Black Friday is COMING!!!!

Growing up my family did not place much emphasis on Black Friday. We did not scope out the deals. We did not plan out our day. We did not set the alarm for an ungodly hour of the morning (or night depending on when the madness started). We didn't make our shopping lists and check them twice. Don't get me wrong, we always had a list. What to buy, where and for whom, but it didn't revolve around black Friday sales. We didn't map out our routes for optimal efficiency and gas saving, however when I married my husband I realized just what I was missing out on.

My husband and his family would do the full black shopping experience almost every year, sometimes starting the night before. They would pour over the black Friday ads during thanksgiving with the family and debate back and forth about which stores were worth a visit and which were not. They would decide who had the best black friday deals, what time they opened, where to go first etc. They had it down to a science it seemed. I met my husband before the internet was as big as it is today, so they used the paper ads and flyers almost exclusively, but now the ads and deals are all online too, so it makes it even easier to plan out your shopping! In addition to the ads being online, there are often coupons available online and in apps too, which allows for even more savings!!!

While I am not a hard core black Friday shopper today I still look over all the ads to see if any of the places I normally shop for the holidays have great deals. I always look at Walmart, Target and Kohl's because those are three of the places I shop the most during the holiday season. Toys, clothing, electronics, books and more! I almost always buy a pair of slippers and pajamas at Kohl's, sometimes a Lego set or toy too. There is also usually an item or two tossed in the cart for myself; I am not going to lie. :) One of the resources I use is Slickdeals which posts the black Friday ads for most big retail stores, so all the sale information is in one place. It's very convenient! It's amazing what the internet can do for us. It saves us time, money and gas.

So this year before heading out on black friday, head on over to slick deals to see if any of the items on your "list" will be on sale that day, or that weekend. Sometimes black friday sales start before black friday. I've even seen some sights announcing "black friday" sales before halloween. Pay attention to the dates listed on the ads, both the start and end dates. Some will run beyond black friday, maybe even until Christmas. Every store and deal is different so make sure to pay attention to the details so you don't miss out! Happy shopping!!!!!