Should you shop in the Black Friday sales or buy nothing that day?

Black Friday

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The fourth Friday in November has become known as Black Friday. It has become a day for sale shopping, but some people are re-claiming it as Buy Nothing Day.

The argument for buying nothing on Black Friday is a protest against our buy now, throw culture. The majority of us already have too much stuff, a lot of which ends up in landfill. This is a massive problem for the environment and for our wallets. Plus, it doesn’t matter how discounted something is, if we don’t actually need it, it is a waste of money.

However not all stuff is bad. There are lots of great quality products that can help reduce waste and save money which are worth investing in. Some of these products are pretty pricey. So if finding them in the sales makes them affordable it makes sense to make the most of Black Friday.

Products I have spent good money on include:

These products should last for years saving money and waste in the long run.

Here are some simple rules to not get carried away this Black Friday;

  1. Make a shopping list and stick to it! If it wasn’t on your shopping list before you went into the sales then it isn’t something you actually need.
  2. Do your research. Work out which brand is the one for you in advance so you don’t panic buy.
  3. Price check. Check where it is selling for the best price currently and how it compares to the price historically. Camelcamelcamel can help lists historical prices of products on Amazon. You can find out when a product was at it’s rock bottom price and how much that was.
  4. Don’t get sucked in. Just because something says it is reduced, it doesn’t mean you can’t get it cheaper another time or somewhere else!

Personally, I avoid Black Friday if I don’t need anything. If there is something I need that will last, I take advantage of the reduced prices. What do you think? Should we boycott Black Friday, or buy discounted quality products that save money and the environment?

Thanks!

Black Friday Sales

Comments

  1. Hi Zoe, I won't be buying anything in the Black Friday sales, one reason is I don't have enough to waste and I don't really need anything!

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