Are you Actually Saving Money on Black Friday?

With the holidays coming up, that means the days of sales are also making their big
appearance. Black Friday is just a few days away, if not already here, as I’m being reminded by
the Influencers I follow on Instagram. I’m feeling swayed to spend as I’m told I’ll “save” with
their best sale of the year—and I can’t imagine that I’m alone in this. But are we really “saving”
money on Black Friday sales?

The number one tip I have is this: Set aside a small portion of each paycheck throughout
the year into a Holiday Spending Sinking Fund. This way, when the holidays come around, you
will have a specific amount of money set aside just for this! That said, I know it’s already
coming close to the holidays, and you may be thinking “well that’s great, and I’ll do that for next
year, but what about this Black Friday?” I have answers for that, too. I do recommend starting a
Savings account, though, for this after December. It will make next year so much easier!
I would say, don’t go into debt for a sale, and don’t borrow from one sinking fund to pay
for something in another category. Ask yourself, “does this align with my values and long-term
goals?” If the answer is yes, and you have the money to pay for it and you’re not stealing from
another sinking fund category, then I’d say go for that sale! One way to really take advantage of
holiday sales is to see if there is a sale for something you were already planning on getting, or
that you get frequently—then you can save on that item with the Black Friday sale!

I recommend staying away from those things that you only want to get because it’s “on
sale.” Do you really need it? Will you regret that purchase later? In fact, oftentimes stores make
specific items just for Black Friday that aren’t as well made as their usual products—we want to
steer clear of this. Another thing to keep in mind is that your time is valuable. don’t waste it.
Make the time that you do spend shopping worth it and stick to your values. It also costs you
your energy. And with flu season and Covid, staying away from the crowds is especially
important. You don’t want to get sick before Thanksgiving or the holidays, and you also want to
end the semester strong. Getting sick because of shopping could put a damper on your semester.
Is that worth it to you?

I also want to provide you with alternatives to buying gifts. Or, you can do gift bundles
that could also save you a little time and energy in the process. I love Ralphie’s four types of
gifts that she shares on her platform called “Simply on Purpose.” Here are her four gifts that she
gives to each member of her family. This is all she does, but each is so meaningful! 1) something
to read, 2) something to play with, 3) something to use, and 4) something to experience.
I will leave you with a few last things to keep in mind this Black Friday. I think holiday
sales are worth it if you already have that money set aside and it’s something that you’d either
normally get anyway, or that aligns with your values and you have the money to spend on it. It is
not worth it to go into debt for something that’s on sale. I like to use the zero-based budget when
shopping during the holidays. Once I run out of money, that means no more shopping for me. Of
course, you don’t have to get to zero, but that gives you a sense of what I’m trying to say. There
will always be sales, but marketing people don’t want you to know this. If you don’t have the
money now, it’s not worth going into debt for…save up for it, and chances are there will be
another sale. You will also feel proud of yourself and in control of being disciplined.

 

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