Prime Big Deal Days is Oct. 6-7: how to shop it without overspending

Amazon's fall sale is next week. Prime Big Deal Days runs October 6 and 7, starting at 12:01 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday, October 6, and lasting 48 hours. Amazon says new limited-time deals will drop three times a day, at midnight, 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Pacific.

The deals are for Prime members. Membership costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year, and eligible new members can start a free 30-day trial. Amazon has already started some early deals on its own devices, Kindle, Amazon Music and Amazon Haul.

Sales like this are built to make people buy things they did not plan to buy. A few habits help. Make a short list this week of things you already need, such as household basics, a replacement for something broken, or a gift you know you will buy for the holidays. Note what each item costs now, so you can tell on sale day whether the discount is real. Set a total you are comfortable spending before the sale starts.

If you sign up for a free trial only for the sale, put a reminder on your calendar a few days before it ends so you can decide whether to keep paying for Prime.

Tonight or this weekend, write down three items you would buy anyway and their current prices. That list will do more for your budget than any countdown timer.