Reducing my Black Friday spending

This year, I am limiting my Black Friday shopping to the bare bones experience. Black Friday is one of my favorite times of year. I have fond memories of going shopping with my daughters and having a breakfast snack of Cracker Jacks. A store named Proffit's gave tons of the stuff away on Black Friday. The prize in each box ranged from some really cool items to deep coupons.

It was also a day for spending money. Granted, everything we purchased was either on sale, bought with a coupon or I used a combination of coupon and sales when possible (sound familiar). We were always sucked into the shopping frenzy and blew our budget.

Things are a little different this time around. Every time I think about overspending I take a minute and evaluate where we are financially (see blog post). It's giving me more confidence to leave the debit card behind. I'm still going to go out to enjoy the Black Friday crowds a little wiser than in previous years and it's giving me more confidence.


This time, we're doing our shopping with a set amount of cash and when it's gone, it's gone. There won't be any reaching for the credit card or whipping out the debit card. These little gems are handy but I tend to overspend without realizing it.

Shopping without the cards will force me to slow down and consider each purchase. It will also alleviate the guilty feeling of going over the budget. That alone may help me have even more fun this Black Friday. Either way, we shall soon see how it goes.