Black Friday Do’s, Don’ts, FYIs, and You Better Nots.

Black Friday, better known as “Black and Blue Friday” in some parts of the country, is fast approaching. Deals and steals galore, right? Not in all instances. There are some deals to be found but unless you are a die hard Black Friday shopper, your time would be better spent digesting the Thanksgiving dinner you just ingested.
1.  Shop at stores that allow you to wait in line inside such as Walmart.
2.  Compare regular prices to Black Friday prices. I have seen instances where the Black Friday price is only $5 cheaper. Is driving around town, in the cold really worth it?
3.  Stock up on clothing. There are many more stores that have deals on clothing than toys and electronics. Believe it or not, this is a good time to buy Christmas PJ’s.
4.  Leave purses and other unnecessary objects at home. There are thieves that target Black Friday shoppers.  Be aware of your surroundings.
5.  Place purchases in the trunk, and out of view. Smash and Grabs are prevalent around this time of year.  Not something you want to come back to.
6.  Don’t go Black Friday shopping at all. You have a month until Christmas and there will be many more sales and similar deals.
7.  Go early. Some stores give out tickets for items such as TVs and computers before the sale actually starts. When the tickets go, the items are done.
8.  Don’t get your hopes up. Most stores don’t follow the rules set forth in their advertisements. Their job is to make money, not to accommodate you. Black Friday Do's and Don'ts
written by my darling husband (dh) – Anwar Thomas
**For more information on this year(2015 Black Friday Sales), follow this link.**(Updated Yearly)

Preparing for the Holidays!!

I spent last night, writing the Kid’s Letter from Santa and getting them ready to send out to Anchorage, Alaska aka the North Pole.  Check out the link at the bottom of the post for how to get your kid’s their very own Letter from Santa stamped from the North Pole.

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There are only 41 days left until Christmas, and 16 days left until Black Friday.  Whether you are going to be shopping up until the last minute or plan to make Black Friday your last official shopping day, its time to get started if you have not already.

This time of the year is always a busy one for my family, starting with my baby girl’s birthday, then my husbands’, then my Dad, then Thanksgiving and Christmas.  There is a lot of money going out.  So, I always try to catch the sales and get the items on my list for as little as possible, without sacrificing quality.

This year will be no different.  Check out our Facebook page for useful coupons, tips, and Ads.

Check out our post from last year on Christmas Magic.

Looking for some Thanksgiving Inspiration – Check out the following posts from 2012!!

My First Thanksgiving Turkey

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Sides

Making the Scariest Day of the Year – Not Scary!!

Making the Scariest Day of the Year - Not Scary!!

I was blessed with the scariest kids ever,(in other words they are afraid if their own shadows).  Especially my oldest daughter, two years ago we took them both Trick or Treating.  She was just 7 at the time.  She absolutely hated the scary costumes and we had to eventually go home.

Last year she wanted nothing it do with Halloween so we skipped it and just handed out Candy.  My youngest was 2 at the time and literally still had no fear.

Fast forward to this year and the arrival of witches as Halloween decor in our local Kroger. There was a precocious little boy who thought it would be funny to hit said witch and send her flying into the air.  My little one was fit to be tied. I couldn’t get her out of that store fast enough and haven’t been able to get her to go back since.

I admit, last year I was glad to not have to deal with it.  But this year feeling particularly festive, I was bummed that the girls weren’t interested.  So I decided to get them excited about dressing up and thought they could at least hand out the Candy!!  I got them excited and all dolled up.  But, when the bell rang for the first time my oldest bolted up the stairs. She observed the rest if the night from her view on the Second Story Landing .  I was able to engage the little one and she helped hand out Candy unless she saw a scary costume.

We ordered pizza for dinner and tried to make the night fun.  But, I think the best part for them was the dressing up and the pictures.  I hope we still made some great memories, and look forward to them getting older and having a better grasp on all that is Halloween!!