Ohio University Professor Ann Paulins tracks consumer habits.

Paulins says her advice is to shop around for the best deals and stick to a list so you won’t be surprised when the bills arrive in January.

The study backed by the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants and performed by economists at the University of Cincinnati says Ohioans are feeling better about the economy, so they’ll likely spend more.

University of Cincinnati economist Michael Jones says the average Ohioans will spend about $750 on holiday shopping. He says dips in the average consumer debt burden are also pushing Ohioans to spend more.

But he says spending could be hurt by rising gas prices and if Congress can’t reach a compromise on planned spending cuts.

“Particularly as we come closer to the holiday season, if this hasn’t been resolved in Congress, then we might see some anxiety among consumers.”

Jones says spending should increase about four percent statewide, while Columbus will see increases closer to seven percent.

If you’re in the market for an HDTV, Ohio State’s Rao Unnava said there will be a host of great deals on those today. And Unnava said the prices are even lower than last year.

“A 32 inch TV is available for less than $200 on Black Friday which is a very good price. A slightly bigger set would cost you a little bit more money, but the deals are really good on TVs on Black Friday especially at places like Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Sears,” he said.

But Unnava said if you’re looking for one of those new tablet computers like an Ipad or a Kindle Fire, well, do not expect to get a bottom-line price on one of those. But he said if you’re searching for other electronics, “there are some very good deals going on laptops and smart phones both of which are very popular.”

And Unnava said, as usual, there will be good deals on luggage, clothing and toys.

Unnava said retail sales this Black Friday are expected to be up considerably compared to last year, but Friday’s spending is not expected to give a significant boost to overall holiday sales.

“The expected increase over shopping from last year compared to this year for the whole season is about 2-and-a-half percent. Last year, compared to the year before, it was a lot more than that. It was close to a 4-and-a-half percent increase. So 2-and-a-half is less than what people have been expecting, but it’s better than not having an increase or a drop,” he noted.

One reason spending is expected to be up this Black Friday is because some big box retailers opened before midnight on Thanksgiving. While some people, including store workers, have protested the early openings through online petitions, Unnava said the different opening times – some before midnight, some at midnight and others at 5 a.m. – give consumers more opportunities to shop.

“When every store opens only at one time like 5 o’clock, 6 o’clock in the morning, the ability for people to run from store to store is limited. But now because these stores are staggered, many people are making lists of what they want from each store and willing to run from store to store,” he said.