I hope all my US readers had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving! Chad and I celebrated by going to the local Turkey Trot with some new friends from our new-to-us church (that makes it sound like a secondhand church, doesn't it?) and running five miles, something we hadn't done in months. Today we are sore but feel great. Afterwards, we came back and cooked our dinner slowly over the course of the afternoon, finally eating at about 6 PM, except for our sweet potato fries, which we grazed on while cooking so they were gone when it was time to eat. A good time was had by all.
So in this part of the world it's the start of the Christmas shopping season, and already tales of people being stupid are floating around Twitter. I'm starting to think the retailers can't possibly be making enough money to justify opening early, having all their staff working all day, risking losing a lot of staff after the frenzy, never to mention breakages, thefts, and general havoc wreaked in the store. How is Black Friday possibly profitable? (BTW, if I'm participating, I call it Red Friday. I have a feeling it's the same for a lot of people.)
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| It's not used, it's vintage! |
So, today's green-living, wallet-friendly, sanity-saving tip is this: Don't go out and buy a ton of new stuff for everyone you know. Buy some new stuff, sure. But for other gifts, consider looking in secondhand stores or on ebay. If you have small kids, do a toy swap with other friends. Sign up for your local Freecycle and keep an eye on the emails. Remember that previously-used (and loved!) items come with their own history and you can mix your stories with the other stories that the new-to-you gift already has. And on a practical side, also remember that new-to-you things can frequently be cleaned up to look new.
Do you shop on Black Friday? Do you do any secondhand shopping for Christmas/birthdays/etc.? Was it a normal Thursday for you yesterday?
9 comments:
We're Canadian so our Thanksgiving is long past..normal Thursday? Partially I guess, we are coming down with colds so it wasn't quite what it should have been. We are only just getting in on the Black Friday shopping here in Ontario...a few stores had some offerings, Sears for example. My shopping for Christmas is already done. I just have to assemble and wrap. We keep it minimal. Nothing for the adults..just the kids get gifts.
Yesterday was a great Thanksgiving. I don't shop on black Friday though I went to the bookstore and browsed for a few minutes.
We don't shop on Black Friday--too many people trying to buy things all at the same time.
It was a good Thursday. :)
As normal as our family gets on Thanksgiving lol. And no, I don't participate in Black Friday. Imagine stressing over what? A savings of maybe $30? Okay, granted some savings are into the hundreds but you have to stand in line for like forever at 3 am. I'd rather be in my cozy bed fast asleep.
@Delores: Wow, good job!
@Susan: It's never a bad day to go to the bookstore.
@Eagle: Yay for the good Thursday and for preserving your sanity by staying home!
@Donna: I'm with you. I've always thought it must be ridiculously cold to get up for the early-morning deals.
I don't see the point of shopping at sales unless it's something you need and meant to buy anyway. Otherwise, isn't it all just a waste of money?
One thing I tend to do is get my nieces and nephews clothes and books instead of toys. They have a roomful of toys!
Very true, and you are the best aunt ever! :) I always had a hard time convincing my family that I would rather have books than toys!
I have been known to buy second hand books that are no longer available in print as gifts. I also do a lot of shopping in charity shops where even though some of the goods are new I still feel less guilty as at least someone else is getting something from my spending.
Very true. Charity shops do double-karmic-duty.
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