How To Survive Cyber Week 2021 On A Student Budget
Is your bank account ready for Cyber Week? Here's how to make sure you still have money left for the rest of your adulting.
Black Friday is the best time to treat yourself and stock up on all your Christmas gifts, but you want to do it smarter, so you actually leave some $$$ to enjoy the rest of the summer!
If you're reading this before Cyber Week then you're a lucky lucky cat because we've broken down exactly how you can make the most of Cyber Week without losing your mind and emptying your bank account!
Here’s what you need to do to budget for Black Friday…
1. Make your gifting list
Ever realised last minute that you’d forgotten to buy someone a present? It’s an awful feeling. To avoid that awkward moment when you realise you’ve forgotten your own mum’s present on Christmas morning, make a list of exactly who you have to buy for.
This will also help you in later steps when you have to split up what you have to spend between the people you need to spend on. Believe us, you don’t want to skip this step
2. Work out what your total budget is
You have friends and families you need to buy Christmas gifts for, and also buy stuff for yourself (get items off your wishlist and into your cart!). However, setting a budget will help you enjoy Black Friday without regretting your entire Black Friday haul later.
Limiting yourself to a budget based on how much money you have to spare for shopping will ensure you don't get tempted by crazy good deals and make impulsive purchases. We still gotta pay rent, and feed ourselves dont we?
3. Stick to your budget…
Black Friday deals are just chefs kiss, and sometimes the deal is so good it feels like a crime to not indulge in it, but don't let the brilliant marketing get the best of you. You’ve set a budget for a reason — that’s what you can afford to spend, so stick to it kay?
Every time you make a purchase, subtract that money from your total so you’re not left with a shock at the end of it all. This will help you keep an eye on how much you’ve spent on each person as well as in total too
4. Decide how much to spend on each person
This might sound savage, but let's be real, you're not going to spend an equal amount on everyone. I mean you're not going to spend the same amount on your parent and your Kris Kringle at work. That's why it's best to set a "per person budget". Doesn't have to be an exact figure, even a ball-park amount will help you stay on track and stop you from overspending.
5. …but give yourself some wiggle room
Sometimes they’re worth that extra $15 to get the perfect present. Don’t punish yourself if it's a teeny bit, all presents are meant to be special! Find your balance between the two, you're a smart cookie and you have time to prepare — we're sure you'll figure it out.
If you really are a planner or just don't trust yourself, when you're creating a budget, keep some cash aside as the "wiggle room fund" so then you'll have a definite line drawn.
6. Don’t forget that student discount!!
Seriously, if you’ve made it to Student Beans to read this article and have not used a student discount, ummm you ok? We don’t spend all our time collating awesome discounts for almost every brand you could ever want just for you to go and pay full price. We literally spend all our energy hunting down the best student discounts, so don't you dare pay full price!
We’re giving you deals on top of Black Friday deals, so use them. You may even come away from spending less than you budgeted if you’re savvy with your discounts (more for you!)
7. Don’t overspend on yourself
Absolutely treat yourself — you deserve it. But stick to your budget here too. It’s all too easy to let your eyes wander while shopping for someone else, but stay on track and think of all that extra money you’ll have for nights out and dinner with friends over the holiday.
Give yourself a budget to spend to yourself, have a think about what you really really want or need and don’t get caught up in the sale-spending frenzy.
8. Remember not all deals are good deals
Some brands will try and sell you an “incredible deal” that’s actually not really saving you much (or anything) compared to their original prices. The best way to spot these is "window shop before the Black Friday Sale goes live.
Check out their current prices and note them down so you’ll be able to see whether you’re being given a good deal or not.
9. Overestimate on that budget
Look, you'll probably go over your budget so it's better to overestimate it rather than be stressed about it later. Dont forget you'll have to account for the ridiculous Australian shipping fees which honestly needs a budget of its own.
You know that feeling of coming in under budget is going to feel far sweeter than overspending.
10. Don’t let the pressure get to you
Even though we’re focused on the one day, most brands run sales for an entire week and some even have further sales around Christmas. If you’re buying yourself an outfit for a New Year’s party and you've run out of budget, you'll still have boxing day sales so don't stress.
What we’re saying is it’s not the ONLY sale happening this year. Pace yourself, take a breather and think about what you really need and want to get.
If you get that budget right and stick to it then Black Friday will actually be kind of fun. Don’t get caught up in the floods of deals and the sales hysteria.
Here are some of the mad deals that you can redeem, talk about extra savings!