Even with the Black Friday bargains, consumers will be shelling out big bucks come Friday.

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Watch Aaron Saykin's Report

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All told, the average person is expected to spend more than $800 on holiday-related shopping, but some of that money will be a complete waste.

The reason? If you're smart about it, you can shave up to 20 percent off your total.

Most consumers are usually hesitant when a store tries to sign them up for something, but some of those deals could work to your advantage if you can be disciplined.

Almost every time you pay with plastic at a major retailer, the cashier will ask you if you'd like to sign up for a store charge card. The next time that happens, some of you should consider it.

Stores will often give you up to 20-percent off all purchases on certain days.

"If you're a savvy consumer and you don't have a lot of credit cards and a lot of credit and you want to save significant amounts of money, than I would say do it," said Duquesne University marketing expert Audrey Guskey.

But buyer beware. Those cards often come with huge interest rates. Only sign up if you can pay the balance off immediately, then consider closing the account.

Tip No. 2: Shop early this year.

Because some retailers had a sluggish year, they're hesitant to stock up on too many items. The longer you wait after Black Friday, the more you could pay.

Tip No. 3: Sign up for store clubs or rewards programs.

You'll have to put up with the junk mail and the annoying e-mails, but they often send special holiday coupons.

"So, in addition to getting the sale price, you're getting an extra 10 to 15 percent on top of that," said Guskey.

Tip No. 4: Look for coupons first online.

Some stores offer Web site-only prices with free shipping.

To comparison shop, try sites like Yahoo Shopping or Google Products.

If you're looking for coupons, try KeyCode.com.

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