DF and I have a hot date early in the morning of Nov. 23: We’re heading to Fred Meyer for Black Friday. The store opens at 5 a.m. and the first 100 customers will get gift cards – and all customers will get free juice, coffee and doughnuts.
When I mentioned that I’d be going, he startled me by suggesting that he’d like to go, too. Apparently he’s never been out on a Black Friday. Or maybe it was the free coffee and doughnuts that got his motor running.
Black Friday isn’t as nutty as it once was, given how many people shop online. Still, every year we hear about some pushy-shovey behavior that results in screaming fights or physical injury. Anchorage seems to have escaped that level of consumer madness.
Me, I’m mostly looking for socks because they always get discounted at Fred’s on Black Friday. But tomorrow the two of us will pore over the ads in the fattest newspaper of the year – not for gifts, but to look for any screamin’ deals on things we need. For example, the off/on button on our toaster oven is balkier by the day.
That’s a tactic I suggest in a recent piece I did for The Simple Dollar. “Seven Ways Black Friday Can Save You Money All Year Long” notes that BF deals can be a great way to boost the budget beyond Hannukah, Christmas or Kwanzaa.
Happily, I don’t need to buy anything for anyone else because I’m all done shopping. A mix of clearance sales, cashing in on rewards programs and my rewards credit cards, judicious re-gifting, thrift-store shopping and strategic snags at the FinCon18 expo hall has taken care of all the people on my list.
In fact, I’ve even wrapped/gift-bagged all the presents, a ritual that pleased me no end. It’s a credit to DF’s gentle nature that he didn’t run screaming from the house after my 20th iteration of, “Oh, I’m so happy! This is so much fun!”
All I have left to do is write a check to the church of my childhood (my dad says he already has enough Stuff) and to cash in one more gift card and I’m done, finished, through, finito, adios.
Not trying to be smug. It’s just that I’m so happy! It was so much fun!
A few more Black Friday notes
You’ve got until 6 p.m. PST Friday, Nov. 23, to win a copy of “Sudsy Slim Rides Again,” an independent film from the folks who brought us “Moose: The Movie.” Specifically, that’s cartoonist Chad Carpenter (“Tundra”) and his twin brother, Darin. They describe it as “a spaghetti Northwestern,” and shot it entirely in Alaska. Follow the link above to put in your entry. (Hint: It would make a great holiday gift.)
Savings.com is giving away $50 Old Navy gift cards. For a chance at winning one of the 10 cards, visit this link. The deadline is 11:59 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 26.
Savings.com is also giving away $50 Sears gift cards. Enter here before 11:59 p.m. EST Tuesday, Nov. 27.
Finally, get ready for Black Friday by checking the Savings.com holiday ad scan page, which updates automatically each time a retailer is added. The ads are alphabetized, which makes it easier to find the whatever-it-is of your dreams.
Here’s one ad-scan example, for Macy’s:
You can use the code BLKFRI to get an extra 20 percent off Black Friday sale items at Macy’s. (Some restrictions apply.) And some pretty great deals are available even before Black Friday dawns. Shopping in your jammies after eating too much pie on Thursday can actually be kind of fun. #moderntraditions
If only there were a Macy’s in Anchorage, I’d be happy to get up early for a chance at the free-after-rebate items offered that day, including but not limited to a slow cooker, the Ralph Lauren pillows, young men’s graphic T-shirts, and a plush Mickey or Minnie Mouse toy.
Do I need those items? Nope. But someone does. I’d donate them to the family shelter.
Macy’s actually does have something I need, though: the Bella toaster oven, which would wind up being just $7.99 after sale price and a mail-in rebate.
Well, maybe next year I’ll be out of state for Black Friday and can do a little strategic shopping. (Shout-out to Alaska Airlines, which lets “Club 49” members – aka, Alaska residents – check up to two bags for free. I’d clean up on those free-after-rebate items, indeed I would.)
As a former print newshound, it makes me sad that fewer and fewer people are buying the Black Friday newspaper. But as a blogger and a member of the Savings.com “DealPro” roster, I bow to the inevitable and run the links.
Note: These are affiliate links, which means I get a little finder’s free if you enter to win a gift card or wind up purchasing something from the ad scans. It helps me keep the blog lights on. And that new toaster oven isn’t going to buy itself.
Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you get your favorite flavor of that pie. My own plan is to eat until I can’t walk.
I’m done with all my shopping, too, yippee! I’m wait until the kids are back in school next week to wrap. The last two years I hired one of my babysitter to help wrap and we’d have everything knocked out in ~3 hours. Money well spent! I’m crossing my fingers that I can find someone to help me this year.
Happy Thanksgiving! Let us know if there is a way for us to subscribe to the Simple Dollar to keep up with your articles. I know that there is a “Trent only” option-is there a “Donna option” too?
Good question! I’ll ask the editor.
“My own plan is to eat until I can’t walk.” LOL! I like your plan, I think I’ll do that too. It will be a Friendsgiving, similar to last year’s, and I’m really looking forward to it.
As for Black Friday shopping, I’m not sure yet. There are a few things I need, but no Christmas shopping will get done. My remaining relatives don’t do the gift exchange thing any more, and most of my friends are as “skint” as I am. I always send Christmas cards, though, and will probably start addressing them this weekend. Happy Thanksgiving to you and DF!
Thanks, ma’am. Hope you enjoy the Friendsgiving; my daughter did one of those recently, inviting folks from their trivia group over. No one person had to do all the work, and it was a great excuse to have more than one dessert.
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thank you for the shopping tips/advice. I truly enjoy reading your emails and postings.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and DF!
We are going to our friends’ Thanksgiving open house today, and our son is having a friend over in the evening for pizza. Tomorrow (Black Friday) we’re having Thanksgiving dinner with our sons and a couple of friends who have become family through the years. Two Thanksgiving celebrations is a win in my book!
Well, we quit exchanging gifts in our family years ago. Does that make us a Bah Humbug?
What we do is gather all the money we would have spent and draw names. Whoever wins gets to choose where the money goes. We have gifted the animal shelter, homeless shelter, churches, and once an individual family.
We chose to celebrate Christmas as strictly a religious holiday, and then we all gather to have a wonderful-almost-profanely meal together. Then we play games or go outside for a holiday walk. Did I mention that no electronic devices were allowed?
And oh, ladies, since we did the preparation, cooking, serving, etc. the men do the dishes.
This works for us. When we start to have the next generation of children, we will give gifts up to the age of 18.
Do I miss the shopping, gift wrapping, and all the general merriment? Yes, sometimes. But all in all, it’s a great way to relieve stress and spend family time together.
I like your alternative gift-giving very much indeed. Remember, at the end of the story Scrooge became all about giving to others.
I am sick of Black Friday. Yes, I work at Target and there will be droves of people tomorrow. With their kids who are not happy about Black Friday sales because they have to ride in carts and will want things they cannot have.
Guess what. I have checked all the ads and I will buy nothing on the Black Friday offers. I want nothing. Even with huge discounts as a Target employee.
Funny and I like this part of working at Target. Corporate people have been working all week to stock Target’s shelves. Yes, I live in Minneapolis where Target was born and Target is a great company. Really great and the biggies get down and get their fingernails dirty. Sign of a very good company. And a well run company. But I will not fall into the hype for sales on Black Friday
Donna, Love your blog.
If you know you don’t really need anything, then good for you for not buying. Some people would be tempted to use the discounts to buy unnecessary stuff.
It’s good to see the C-level folks bending and stretching and stacking. Back in the late 1990s, I used to write for the American Girl magazine. When I had to be in the area, I dropped by to meet the editor whom I’d previously “met” only through e-mail and phone. It was getting close to Christmas and the magazine employees were expected to spend part of the week helping fulfill orders — and company founder Pleasant Rowland was right there in the ditches with them. Certainly having the bigwigs working with the regular folks gives them an idea of how hard the work can be and — one hopes — keep them grounded.
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Another good blog post…For the life of me couldn’t tell ya where the nearest Macy’s is. BUT 7.99 for a toaster oven is a great deal. I was able to get a chainsaw on sale at about half price. Ordered it on line and will be picking it up in store. My main chainsaw is 15 years old and is starting to show some wear. And ordered an HP printer on line from Best Buy for store pick up, for $19.99…pretty sure the ink cartridges in it go for about twice that…
We wound up getting a toaster oven for $14.99 at Fred Meyer. Here’s hoping it lasts for years and years and years.
In-store pickup is a great frugal hack, especially if you’ve gone through a cash-back site like Mr Rebates or Dollar Dig or Ebates.
Thanks for being such a consistent reader and commenter.
You’re welcome…. and QUITE the buy on the toaster oven. BUT DW will have nothing to do with a toaster oven for whatever reason… MAN… forgot the Mr. Rebates hack…Happy Holidays!
A plain old toaster does tend to do a better job toasting overall. But a toaster oven lets me make things like pita-bread pizza and barbecued chicken quesadillas. I appreciate a appliance that can multitask.
I love Marie’s post about giving to a worthy cause. We have decided in our family, 12 immediate family members to give to the hungry in our country. America has so much poverty, it is all over the news, research it. It struck us as a family that kids go to bed hungry here in the USA. We know we can’t help everyone, but we will give our gift money to help feed the hungry. My sister is a teacher in Maryland, her small rural school makes up
weekend food bags for the kids. Simple stuff,cereals, fruit cups, PB & J. crackers, wafers, and canned goods. The parents came to school to thank them.Framers in Maryland, USA, can’t feed their kids on weekends or school breaks. She inspires me, she is a family hero. Merry Christmas to all.We can help each other, it is a choice-no guilt folks.
She’s doing the work of the angels.
Vivian, thank you for your comment. We just drew names and this year’s money will go to my sister’s neighbors. The mother is blind, the father works a minimum wage job, and their 2 sons are both autistic. Yet my sister never hears a complaint, and the father loves his family so much. I met him when he was playing outside with the boys, and I was struck at how gentle he is with them.
We hope this money will give them a bit of a breather.
Vivian, thank you for your comment. We just drew names and this year’s money will go to my sister’s neighbors. The mother is blind, the father works a minimum wage job, and their 2 sons are both autistic. Yet my sister never hears a complaint, and the father loves his family so much. I met him when he was playing outside with the boys, and I was struck at how gentle he is with them.
We hope this money will give them a bit of a breather.
Donna I have followed you and ideas for years. I grew up fairly poor and learned to cook at a young age, I still cook a lot and enjoy it. Saving the extra money cooking for myself and my family makes me smile! I enjoy reading your suggestions and proven methods of saving.
My family as a whole help feed families in need year round, one of our passions.