Do you know what I saw when I opened up my Google calendar the other day?
This:
(It even had the green marks on it and all, weird!)
Apparently to Google, Black Friday is now a holiday! Only it really isn’t, unless apparently you live in California and some other states:
“Black Friday is not an official holiday, but California and some other states observe “The Day After Thanksgiving” as a holiday for state government employees, sometimes in lieu of another federal holiday, such as Columbus Day.”
I’m sure Christopher Columbus would be proud #NOT (although he did partake in his own form of plundering for booty, didn’t he?)
But while there’s a million things I’d rather do than participate in the upcoming madness, I know some of you do love going out and finding deals, so I thought I’d prepare an official list for what you’re allowed to buy this week as dedicated Budgets Are Sexy readers.
Feel free to print copies and pass around to your colleagues :)
The Official List of What You’re Allowed to Buy on Black Friday:
- Personal finance books
- Personal finance courses
- Earbuds (to listen to personal finance podcasts!)
- Stocks
- Bonds
- Index Funds
- Real Estate
- CDs
- Piggy banks
- “I Love Spreadsheets” Mugs
- In Case of Emergency Binders
- The “Box” from the Grammy nominated “Cash in a Box” song
And people say personal finance nerds are boring – HAH!
I challenge you to find anything more satisfying than the above list of items, thank you very much… ;)
So you go out and do your thing this Friday early am, and remember that buying things that give you a return are always better than things that don’t.
Unless you’re buying something for me – in which case, DON’T BE STINGY!!
Have a very blessed Thanksgiving everyone, and I thank you for your continued patronage :)
******
PS: For more Black Friday fun:
- 10 ways Black Friday is like sex.
- How I feel about Black Friday in Animated Gifs
- 7 Things I’d rather do than shop on Black Friday
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Count me in with the personal finance nerds. NO Black Friday shopping here. We decorate the house for Christmas with family visiting. I shop all year for Christmas bargains just to avoid the BF madness! To the persistent & determined BF shoppers out there: have at it and GOBBLE UP the deals! Happy Thanksgiving to all & thanx J$ for your inspirational weekly segments that keep many of us on our toes.
Love that idea of decorating with family!!! What wholesome (and free) fun!
If it’s needed, I’ll ‘buy’ gas for my car. My other typical purchases may include lunch out with friends or adult beverages for friendsgiving. For me the day off of work means more time with friends, not shopping.
Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ll accept those :)
VTSAX hopes the mindless mass of zombies go out and gobble up a bunch of new iPhones from Target.
Happy Thanksgiving J-Dawg
Haha… I guess we do need those people, don’t we? :)
I saw a line the other day in front of the Apple store, literally 20 minutes before the store would even open. This is last week, way before black friday. I have Apple stock and I was cheering for the store to open sooner so they can go buy the whole store hopefully. :)))
Definitely! Apple does all the heavy lifting for all of us and it needs a few spotters lately.
I always work on black Friday (not in retail just my normal gig). It is soooo quiet in the office so I can knock out a lot of little things I normally don’t have time to get to.
Yes, great list! I’m getting ready to stock up on some income-producing assets!
Only ever tried Black Friday shopping one time. I don’t get it. This is back when you had to physically go to the store. Now you can shop online in your PJs.
Don’t let the marketing folks suck you into this!
Instead, enjoy time with family and friends. We have a tradition of decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving! I love the list and now that the kids are older it just might be perfect for them and easy shopping for me :)
I just found out that my doctors office feels the day after Thanksgiving is a holiday too! I found that too funny. When does sickness live by the 8 – 5 hours?
Have a Blessed Holiday…
My partner and I always take a couple of days off around November pay day to do our Christmas shopping before the shops get packed with stressed people etc*. This year we randomly picked tomorrow and Friday (we’re in the UK). I’m a little disapointed that we are to all intents and purposes having a Black Friday spree when we don’t celebrate thanksgiving!
*We travel to an outlet place around 70 miles from home and stay overnight. Great time to also stock up on things we need and a fun night away.
VTSAX and VTI appear to be having a huge sale…
I’m spending eighty bucks this Friday… on a fishing charter with friends at 7:30am out of Chesapeake Beach, for striped bass. It’s been my Black Friday tradition since 2012. I’ll likely come away with ten or fifteen pounds of straight-outta-the-water fillets, so it’s a surprisingly good deal on tasty fish! If you’re ever interested, what with being in the DMV and all, it’s a good time.
Well, it’s also cold, and early, and sometimes a little bumpy, but nothing tastes better than a beer at 9am after you’ve reeled in the first catch of the day.
Will I get slammed if I buy something in November/Black Friday that has been on my watch list for months (or years), and it is suddenly on sale? As an example, my computer speakers have issues. (scratchy and drop outs where I have to smack the puck controller to get the sound back). Replacement ones I’d been eyeing dropped 33% this week. It’s clearly not an impulse buy, but I could live without it. (As I have been living with these crummy speakers for years) On the other hand, I can afford it, and it is a huge sale.
In the end, I hemmed and hawed long enough, that they sold out. :) So problem solved, but the general question remains. Should I feel bad about taking advantage of the sales to get a few things that have been on my someday maybe list for ever?
My personal addendum: Take advantage of the deals to buy gifts and much needed warm clothes for kids who won’t get anything this holiday season! That and getting PiC an electric shaver to replace the one that broke last year :)
But we do all our shopping online and I’ve already pre-scouted the stuff and deals so that hopefully on the day of, I just have to click through to buy and then warm things will go off to kiddies who need them.
I was going to say you should specify CDs = Certificates of Deposits rather than Compact Discs, but do people even use compact discs any more?
Oh, and that “I love spreadsheets” mug is “Currently unavailable” and Amazon says “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock.” :(
Hey J Money,
Can you point us to some of the great books, courses, and podcast?
Personal finance books?
Personal finance courses?
Earbuds (to listen to personal finance podcasts!?)
Thank you and have a blessed Thanksgiving as well!
Jon
I am going hiking in the mountains on Friday. Not even going to be in the “civilization”. I have no desire to buy anything. Literally have all I need and want, even though I am considered a minimalist by many standards. All I do is buy a bag of coffee from a local coffee roaster every holiday (their holiday blend is unique) because I love their coffee and also to support a local business, with a young owner. The whole bag is $13 and it lasts me a good 3 months to use all of the coffee. So that is my big purchase for year end.
Happy Thanksgiving J$
Great stuff as always, I like it