BRAVING BLACK FRIDAY {my tips}

The day that you guys have all been waiting for is finally near! No, not Thanksgiving, but the day after…Black Friday!

Yes! My favorite day! Why? Because I get to shop without my husband asking me what I need! For some odd reason, he NEVER questions my reasons for going out at 4:00am to shop! 

Because I know many of you will be out Friday morning, and that for a few of you this will be your first time out, I decided to share a few tips with you.  Hopefully I can help you make the most of your shopping adventure!

 

KNOW THE SALES

Find out all the stores that are participating in Black Friday.  From there, find the stores that offer the best deals on the items you need and also find the store that offers the second best prices!

 

PLAN YOUR TRIP

I have a mall literally 10 minutes away from me.  And surrounding that mall I have Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, and Sams Club.   I also have a Wal-mart close by, but in a different direction than where majority of the stores are.  This problem is where my next tip come into play…

 

GET FRIENDS AND FAMILY INVOLVED

Okay, so you have to go to Target for a TV, but you need a laptop from Wal-mart.  Have your friend or family member go into the other store while you are in Target.  Or how about this, you don’t really need any of the major items from a particular store, but you do want a few of their stocking stuffers, the same plan works for that too!

 

HAVE YOUR LIST READY

 

There is nothing worst than waking up at 3:30am and having to make a list.  Better yet, getting out of the house and not being able to find your list.  Print out your shopping list and print multiples.  Give one to EVERYONE you can think of just in case you do forget it, you can call that person.  Oh and leave one in the car too!

 

CASH OR CREDIT?

My advice for this question…CASH! Or, better yet, DEBIT! Okay, I know that some credit cards have rewards with them and that’s fine.  For example, with my Target card, I can get 10% off with the coupon I received the other day plus an additional 5% off for using it.  They also have coupons in their ad that ends today that I can combine with those discounts.  Did I use the card? YES MA’AM!!! BUT, i turned around and paid it on the card.  See this is what I learned (the hard way), a deal is not a deal if you’re going to pay A LOT more for the item later.  It took a while, but my husband finally got through to me;-)

 

BE CAREFUL

 

Here a picture of one of my carts last year.  Notice that it is still dark outside… Also, notice the guy in the background.  Nothing happened with this person, but you never know who is out there watching you.  I see a lot of people go out and put things in their cars and then head back inside.  DO NOT DO THAT.  As soon as you head inside, BAM, your car is broken into and that’s not good!  If you must go back into a store, I suggest you go to your car, act like you are leaving and then park your car in a different parking spot.  And try not to pack things into the car, but into the trunk.

 

HAVE ENOUGH ROOM

 

So you get to the store and realize that getting that 42” flat screen is worth it after all.  Well, not if you’re packing into a Sebring!  My truck seats 8, but with the third row let down, I can still seat my Black Friday “crew” and my items! My back windows are tinted, but I do plan to take a quilt with me to cover my items…Be Careful!

 

HAVE FUN BECAUSE THERE IS ALWAYS TOMORROW!

I always have fun!  Even when I don’t get a particular item that I had my mind set on.  Shopping on Black Friday is really fun, but don’t forget that the sale continues on Saturday! So if you oversleep Friday, set your alarm for Saturday!

 

I hope that these tips are helpful when you get out Friday! I wonder if I’m missing anything…Do any of you have any tips of your own to share?

 

P.S, I learned from Mrs.Chic that Goodwill is participating in Black Friday with everything being 50% off! They are definitely on my list!