…is not to panic. Actually just do nothing. You can save a lot of money that way.
It used to be a family tradition to wake up at 5 AM and rush to the stores to line up. I loved the energetic pitch in the air. The festivity of “suffering” together in order to get the best deal. I leaned about FAR (free after rebate) and BYOB (buy one get one free).
I did fill my room with stuff that I didn’t need. But by the time I had my own salary, the appeal suddenly wore off when it was spending my own money. What’s the point of filling my place with stuff that I didn’t need? So that’s why I am sitting on a couch bought from a friend’s former boyfriend surrounded by furniture from craigslist, floor models, garage sales, and dumpster diving (well not really, I just saw something nifty on the street. once.) I have this horrible habit of questioning myself for everything that I buy—will I enjoy this thoroughly 24 hours later? Most of the time except for grocery items, the answer is no.*
So the only thing I do on Black Friday now is watch people. Watch people pile over themselves to buy buy buy.
* Except that one time that Chris knocked over a stand in a small stationary store. I rushed to find something cool and awesome (and expensive) and bought it. I would have never owned an angry asian girl canvas bag if it wasn’t for that.