The internet has been swamped with Black Friday info for the past several days. There really are some great deals out there, yet I cannot seem to get myself to go out on this day. I am really impatient in general, so I figure it's probably best that I keep myself at home (for the good and safety of everyone else). Besides, I am not fond of the idea of getting trampled for any item out there.
I might brave the crowds if I had someone to go with, but I do not. I suggested it to my husband yesterday and he looked at me like I had grown a third eye. I recall him mentioning that he would rather shoot himself in the foot, get hit by a bus or watch a chick flick thank go shopping on Black Friday. He is not big on shopping anyway, so this would have been a really bad plan.
We stayed home today instead and I did a little shopping online. How wonderful is it that we have the opportunity to do online shopping these days! I sat in my jammies with my steaming cup of coffee and relaxed...it doesn't get better than that. I found some good deals. I am a little confused though - will the deals be better on Cyber Monday? Are stores offering the same prices online today as they are in-store? I have no idea - it is so very confusing to me. My head was spinning when I tried to keep track of all the deals out there. So instead I simply searched for what I wanted and bought it. I almost completed shopping for two of my family members today. Woo hooo!A couple of years ago, we decided to not exchange presents with everyone in the free world. It just got way too expensive, and it seemed silly to buy for people just to be buying. I would rather shop for those who really need something. I have asked other family and friends to do the same, and to please not buy for us. Now I primarily shop for my immediate family members, and only a handful of other friends. It is a beautiful thing, and I don't end up paying off Christmas bills for the whole next year.
How about you? Did you brave the crowds on today for Black Friday or did you shop online? Are you waiting until Monday to shop online?
How does your family handle gift giving during the holidays? Do you draw names, or just buy for everyone you know?
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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18 comments:
1. I most certainly did NOT brave any crowds. Sister #2 did however, Target, Walmart {to check on my mom who had to work today}, and Best Buy. She fared well and told me how crazy it was. I think she's crazy. I might finish my online shopping Monday though...I have a few people left to buy for, and stocking stuffers :)
2. My family has always drawn names coming from a fairly large family. 4 kids growing up. It worked out well. This year the adults are actually not in a draw, just for our kids... And I finally got Mat's family to start drawing names last year. Everyone's feeling the pinch more, and they saw the light of my frugal ways :) If we could afford it, we'd buy for everyone, it's just not possible.
I didn't go out today either. I looked at a few ads online and just didn't see any that struck me - KWIM?
I would also much rather buy online and wait for it to come to me than fight the crowds.
I had a great Thanksgiving and hope you did as well!
Sorry, I missed part of your question - lol!
My sisters and I chip in for gifts for our parents, but we don't usually get each other anything since we are all on pretty tight budgets. I love things like Santa Swaps, Cookie Exchanges, Ornament Exchanges, and Christmas Parties. Hmmm...some cookies sound really good right about now - lol!
I stayed home. Gotta great price on a digital camera online for my daughter...and that's the only shopping I did. :)
My in-laws love BF though, and said the stores were really crowded this year.
I actually did venture out but not until the afternoon. I am pretty sure there is not a deal out there that is worth giving up sleep for! Even in the afternoon, the stores were still busy!
We're name exchangers in our family. There are just too many people to buy for if we didn't. We'd go broke!
No way shopping on Black Friday for me!! The thought of having to take my kids and navigate the crowds is just to much. My hubby worked it (Home Depot) and said it was crazy from like 6-8 am, but then was just normal busy after that.
I will watch toys for the kids on Amazon every day as they usually run great prices on them in the next 2 weeks.
And yes, we have way to many people to buy for (about 9 not including us 4), so smart shopping will be in my future for the next few weeks!
Nope. I stayed home, happily. And I won't be doing any online shopping anytime soon, either. It stinks to be broke! We did, however, decide that we are going to my inlaws in Florida for Christmas! That's exciting! Hopefully the kids will over look the lack of presents and just enjoy being with grandparents. :)
My mom, sister and I braved the Black Friday crowds yesterday. But, we slept in and didn't get to the stores until 6 am LOL We got a ton of stuff at great prices though so it was worth it. If you go to some of the regular stores and go a little later, there are no crowds to trample you.
As to gifts, my mom's side of the family kind of gives to everyone...but nothing big. My dad's side used to do a gift exchange between everyone over 25, but once I turned 25, they of course stopped LOL Now Christmas is more of a time to see everyone, as opposed to a present exchange.
I only ventured out with the family to buy our Christmas Tree. I shop online, if the trend is similar to previous years, the deals get progressively better online, the one time procrastination pays off for me. ;)
The 5 of us draw names and then DH and I fill stockings and we get a few friends gifts, nothing much, simply because we do not have much.
Christams is my favourite holiday and we keep it as low key as humanly possible. No stress is found here.
I was going to do go shopping in the morning since I HAD to go and get some medication at Target - Decided to sleep in instead and go later in the day. Still crazy though. Seriously, there is nothing better to get you out of the holiday spirit than to go holiday shopping. People are rude, crabby and mean on this day... I just kept smiling and speaking softly and sweetly to try to convince myself that everything was ok.
Got a few things that were on sale and were decent bargains but mostly bought essentials like diapers and baby food. I should get an award for going to Walmart as well - that place is a freak show so I got entertainment along with shopping!
Whoops forgot the other question.
We only buy for the kids in my family though we buy for our parents and grandparents - usually something photo related (like a framed picture of the kids or this year we are giving them "year in review" photo books).
I find it is much more fun to shop for kids anyway.
I was all set to wake up early and go out to the stores on Black Friday, but when I woke up, I realized that I was just too sick and in pain to even attempt to go :(
Although I did do a little online shopping and I agree with you-It's great to be able to shop online when you want to!
I braved the crowds, but we live in a relatively smallish city (just under 100,000) so it wasn't a huge feat. I did get all the door busters I wanted (happy) but, my husband came with me and refused to shove anyone or anything, just for a good deal on soething, so we missed getting Elefun, which was the ONE game I actually wanted!! But, I have a sweetheart husband who couldn't bring himself to shove through a crowd of snarling, deal seekers.
I ended up leaving him to pay for the Wal-Mart purchases to go hit some other stores with a friend (with his blessing, of course). It was a blast AND I got great deals, too, too cool.
We go NO WHERE for black friday. There is nothing that I need that bad that I want to be crowds of people. I hate people most times anyway so pushing, shoving and cursing people would only p@ss me off. We shop for our parents and nieces and nephews. We decided that siblings wouldn't exchange anymore.
I can't remember the last time I shopped on Black Friday. It's got to be a long, long time ago. And one of the reasons is that picture in your post. Those people are just plain lunatic. Is having something, or having it at a certain price THAT important??
I'll be doing a lot of my shopping this year online. Some things I'll still get in the local stores, but I hope to do as little as possible.
We are a blended family here. We buy for the immediate family here, and for my children who are grown, and my three grandchildren, plus two aunts who are very close to me.
Heck NO didn't Go!! TeeHee
Not gonna take my life in my hands, I don't walk so good to begin with and those people are CRAZY!! Just look at your picture.
I don't have to buy anything for my family because; 1) they don't celebrate, and 2) they have disowned me and don't even speak to me. (Saves me $$)
As for Bill's family, we usually just give cash to his children and to my children as they are grown up and that is what they really want and need. Plus I usually do stockings for each of them (54 in total). Then I give cash to the 3 older grandchildren, and spoil the HECK out of the little (age 3) grandson.
Bill's sister & him usually don't exchange gifts, but I like to get her a little something because she is just such a special person to me.
We then have a few friends that we usually exchange wine and/or baked goods with. Thats it.
This year will be a bit different because I'm having cervical spine surgery on 12/14.
I hate shopping with crowds and lines and no amount of money could induce me to do so. Maybe if everything were free ...
I do buy gifts for my small children. But the gift giving thing is really difficult because it does seem so commercialized and I hate that.
We also exchange with only immediate family and it sure is easier in every way. No I didn't brave the crowds. I'm almost done.
cspmom at gmail dot com
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