Slow Shopping

I actually find Black Friday a bit too much. The urgency to buy everything RIGHT NOW usually means you end up with a load of stuff you don’t need bought with money you didn’t need to spend. I try not to get caught up in the hype and use it as a genuine way to make savings, not an excuse to splurge. Here’s a few ways I prep for the Black Friday onslaught and stay sane.

Prioritise: Buy for upcoming events

There’s always a family birthday to buy for and Black Friday is the precursor to Christmas. So it can be a good time to stock up on gifts that you are going to have to get anyway. I use Black Friday for getting extra discounts on gifts. Selfridges does 20% every year and so it’s a perfect time to get pressies that would otherwise be a bit pricey. Remember though, stick to the list! Don’t go off piste buying presents you didn’t plan for.

Spreadsheets: Save links, save money, save time

Black Friday can be good for big ticket items. We need a new fridge. Fridges are expensive. Ergo it makes sense to get one on a Black Friday deal. In advance of this I’ve set up a spreadsheet with all of the fridges I like that are in my price range. I’ve included web links for where I can get them and when Black Friday rolls around I can check each link quickly and see if there is any extra discount. It saves spending hours trawling websites on the day itself and ensures I only buy within my intended budget. Price Spy’s historical price chart is handy for predicting if something will be reduced in the Black Friday sales as it shows you how often and by how much an item has been reduced in the past. Preparation pays off!

Use a separate account or credit card

If you’ve got an account you don’t use as much or perhaps a credit card that gives you rewards when you use it, consider paying for your Black Friday purchases that way. You’ll be able to track what you’ve spent much easier than if it comes from your everyday spending account and you won’t be out of pocket if you decide to return things and need to wait for a refund.

Be Busy

If you really want to avoid the Black Friday hullabaloo then make yourself busy. Book in a gym class, organise a coffee date with a friend, catch up on some work, promise the kids you’ll take them to some awful play centre etc.. Don’t be fooled; Black Friday is no longer just one day, it spans the whole weekend and spills over into Cyber Monday. So, arrange some other, more fun, things to do and feel smug that you didn’t splash hundreds of pounds on dust-gatherers that you’ll never use. How many breadmakers bought in Black Friday do you think are still on the go? I rest my case. 

Set a budget

I mean you can hardly be a super saver if you don’t have a budget. If you’re shopping for Christmas gifts, decide what you’re willing to spend on each person and stick to it. If it’s a big appliance you’ve got your eye on, work out what you can afford and (you guessed it) stick to it! I’d advise you to whack it all onto a spreadsheet because, in-case you haven’t guessed, I absolutely love a spreadsheet.

Unsubscribe from emails 

This one is worth doing whether it’s Black Friday or not. All those sales emails inviting you to this sale event or that discount day are just a load of noise that you don’t need to hear. Life is busy enough without having to sift through your inbox every night. If it’s a shop or a service that you have no interest in but get sucked in by the snappy subject lines then simply scroll down, hit unsubscribe and wipe one extra thing off your plate. It’s liberating I promise.

Full Body Yoga video with Emily