Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday shopping season is about to hit full force.
Retailers desperate for higher and higher holiday season revenue have pushed well into Thanksgiving evening to kick off Black “Friday”. They’re also requiring a good chunk of their employees to work the holiday evening — an overnight shift that requires those employees to either cut Thanksgiving dinner short or to sleep during the holiday to prepare.
How will you be spending Black Friday? Scrambling through malls to buy your family more stuff? Spending it relaxing? Working?
Here are some great articles to check out while you make out those shopping lists:
Take A Smart Step | Stay at Home Moms: Stop Feeling Like You Have no Say in Your Family Finances
The Chicago Financial Planner | Mutual Funds-B Shares
CreditCards.com | Severing the last ties of financial dependence
The Simple Dollar | Six Simple Gifts to Make Between Now and Christmas
Self-Help Happiness Blog | My best financial tip
Green Panda Treehouse | How You Can Learn Without a Formal Education
Girls Just Wanna Have Funds | Open Enrollment Season at Work? Which Health Insurance Plan is Right for You?
Consumerism Commentary | 5 Fundamental Financial Skills You Can Practice
Get Rich Slowly | When you just can’t get the important stuff done
Investor Junkie | Hurricane Sandy vs My Rental – Sandy Wins!
Wealthy Turtle | 4 Lifestyle Changes to Make to Find Money to Save For Your Child’s College Education
Free From Broke was featured in the following carnivals this week:
Carnival of Personal Finance: Things I Lost This Week Edition
The Money Mail Carnival – Second Edition
Investing Edition–Wealth Management Carnival #6 | Marotta On Money
Carnival of Money Pros – Multiple Income Stream Edition
Nerdy Finance #16
Thanks for including my post. I plan to spend Black Friday consuming whatever wasn’t eaten on Thursday (there is nothing better than cold Turkey drumstick dipped in bar b q sauce). I imagine the rest of the day will be spent with the family watching football and reruns of our favorite crime shows (NCIS, Criminal Minds, etc.). In any event I plan to be as far away from “retail hell” as possible.
Our pleasure to include your great work!
I hear you. We are thinking of doing some shopping over the weekend but we eon’t do in on Black Friday. It’s just too crazy to drag the family out.
I’ve always avoided black Friday like the plague, and this year will be no different. A couple of years ago I discovered that shopping on the day before Thanksgiving yielded even better prices and virtually no crowds. I think the hoopla attached to black Friday is just that, hoopla. I plan to be home spending time relaxing with family.
Interesting about shopping the day before. Way I see it stores are going to have great prices all season. If you think you can handle heading out for a great deal then that’s fine but otherwise it’s a lot of work fighting the crowds.
Thank you for the mention! I will be spending Black Friday relaxing with friends and family as far away from shopping as possible. We usually sleep in, relax, watch some games and then head to a park for fresh air.
It is so sad how much earlier Christmas seems to be coming each year, but we must keep in mind that the retailers would not open early and have their employees come in early if we were not there to shop. So if we all stay home, then maybe they will stop opening so early! Maybe it should become black Friday afternoon or even night!
Staying home and relaxing seems to be the consensus here. And you’re right, as long as people go out and shop the stores will open up.