For those of you brave enough to battle the crowds, I advise you to fully prepare for the madness by getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and downloading these six fabulous apps, some of which even help with the easier online shopping madness too.

TheFind 

Bargains abound this weekend, but when you're shopping for many different people and visiting different retailers, price comparisons makes for the most efficient experience. We're all about efficiency, right? TheFind is a great app that lets you search for the best deals for items in your area. You simply scan the barcode directly from the app and its app-magic will tell you if you can get that Leapster LeapPad for the best price online or in the store. (Free, iOS and Android)

Once you get that cashmere sweater you've been coveting from J. Crew, you find out that your friend got the same one at 25% off the day after you. That's a holiday shopping #fail. But now with the Savvy.com app, you can automatically be alerted to any price drops after you've made a purchase and get an adjustment from any of its supported retailers. The list is continually growing, but with GAP, J. Crew, Nine West, Lowe's, Pottery Barn and lots more, your holiday list should be covered. Even better, if you want a skirt to match that sweater, let the app know at what price you'll make the purchase and it will alert you when it drops. It's like your own personal shopping assistant. (Free, iOS)

Picture you're in the mall with your kids on Black Friday and one of them says he needs to go potty...badly. You know you need to weave through the masses and find the nearest bathroom stat. Which is...where? That's when FastMall comes to the rescue. It's a tour guide for the mall you're in, guiding you to the restrooms, telling you which restaurants and stores are there, even letting you record yourself a memo with your parking location details. Kinda fun. Malls are continuously being updated in the directory. Note: The app worked great at a mall near me, but you may run into some mall maps that need updating if you don't live in a bustling shopping area. (Free, iOS and Android) 

TGI Black Friday 

Black Friday isn't complete without a dedicated Black Friday app. There are many out there, but I like this one because 1) it's ad-free and 2) it's updated frequently with new deals that are leaked from your favorite retailers. You can even pick and choose sale items and create a personal shopping list that's categorized by store, which makes life so much easier when you're carrying three shopping bags and dealing with two unruly toddlers. (Free, iOS and Android)

*There's also a TGI Cyber Monday app offering the best online deals for Monday, Nov. 28. (Free, iOS and Android) 

Finally, we can't say enough about Decide.com. As a CMT sponsor, we recently covered the app and found that the Decide app is one of the the handiest shopping companions to fit in the palm of your hand. It essentially features the best bits of most of the apps listed here and gives you price comparisons, barcode scanning, product browsing AND price predictors. So you know whether to buy that big-screen TV now, or hold off for another week and save big. (Free, iOS - and they're giving away a $5,000 shopping spree now!)

Feel free to thank me next Tuesday when you're counting all the cash you saved. -Jeana