Black Friday

Black Friday is only 3 days away, and thanks to the magic of the internet, you no longer have to wait until Thanksgiving Day to find out what is going to be on sale. Black Friday 2008 is a website with all the sales at 45 major retailers. Check it out at
http://www.bfads.net

You can get a jump start on planning your holiday shopping and making your lists. Be realistic when setting your shopping goals and have a backup plan. Shopping is going to take a lot longer than it normally would, and some things are going to be gone by the time you get to them. Anticipate that there will be large crowds. Everyone is feeling the pinch of the economy and people that might otherwise not concern themselves with the madness of shopping the day after Thanksgiving will be looking for a bargain too.

Using a plan will help you figure out how to make the most biggest retail shopping day of the year. After all, you don't want to stand in line for an hour to get into WalMart for two items if the bulk of the purchases you want to make are at Target. Plan to shop with a friend or family member so that each of you can hit different sections of the store(s) simultaneously thus doubling the odds that you each get the items that you set out for. Then meet back up in a central location and swap stuff around. In the past I've even seen one person take a place in line while a 2nd person did the shopping. That way when the shopping was done they didn't have to go to the end of the line and wait an extra 30-45 minutes to check out. Try to map your route in a logical manner, shopping at stores that are near each other at the same time, so that you aren't wasting time and gas driving back and forth all over town.

Using a list will help keep you focused and on budget when you're being caught up in the shopping frenzy of bargain hungry crowds and stacks of discount merchandise, and buying everything in sight. It will also help to keep you from spontaneous purchasing small gifts for every cousin, babysitter, and neighbor that you ever had just because it's "so them" and "such a good price". Those small purchases add up to a big checkout total, and that defeats the whole purpose of shopping on Black Friday. Remember, a bargain isn't a bargain if it's something you don't need, wouldn't normally buy, and/or you are still paying for it in February.

Which brings me to another important shopping tip - shop with cash! You are more likely to stay on budget. Studies have proven that people who use plastic, whether it's a debit card or a credit card, spend 12%-18% more. Plastic doesn't have the "Ouch" factor that cash has.

It's going to be a jungle out there but with a little planning, and a good attitude, you can survive and knock out the bulk of your Christmas shopping at huge savings. Then you can take the next 3 weeks to do what you really should be doing during the holidays - enjoying the season with family and friends.

Happy Shopping Everyone!