay on paper. It becomes real savings.
***In short: A discount becomes savings the day you move it into your account.***
And if you want one purchase this Friday that’s truly worth it, look for a course. English, artificial intelligence, personal finance, growing your business. Many have their best prices this week, and it’s one of the few purchases that keeps growing after the sale ends.
Years ago, on that futon, I counted ten cards. Today I have two. And before I buy anything on Black Friday, I ask myself three questions: Do I need it? Do I have the photo of the price? Can I pay for it without debt?
If all three answers are yes, enjoy your purchase. You earned it. If not, you already know what a friend would tell you.
**That isn’t saving, my friend. It’s spending in disguise.**
How many cards are in your wallet today? Tell me in the comments, no shame. I started with ten.
**Frequently asked questions**
**Are Black Friday deals really cheaper?**
Not always. Consumers’ Checkbook found that at many U.S. stores, the “sale price” was offered more than half the time. Taking a photo of the price weeks ahead helps you know whether the discount is real.
**Why is it called Black Friday?**
The name was born in Philadelphia in the early 1960s. Police used it to describe the traffic and crowd chaos the day after Thanksgiving. The red-ink-to-black-ink explanation from stores came in the 1980s.
**Is a two-pack deal worth buying?**
It depends on when you’ll use the second one. If you pay much more today for something you won’t use for months, and you put it on a card, the interest can wipe out the savings.
**How many credit cards should I have?**
There’s no perfect number. The U.S. average is 3.7 active cards, according to Experian. What matters is being able to keep track easily, for example, one card for fixed expenses and one for variable expenses.
**What is the mirror rule?**
Moving the amount a receipt says you saved into your savings account, the same day or that weekend. That turns the discount into real savings.
**What is opportunity cost?**
It’s what you give up for what you choose. It includes the time you spend hunting for deals and what that money could do in your savings account.
**Want to go into Black Friday with a plan? Share this article with your family or schedule a conversation at elaineking.com.**
*Elaine King Fuentes, CFP®, TEP, is the founder of Family and Money Matters™ and the author of eight books on family and money. Based in Miami, she works with families, business owners and women in transition. She has appeared on Telemundo, CNN and Taking Stock from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.*
*Educational content only. Not individualized financial, tax or investment advice. Examples are illustrative. Rates cited are averages and may change.*
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