ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Many people think that just because it’s Black Friday weekend or Cyber Monday, the deals are the best they’ll be all year. While that’s true for some stores, some are just savvy with the sale advertising.

In fact, Experian found 70% of consumers feel like they need to spend money on Black Friday deals.

Atlanta News First Investigates looked into how you can make sure you’re really saving money while holiday shopping.

Compare prices

If you’re shopping in store, do a quick Google search of the item on your smartphone to see what other retailers are listing it for.

If you’re shopping online, add items you want to buy to your shopping cart and watch the prices for a few days. On some retail websites, you can “save for later” and monitor if that Cyber Monday deal is actually cheaper or simply listed at a higher price with a percentage off to make it look like a deal.

Check the reviews

If something is 50% off but the reviews say it arrived damaged or breaks easily, that’s possibly why the sale is so steep. The golden rule for avoiding scams still stands: if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

Look for extra discounts

While in line a the store, check the retailer’s website for any additional coupons.

If shopping online, check for promo codes. Retail-me-not is a helpful website to check for any possible codes. They might work and they might not, but it’s worth a try.

If you’re on Google Chrome, you can download an extension like “Honey” that will do a promo code search for you and can even give you price history to see if the item is actually cheaper that it was in the past.

Listen to Behind the Investigation podcasts while you’re shopping or driving

Don’t stop looking

Even after purchasing an item, if you find it cheaper at another store, some retailers will price match. For example, Target is offering a price adjustment for any items bought from Nov. 7 to Christmas Eve.

Use payments with rewards

Credit cards with rewards such as cash back or airline points can add an extra savings on top of the store sale.

Make a holiday gift list

Know who you are shopping for and what you may want to get them. This will help you avoid overspending when you see the sale signs.

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