Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that today is Black Friday. Weeks of anticipation have been building up for this unofficial holiday. Black Friday Deals have been leaked (just see the Deals Blog) and everyone is gearing up to snatch up the bargains.
There is so much pressure on everyone for Black Friday. The retailers, who know that the sales this day may just make or break them for the year, and the customers, who are forced to get up earlier and earlier to make sure that they snatch up the limited bargains that are in stock. Whether it is a Wii or a vacuum cleaner, we all feel the pressure.
It used to be that stores would open at 7 am for early bird shoppers. And then the trend began of offering specials to those early birds that aren’t available after noon. This year, I was shocked to find that at least one store, Kohls was opening at 4 am! The Rockvale outlets, located in Lancaster, Pa, in Amish country, opened for Black Friday at Midnight. have to confess that we very briefly thought of letting the kids sleep in the car while we took turns going into the stores and doing our shopping. But in our case, sanity won out.
There is an anti-movement to this Black Friday hype called “Do Nothing Day.” I didn’t make this up, it has been going on for quite some time, started by a rebel band of anti-commercialism folks.
It might be a good thing for frugal folks, too. It is so easy to get caught up in the whole craziness of the Black Friday events. How could I pass up a third crock pot when it is only $8.99, for example. But all of those little (or big) purchases can add up and affect your budget.
By buying nothing, you avoid all of the pressure, and you can then make sound decisions about your holiday purchases. Will I go to Black Friday events? Honestly, I’m not sure. But I think a long walk through some scenic woods sounds like a much nicer way to spend our day.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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