Our best advice around Black Friday is to remember you don't HAVE to buy anything

It's Black Friday week now and the sales event has become a genuine global phenomenon. It's a time of year when just as the tinsel is starting to filter out into the high-street so now are the big black signs declaring sales so big they have their own gravitational pull. And it can be a fantastic time to get a saving on that one thing you've had your heart set on all year or round out all your Christmas shopping in one glut of gifted spending.

But it can also be a time where some retailers pull out their shiftiest tactics and their most effusive language in order to encourage people to part with their cash on products they would not normally look twice at. That's why we're here each and every year, to act as your fecal matter filters, straining out the worst excesses of the November dealiogeddon, and ensuring you only see the sort of kit we would recommend to our friends.

Because we're all friends here, right?

We've also put together a Black Friday survival guide, just to give you a little extra in your armoury when the discounts keep on coming. We've created a set of handy features to ensure you don't overpay for a Black Friday gaming laptop, you can spot a Black Friday gaming PC deal, and help you figure out how to bag a Black Friday gaming monitor deal, too.

Our Black Friday graphics card deals guide also highlights the relative performance and original MSRP of every GPU likely to be on sale over the sales period to give you the best idea of how the different cards stack up against each other.

But the general advice is all about being prepared. Have an idea of what you want to buy, whether that's a new TV, graphics card, headset, or gaming laptop, and set yourself a strict budget. And stick to it. And don't drink.

It's way too easy to get caught up in all the hype, with discount tags flying around like some ultra-capitalist virtual ticker-tape parade. It's no surprise that so many of us just feel like we need to scratch some nagging retail itch and just buy something. Resist that urge, ignore the calls of 'what did you buy on Black Friday?' That way lies eternal buyer's remorse.

So, remember, you don't have to buy anything on Black Friday, if you end up with a black hole in your bank account and a needless box of tat arriving at your door at the start of December you'll regret it. It doesn't matter how cheap something is if you still don't want it when it arrives.

But if there is something you want or need this Black Friday, just know that we're dedicated to keeping buyer's remorse at bay for everyone this year.