She’s making a list and checking it twice
You might have noticed the Black Friday deals have started to appear earlier than ever this year.
This year, Black Friday lands on Friday 27th November, with Cyber Monday following on the 30th. But it’s not really a British tradition at all. It started in the US, where it falls on the day after Thanksgiving and traditionally kicks off the Christmas shopping season. The name is thought to have come from Philadelphia police in the 1950s and 60s, who used it to describe the chaos of crowds and traffic as shoppers flooded the city. A later (and much more retailer-friendly) explanation is that it’s the day shops finally go “into the black” and start turning a profit for the year.
It made its way over to the UK around 2010, when Amazon brought the deals across the pond, and it really took off in 2013 when Asda got involved. Fast forward to now, and it’s no longer just one day. It’s become a weeks-long event that seems to start earlier every year.
I feel like every email I get from a brand, or every influencer video I scroll by, is pushing a Black Friday discount. I can already start to feel the panic rise in me. Should I be shopping for Christmas already? Will I miss out on the best deals if I don’t press ‘add to basket’ and buy right now?
If you’re starting to feel the festive overwhelm already, we’re here to hold your hand and tell you to pause and breathe.
If you’re worried about overpaying or missing out on the best deal, planning and preparation are your best friend. As the song goes, Santa makes his list and checks it twice. We could all do with taking old St Nick’s advice.
First things first, you’re going to create a list. A list of all the people you ‘intend’ to buy for this year and an amount against each name. Once you have this, you’re going to elaborate on the gift and then go discount digging. It’s unlikely that you’ll pay full price for anything online – there’s always a deal or hack to be had.
The important thing is sticking to the list. We don’t want you to be swayed or influenced to buy more (because you got the discount). We don’t want you to feel added pressure and add extra bits to a present. If you can look at your list in black and white and feel happy with it, the present-buying element of Black Friday can then be transactional.
Do all the fun scrolling and researching now before the deals start to appear.
If you want some accountability and hand-holding throughout the festive season when it comes to spending and sticking to your budget, head to the Financielle community.
Stay safe (and savvy) out there people.
Holly
x
