November brings Daylight Saving Time, Veterans Day and of course Thanksgiving but what most forget about is Black Friday, the biggest shopper savings day of the year. It’s mostly forgotten about because Thanksgiving is literally the day before and many are too preoccupied with their big tasks for that holiday. It can slip your mind while you’re busy preparing a feast for friends and family.
A little under two weeks remain until this high-stress day and a lot of people scram around to prepare for it. Your best bet, if you want to enjoy the holiday but still want to have everything squared away for Black Friday, is to plan ahead; and plan accordingly. The end of November is a very busy time, especially with these two days within 24 hours of each other.
My best advice, a no-brainer, SAVE, SAVE SAVE! The main thing I always hear, and I, myself, always fall victim to, is not having enough money to purge on these deals. You will never go wrong with having some money to fall back on, in any situation. It’s always nice to have some extra funds put away for instances like this. Black Friday is great because you can get some early Chrstmas gifts at a reduced cost but not if you don’t save up to snag these deals.
If you’re having trouble saving up, try to start small. Set aside a few bucks from every paycheck to get you started. Once you’ve got a good chunk put away, don’t stop, keep adding. Of course, make your financial responsibilities your priority, then whatever you have left over, add some to the chunk until you feel you’ve got a good amount to shop with.
Now, Black Friday, with all of its appeal, can be very hectic and sometimes scary. People camping out in front of stores, rushing inside the minute they open and being ruthless to get the things they intended for. Many stores have made it difficult to really focus on Thanksgiving due to early Black Friday shopping deals and even earlier ones that, for some ridiculous reason, begin on Thanksgiving day itself. I’m not saying you shouldn’t join in on the festivities but you definitely shouldn’t let it over-run your holiday.
I am a lover of all things Thanksgiving, especially the food and the chance to gather with family you don’t normally see regularly. On the other hand, I like to consider myself as a “bargain queen.” Trust me, if there’s a sale, I’m there! I don’t shame people who go Black Friday shopping, by all means, get that deal! What I find outrageous is when people leave an hour into Thanksgiving dinner to go shop when, in my opinion, they should be spending that day with their family. I mean, c'mon, it’s only for one day.
These two days are separated on the calendar for a reason. If you can, please try to keep them that way. But if you must go out or a specific sale is only happening during dinner, make sure you’ve got enough money to accommodate your shopping. You’ll never get burned for saving up but I know for a fact how crappy it feels to want to shop on Black Friday but not being able to because of low funds. ENJOY THE HOLIDAY. Saver this time, pig out and relax with the fam; but don’t forget to have some money put away so after all the festivities are over, you can shop ‘til you drop!
