I don’t always go out Black Friday shopping. In fact, this is probably only the third time I’ve ever gone out and experienced the madness. In the past I usually only go for one item, grab it, check out, and head home. This year my wife and I spotted a few different deals we wanted to go after so we ended up fully experiencing the Black Friday “Madness.”
First we headed to our local mall and waited outside of Macy’s before it opened at midnight. We grabbed two 5-piece luggage sets and were third in the checkout line. The total cost was $100 for both of them.
We went back in and looked around Gap, since practically everything in the store was at least 40% off. I found a few things but we ended up leaving without purchasing anything.
After getting a few hours of sleep and painfully getting out of bed around 4am or so, we headed to Home Depot and were there for the 5am opening. This was the place we got some of the best deals in my opinion.
First we grabbed two of these Martha Stewart Living 8-Cube Organizers (4 fabric bins were included). Total cost was just under $60 for both of them. Here is the first one all set up in our office:
Next we grabbed this 4 foot fiberglass step ladder for $17. We have an 8 foot fiberglass ladder because of our vaulted living room ceiling, but this was a perfect ladder for smaller jobs. I made use of it immediately as we spent some time this weekend painting our living room and hallway.
We also got a $5 Pet Bowl Mat to put our dog’s food and water dishes on. I wrote about the costs of dog ownership a couple weeks ago as we are planning on getting a dog. We haven’t gotten one yet because we have been putting so much time and energy into the house and other things. We hope to get one before Christmas tho. We pretty much have everything we need now except the dog itself ;)
Our final stop was Staples. I got QuickBooks Online SimpleStart 2012
Summary of Money Spent
- 2 5-piece Luggage Sets: $100
- 2 Martha Stewart Living 8-Cube Organizers: $60
- 4 Foot Fiberglass Step Ladder: $17
- Pet Bowl Mat: $5
- QuickBooks Online SimpleStart 2012: $0
- Toshiba Canvio 1.0 TB Portable Hard Drive: $70
Total Spend: $252
Some thoughts on my Black Friday experience:
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We only spent money on ourselves – This tends to be what happens with me and Black Friday: I only buy stuff for myself! It may be because it takes some motivation to actually get up that early and go out shopping, or because I usually don’t know what I am getting people for Christmas yet. I also hate the idea of getting a really good deal on a gift for someone and them just returning it and getting a gift card!
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We only got things we need – I was happy that we only got things that we need, but at the same time I don’t necessarily agree with people who rip on those for getting things they don’t need. People buy things they don’t need every day, of every week, of every month, of every year; Black Friday it’s just more visible. If people prolong their purchases until Black Friday (I know people who wait months and months for a Black Friday deal on a new TV or some other large purchase) they are likely going to get a good deal, not counting the fact that it may force people to put off their purchase. If it makes you buy it sooner, though, then the retailers have won ;)
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The Love/Hate with Black Friday will go on forever – There is always going to be people who proudly say they didn’t spend any money and that everyone who goes out and shops for deals are crazy. There will also always be people who go out every year and take advantage of door busters and other promotions. And then there will be people like me who neither love or hate Black Friday and will occasionally go out and try to snag a few deals. One thing we know: There will always be people who absolutely love Black Friday and absolutely hate it!
Overall I am very happy with how my Black Friday shopping went. My wife also went out to Michael’s the night before with my Mom and got some really good deals. I am especially loving our Home Depot purchases because I am getting immediate use out of them and I am sure the luggage from Macy’s will come in handy when I go on my cruise in February ;)
Did you take advantage of any Black Friday deals? What about any of the other deals and promotions that retailers have been putting on the past week?
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That looks like some good quality luggage and that is an insanely good price! Not sure about the whole getting out of bad at 4am thing though.
@MonsterPiggyBank Honestly the 4am wake up time was the absolute worst, but I’m glad I did it.
can’t imagine the craze in Macy’s. Hard drive is super cheap and the luggage looks nice!
@RFIndependence Thanks! Macy’s wasn’t AS crazy as I thought it would be, probably because they had big entrances on two floors. We got in, got our luggage, and got out of there!
It looks like you got a couple of nice items. We did not venture out for shopping on Friday. We just did our usual tradition of going out for dinner and then looking at Christmas lights. I did do a bit of online shopping and will try to get the rest of it done today.
@FrugalRules That sound relaxing! I usually wouldn’t go out, but as you saw there were items that I could save a decent amount of money on that I would have bought anyway, so had to do it!
We worked so we missed out on black friday. I have almost all of my shopping done though so it wouldn’t have mattered. I think you did great since you only bought things you were going to buy anyway!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Idk if you noticed, but I didn’t do any shopping for anyone else but myself! :0
@DC @ Young Adult Money @Holly at ClubThrifty
I did notice! But hey, that’s ok. Might as well save some money!
I want that ladder, home depot sales would get me out of bed that early for sure! Good finds!
@PlungedinDebt Yeah that ladder has been awesome! It’s fiberglass so you can safely do electrical work on it as well.
Looks like you’ve gotten a few good deals there! I need one of those big hard drives too, and I was tempted to head out, but decided against it for just that one item.
I’ve only been out shopping on Black Friday a couple of times, and every time I’ve gone it’s been a festive atmosphere and people were all seeming to have fun. One of the places I went was even handing out coffee and donuts to early risers.
On the other hand Black Friday doesn’t always have the best deals to be had. Some studies have shown that the lowest prices for a lot of items, including the ever popular electronics and TVs, aren’t to be had on Black Friday. That’s another reason why I tend to avoid it – because a lot of the time the prices aren’t as good as they’re promoted as being.
@moneymatters Home Depot had free coffee and doughnuts, and I definitely took advantage!
I hear you about Black Friday not having the best deals of all year per se. I am sure you saw that WSJ article that they were promoting like mad the past month about how there are better deals throughout the rest of the year. But honestly, you can’t “predict” when the best deals are and I question whether they looked at a long enough time horizon, or that the data is even applicable to today’s products.
Looks like a lot of good deals! Good job.
@SenseofCents Thanks, you really have to pick and choose though, I can easily see how people go overboard.
We went to Target and purchased presents for the kids at 11 pm Thursday night. I ended up saving about $85 on four items, so I’m pleased. That said, I’m never excited to stand in the line…I’m just cheap!
@AverageJoeMoney Nice, $85 would be worth it to me for sure. We spent very little time in lines, surprisingly, but I think that’s because we grabbed our stuff at Macy’s and immediately got in line. Home Depot and Staples same thing.
That’s awesome that you found some good deals for items you actually wanted! I admire your ability to wake up and head down to crowded stores like that, but hey… if you need it and you don’t mind it, who am I to say anything against that. That Toshiba portable drive is actually cheaper than the deal they have online now for $73. You saved 3 bucks by being at the right place at the right time :) Black Friday > Cyber Monday on that one.
@Veronica @ Pelican on Money Haha I gues I did save $3! I’m sure it will drop below $70 within a month or so : P
I just don’t like the crowds, and the fact that people buy stuff just because it’s on sale whether they need it or not. I also have a problem with the extreme couponers who do the same thing and get free stuff they don’t need just to say it’s free. I did get a sweet deal on a blender at Target. Mine is falling apart, so that was a good purchase.
@Eyesonthedollar Kim….this is where we will have to disagree. I say more power to someone if they can get something for free by combining coupons and deals. If I could do it I definitely would.
We went to staples and bought an external hard drive and we also bought the Quickbooks. We ended up returning the Quickbooks. Even though it was free after rebate, I discovered that I probably didn’t need it. We also went to Target and bought a vacuum, my wife has been wanting one for a year now.
All in all it wasn’t busy we left the house at 10 and were done before 11.
It looks like you bought useful stuff at a good price.
It sounds like you had a successful Black Friday trip. I don’t enjoy crowds and I really don’t enjoy ignorance. I have tried Black Friday before and found it to get on my last nerve. That was when I just decided to shop online. Did it today and saved a lot of money and time, plus free shipping on everything.
Wow nice job! I was exhausted just reading that! I’m especially impressed with the luggage. I’ve had mine since 1987-no joke!
I did not take advantage this year but it sounds like you got some decent deals on stuff you’d need anyway. That’s the way to go with Black Friday for sure!
Looks like you picked up some great deals. I think Black Friday Shopping is a personal preference as is Boxing Day. As long as you are happy with the deals you got and you can afford them then go for it! Cheers
Those are definitely some fine deals… I wouldnt mind having that ladder..
But yeah, we sat out Black Friday this year… We are all in on the debt reduction thing and getting closer and closer!
That second point is key – only get what you were already going to get! My haul was: nada. Successfully completed a Buy Nothing Day.