1) Be prepared.
Plan ahead - the ads are online now, go ahead and make a list for each store. Use a Black Friday website to make and print Wish-Lists. Bring the actual ad with you into the store. Have a backup-plan in case the store is out (next to the item write the store with the next-best deal). Come with a list of the items you are looking for, the stores/sale prices, and stick to it! Don't waste vauable BF time browsing, or finding you've overspent. It's only a good deal if you really need it.
Have a gameplan: Make sure to watch for "Early Bird" deals - This is when you will find the biggest bargains. Each store has different hours. As soon as you get into the store, head for the item you think is most likely to be in demand and to run out.
2) Don't Shop Solo!
We ALWAYS go in a group of at least 2 or 3 people. We tag-tem shop- as soon as we enter a store that has a long line, one person gets in line and the others shop. If a single item is desired by more than one shopper, one of us gets it in the # needed. Communication is key! We all carry cell phones and this year we are planning on bringing along a set of walkie talkies too, since two of our stores are infamous Verizon cell phone dead-zones (Can you hear me now? Nope.)
3) Shop light.
Bring only the necessities: your wallet/small purse with only the cards or cash you're using, the store's ad, your list, any coupons you're using, and your cell phone. Bring a light jacket or if there isn't a line outside, leave it in the car. You won't need it inside - thousands of bodies crammed in a tight space create an amazing amount of heat.
Penny Pinching, Single, Working, Crafty, Homeschool Mom
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Black Friday: Survival 101
The holiday season is upon us. I don't know when the "official" start to the pre-Christmas craze begins, but judging from my short shopping experience this past Wednesday, it's here already. This season marks the arrival of three of my favorite holidays - Christmas, Thanksgiving and Black Friday!
Yes, Black Friday is a holiday. It's as much a part of our family's Thanksgiving tradition as turkey and football. My mom and I, along with a sister or two head out around 3am, with little or no sleep, to conquer the sales.
With Black Friday less than a month away, ads are beginning to leak, and it's time for a Christmas gameplan, for making a list and checking it twice. Planning and organization are key if I am going to make the day profitable and not get caught up in the furor and end up buying things I hadn't planned to and spending more than I wanted to.
I will be posting links to Black Friday websites, ads as they arrive (warning - they are often pulled very quickly ... I never will understand why some stores don't want people to make plans to go to their sales), and general tips for surviving the day in one piece (without the use of any weapons).
Please chime in with your words of advice, crazy BF experiences, questions, etc!
The websites.
These guys do all the work for us - tracking down ads, posting them when they leak, removing them when stores complain (grrr), highlighting the best deals, even letting you make wishlists from the ads. Thanks Crazy BF-ers - I'm glad to know someone is nuttier than I am about this day!
These are the two big Black Friday websites. Both have a newsletter, contests, ads and pre-BF deals posted, as well as a search engine and a Wish List feature (my favorite!).
If you are planning on BF-ing, I highly recommend signing up for one or both of these websites.
Bfads. net: http://bfads.net/ (on FB: http://www.facebook.com/BFAds )
Black-Friday.net: http://www.black-friday.net/
(FB: http://www.facebook.com/blackfridaydeals )
Yes, Black Friday is a holiday. It's as much a part of our family's Thanksgiving tradition as turkey and football. My mom and I, along with a sister or two head out around 3am, with little or no sleep, to conquer the sales.
With Black Friday less than a month away, ads are beginning to leak, and it's time for a Christmas gameplan, for making a list and checking it twice. Planning and organization are key if I am going to make the day profitable and not get caught up in the furor and end up buying things I hadn't planned to and spending more than I wanted to.
I will be posting links to Black Friday websites, ads as they arrive (warning - they are often pulled very quickly ... I never will understand why some stores don't want people to make plans to go to their sales), and general tips for surviving the day in one piece (without the use of any weapons).
Please chime in with your words of advice, crazy BF experiences, questions, etc!
The websites.
These guys do all the work for us - tracking down ads, posting them when they leak, removing them when stores complain (grrr), highlighting the best deals, even letting you make wishlists from the ads. Thanks Crazy BF-ers - I'm glad to know someone is nuttier than I am about this day!
These are the two big Black Friday websites. Both have a newsletter, contests, ads and pre-BF deals posted, as well as a search engine and a Wish List feature (my favorite!).
If you are planning on BF-ing, I highly recommend signing up for one or both of these websites.
Bfads. net: http://bfads.net/ (on FB: http://www.facebook.com/BFAds )
Black-Friday.net: http://www.black-friday.net/
(FB: http://www.facebook.com/blackfridaydeals )
I'm back!
After taking a hiatus to focus on setting up my Facebook page(s), and life in general, Miss Pinch is officially back! Check out Miss Pinch on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Miss-Pinch/153776971314768?v=app_2373072738#!/pages/Miss-Pinch/153776971314768?v=wall . I will be adding new posts and info here soon!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Miss Pinch on Early Christmas Shopping, Part I
Being that I have found myself, one sole person of limited income amongst a rather extensive family- most of whom have chosen to have their day of birth fall in the final three months of the year- in my experience it is of the utmost necessity to begin making my purchases for the winter holidays nearly as soon as the prior year's celebrations have ended. Such foresight saves my budget as well as my sanity from an otherwise certain onslaught in the weeks prior to Christmas. It is my opinion that almost any person can be satisfactorily gifted, even with such advance purchasing. This being said, I do realise of course that there are exceptions to this rule. I shall state them henceforth:
I. Children. A child CAN be purchased for in advance, as long as allowance is made for last-minute changes in mind, which of course are inevitable in one of limited maturity. The same allowance may be made for certain adult males, as the need arises. When purchasing for such persons, keep in mind certain criteria, such as changes in interests, maturity (not applicable in those of the adult male variety), and birthday. A child who is five now and is content with a toy labeled for ages up to five, may not be so pleased when he reaches the ripe old age of six. This is especially true in older children, who often look to their peers to determine their wants, rather than their own minds. A character they are obsessed with one moment, will be forgotten the next. Clothing in children simply cannot be estimated accurately in advance. Even efforsts at an accurate fit such as waiting until the last moment are often thwarted by a sudden unforeseen growth spurt.
I lean toward the habits of the squirrel gathering his acorns for winter in my early shopping methods. When I happen across a great deal, I purchase only smaller items that are likely to please any number of persons on my gift list, rather than a single large item with a specific person in mind - unless I am CERTAIN the item will remain pleasing. This way, if the person the gift is intended for somehow changes his or her mind or behavior before the time of gifting is at hand, all is not lost and the gift can still be of use. When a great deal is unturned, I will often purchase several of the item to be scattered amongst my giftees as I find appropriate.
II. Picky Persons (For lack of a better term). We have all met the acquaintance of one or more of these. These are the ones who kick up a fuss in a restaurant when an ingredient not to their personal taste is included in their entree. Rather than removing the offending object calmly and with a measure of grace, they feel it is their personal duty to inform the waitstaff of the misdemeanor. It is my suggestion that you skip gifting these persons altogether, for it is certain that you will never be able to please them. If a gift is absolutely necessary (say the person is of importance or influence, or simply one to be feared, such as your boss or mother-in-law), my suggestion would be to give a gift in which it is nearly impossible for fault to be found - such as a gift card or a donation made in their name to a favorite charity. Another possibilty would be to choose the most garish and unpleasant gift you can locate. After all, if they are going to be difficult, you might as well gain some enjoyment out of their bad behavior.
I hope my insight has proved helpful. In future posts I will address: finding bargains, finding and using coupons, staying organized and on schedule during the Christmas season, creative gifts and budget holiday decorating, and more.
Pinch a penny today!
Yours Truly,
Miss Pinch
I. Children. A child CAN be purchased for in advance, as long as allowance is made for last-minute changes in mind, which of course are inevitable in one of limited maturity. The same allowance may be made for certain adult males, as the need arises. When purchasing for such persons, keep in mind certain criteria, such as changes in interests, maturity (not applicable in those of the adult male variety), and birthday. A child who is five now and is content with a toy labeled for ages up to five, may not be so pleased when he reaches the ripe old age of six. This is especially true in older children, who often look to their peers to determine their wants, rather than their own minds. A character they are obsessed with one moment, will be forgotten the next. Clothing in children simply cannot be estimated accurately in advance. Even efforsts at an accurate fit such as waiting until the last moment are often thwarted by a sudden unforeseen growth spurt.
I lean toward the habits of the squirrel gathering his acorns for winter in my early shopping methods. When I happen across a great deal, I purchase only smaller items that are likely to please any number of persons on my gift list, rather than a single large item with a specific person in mind - unless I am CERTAIN the item will remain pleasing. This way, if the person the gift is intended for somehow changes his or her mind or behavior before the time of gifting is at hand, all is not lost and the gift can still be of use. When a great deal is unturned, I will often purchase several of the item to be scattered amongst my giftees as I find appropriate.
II. Picky Persons (For lack of a better term). We have all met the acquaintance of one or more of these. These are the ones who kick up a fuss in a restaurant when an ingredient not to their personal taste is included in their entree. Rather than removing the offending object calmly and with a measure of grace, they feel it is their personal duty to inform the waitstaff of the misdemeanor. It is my suggestion that you skip gifting these persons altogether, for it is certain that you will never be able to please them. If a gift is absolutely necessary (say the person is of importance or influence, or simply one to be feared, such as your boss or mother-in-law), my suggestion would be to give a gift in which it is nearly impossible for fault to be found - such as a gift card or a donation made in their name to a favorite charity. Another possibilty would be to choose the most garish and unpleasant gift you can locate. After all, if they are going to be difficult, you might as well gain some enjoyment out of their bad behavior.
I hope my insight has proved helpful. In future posts I will address: finding bargains, finding and using coupons, staying organized and on schedule during the Christmas season, creative gifts and budget holiday decorating, and more.
Pinch a penny today!
Yours Truly,
Miss Pinch
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