On Friday in malls across the country, shoppers are prepared to dig for deals in hopes of saving as much as possible this holiday season as rising costs impact stores all over.

This Black Friday could be slower than last year, with the National Retail Federation forecasting that nearly 187 million people will shop online or in stores between Friday and Cyber Monday, fewer than the near-record number it reported last year.

This year, shoppers might have added incentive to look for deals, due to higher foods and energy costs.

“The places where inflation’s hitting us leave very little margin for going out and kind of blowing it on a luxury air fryer,” said finance journalist Roben Farzad.

To help people budget, experts recommend what’s called the “one percent rule” – setting an upper spen

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