5 Questions to Ask Yourself on Black Friday
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As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, so does the anticipation of shopping and finding great deals. Here are five questions you should ask yourself before you spend a dime.
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My girls love to go shopping with me. Even if it’s just a trip to the grocery store, they are happy to come along. It gives us some good girl time. And we love to go shopping at the holidays, when we pick out new ornaments for our collection and gifts for family and friends.
It can be a super fun time. But, it can also be stressful and expensive.
This weekend thee mad rush for holiday shopping begins. Retailers want your hard-earned dollars. You want a good deal — and something fun to give loved ones this season. The stakes are high. Money doesn’t grow on trees. And those retailers? They’re playing to win.
You have to be the smarter player in this game.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you shop this holiday weekend:
5 Questions to Ask Yourself on Black Friday
1. Do I need this?
Remember, “enough is as good as a feast.” Repeat that to yourself three times a day. We live in a culture of excess and are often tempted to buy something we like instead of limiting ourselves to the things we truly need.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s your money to spend. And if you really have the money, I think you have the freedom to spend it however you would like.
However, usually we spend money on things that we don’t really need OR want. So, examine yourself and your desires first. Do you need it?
2. Do I need it NOW?
I am all for anticipation buying. I stockpile regularly on items that I know our family will use in the very near future. But, I’ve been burned too many times buying things that we might need a year from now and actually never used.
Think through your purchase. Do you need it right now?
Photo source
3. Is this a quality product?
I have a friend who works for a major retailer. She’s actually a store manager. And she spoke rather disparagingly about many of the items in their Black Friday ads. She thought the products were junk. Even if it’s only ten bucks, why buy junk?
4. Is this really a good deal?
My experience has been that the deals on Black Friday are not a flash in the pan. We usually see comparable sales again throughout the holiday season. Don’t feel pressured to buy because the price might go up.
Do some price comparisons or be sure that you can return it if you find a better price elsewhere.
5. Is it worth the stress?
If lugging the kids out in the snow to buy the $3 turtlenecks only to find out that they’ve all been snatched up is a stressful experience, don’t do it. (And yes, it is. Ask me how I know.)
There is a cost to everything. And the stress involved in shopping on busy, crowded days can take a toll on us and our families. And it’s not a great way to enter the season.
Asking yourself these five questions can help you save money on Black Friday. Be wise, little grasshopper.
This post was originally published on November 25, 2010. Updated November 19, 2016.
I would also like to add that when you shop on Thanksgiving day or at midnight at some stores you are encouraging the retailers to keep these ridiculous hours. You are also stopping their employees from spending time with their families on Thanksgiving.
Here’s a different perspective on that…I was in Walmart the day before Thanksgiving and a few of the cashiers were talking about working on Thanksgiving & Black Friday. They said they didn’t mind it & were just grateful to have a job in this rotten economy. They were all hoping it would be very busy, because more success for Walmart = less chance that their jobs would have to be cut.
My comment focuses more on the Christmas creep onto Thanksgiving, not Black Friday itself which used to start on Friday. It would not make a dent in Walmart’s or any other big box retailer bottom line to be closed for 30 or so hours so that their employees could rest and enoy a great American holiday with their loved ones. I think it is dangerous and unhealthy to have employees up all night and consumers driving around at 3am just to shop for stuff. I am also grateful for my retail job and keep a good attitude while at work and want my company to be successful. I am just disgusted with corporate and consumer greed.
Amen! I just wrote about ways to save on Christmas shopping: http://www.brownthumbmama.com/2012/11/11-ways-to-save-on-christmas-shopping.html
I wouldn’t dream of actually going out to the stores on Black Friday, but there were some great online deals today. I managed to knock off most of the items on my Christmas shopping list by shopping online at Lands’ End, Hanna Andersson, Anthropologie, Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods & Staples. Between discounts & free shipping, I was able to save upwards of $500.00, which is a HUGE help to our Christmas budget! Plus, I was done with most of it by 5:30 this morning – was up most of the night with a sick kid {stomach virus, ugh!} so I figured I may as well use the time productively.