Black Friday and Cyber Monday are perfect chances to pick up the gifts you might have missed during Prime Day — often at the best prices of the year. As we approach these major shopping events, a slew of early deals and discounts have already started rolling in from big retailers like Walmart, Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Apple. With Black Friday just around the corner, even more discounts are likely to appear. Here at CNET, we’re monitoring all the latest deals and putting together our top recommendations to help make your holiday shopping experience an easy one. 

Here, you’ll find simple strategies to help you make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, including budgeting tips, ad research tricks, browser extension ideas and more smart shipping hacks to keep your holiday shopping on track. Once you’re up to speed, don’t miss our tips for saving on shipping and sending gifts directly through Amazon to make things even easier. We’ve even got the insider scoop on what times your favorite retailers open so you can start your physical shopping trips early.

Don’t worry, we’re about to dive into all the useful shopping advice. But first, let’s highlight some of the best early deals already available to give you a head start. And take a crash course in staying safe while shopping online before you spend a single penny. 

Where to start: Best deals before Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off

Best early Black Friday deals available now: Your first destination for the latest and best deals we’ve found so far.

Best Black Friday deals under $50: All of the best deals we’ve found under $50. 

Best Black Friday deals under $25: If you’re looking to save a bit this holiday season, these under $25 steals might be right for you.

Join our texting group: Have the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals delivered right to your phone during the lead up and throughout the whole event. 

Be sure to check back throughout the month for CNET’s live blog, where we’ll round up the best live Black Friday deals. 

Best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals by store

Have a favorite store? We’ve got plenty of store-specific deal roundups to get you started. 

Best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals by topic

We’re actively updating our “evergreen” deals stories to fold in the latest and greatest post Black Friday and early Cyber Monday offers. 

Got all that? Good. Now let’s talk about some general Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping tips.

Set a budget and put money aside

Whether you’re buying for yourself or grabbing gifts for friends and family, the holiday shopping season seems to come around so quickly every year. Therefore, it’s wise to budget for it throughout the year so that you don’t put such a heavy burden on your last few paychecks of the year. 

With many Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales having already started (see above) and a general state of postelection economic unease, you need to be more judicious than ever about spending limits. It’s a good idea to set a maximum you’re willing to spend all told and then to track your spending during the event. It’s easy to get swept away in the excitement when deals go live and not pay close enough attention to how much you’re spending, but that self-accountability will be key to avoiding a huge overspend. 

Decide what you want to buy and check prices now

While a lot of Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping is impulse-led, a more effective way to shop is to identify purchase targets and create a list ahead of time. There are a few reasons why this is a better approach. First, you can assess prices now which helps you with your budget and saving targets. Doing the research now also helps you figure out what is actually a good deal worth buying during the event or whether a “sale” price isn’t too far from a product’s regular going rate. 

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you can also work through the list you made to get everything you need in an organized fashion while trying your best to avoid wasting money on impulse buys. 

Peruse as many Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads as you can before the event

Part of your preevent research should involve checking out as many Black Friday ad scans as you can. Not only is this the best way to get a sneak peek at the deals that are coming during the event, but you’ll also be able to budget more effectively and shop more efficiently if you know where all the best prices are. 

Shop the early sales now or plan for shipping delays

As mentioned upfront, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales don’t wait for the actual day before they begin — many are already live. If you can lock in a low price now, not only does that help spread out the cost but it could help you avoid a hefty shipping delay, or avoid missing out on a deal altogether, later on. For the sake of a few dollars’ difference between now and Black Friday proper, it may be worthwhile snagging things you need now. If you don’t need things urgently, then it may suit you to wait a bit longer.

Here are the best early Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales:

Compare prices with the CNET Shopping extension

Is that Black Friday “deal” really a deal? Instead of looking up prices on Amazon’s retail competitors one by one, do it instantaneously with a price comparison extension for your web browser. There are several on the market, but CNET now has its own in-house extension: CNET Shopping (formerly known as PriceBlink). It works across a bunch of retailers and can show you the best current deal, price history for select items, coupons for retailers that can help you add to your savings and more.

The best part of it all? The extension is completely free. Give it a try right now on Google Chrome.

Follow the CNET Deals team

The CNET Deals team will keep you up to date on all of the best deals between now and Black Friday, so be sure to sign up for the CNET Deals newsletter. We’ve got plenty of other shopping tips for you, like how to save on used electronics and the best perks of Amazon Prime.