Blog: If Your Money Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy
How To Shop Black Friday
Last year was my first year shopping Black Friday, but I like to learn quickly the do's and don'ts. These are the tips I use and share with others wanting the thrill of the shopping frenzy that will help you get what you want for that great price…hopefully.
Rule #1: Plan Your Strategy
Get the thick newspaper with all the ads on Thanksgiving Day which will be overflowing with the great deals all the stores want to suck you in with, which works by the way, and the times the stores open. WRITE DOWN what you want and from where and the store's opening time, trust me when it's 5 am you don't remember and shuffling through all the ads is pitiful in the dark morning…learn from my mistakes! Bring your coupons if you have them too and believe me cash is great on a rushed morning like this!
Rule #2
Divide and Conquer
This is where your shopping buddies come in handy! First don't go alone, always go with someone else, I'll explain later. Find some other "teams" that are going out and have them pick up what you want at the stores they are going to and how many. This will let you be at more places than one and also give you more chances of getting what you want. Make sure you return the favor for them at the stores you're going to!
Rule #3
Store War
Long lines and crazy people are going to be part of the fun. DON'T get a cart outside, most stores will put carts around the store so if you rush to the back of the store there are carts there. Again use the divide and conquer strategy with the person you are with. You get some items and let them get some others. This last step is VERY important…get in line! Make sure one of you gets in line right away while the other is finishing getting the items, cell phones are a must! This will help you avoid the LONG lines which discourage the purchase. It was awful at Kohl's last year, lines wrapped around the store to the very back…crazy! This is not the time to browse very long, let others do that while you get in, out and onto your next stop.
Rule #4
After all the crazy shopping, meet with the other teams if possible for coffee and swap the treasures and money. It's a great time to swap the morning stories as well, you will have many funny stories to last till next year's Black Friday.
Happy Thanksgiving! Be a blessing and expect blessings!
Triste
posted on: 11/26/2008 11:30:00 AM by Triste Horrell
category: Finances
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If Your Money Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy
by Triste Horrell
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About Triste:
Being an organizing expert makes one want to be a "showroom" in all areas of life. However reality can hit hard when you're a mother of small children and a military wife and own an organzing business. Of course Triste would like to have a picture perfect Better Home and an even Better Garden. Throw a Pottery Barn in the backyard for exceptional creative time to become the wiz-woman for all the ideas and inventions that the world could not live without. But Triste has settled on the fact of telling herself "I can be perfect in my mind and no one can mess up my space there!" In reality Triste is very self-motivated and has true business accomplishments like having SYSTEMIZE since 1997, the first home and business organizing firm in the state of South Carolina. She has been repeatedly recognized in her Greenville, SC area for her organizing expertise and makeovers on local NBC and FOX news, Greenville News, local magazines such as Greenville Magazine and Upstate Parent and NPR radio. She has turned people's lives around by focusing on what she calls the "four building blocks of being organized" consisting of space, time, financial and personal. This is even represented in her business logo. "That's what I'm in business for, turning people's lives around!" Also applying her popular 3 Steps to Systemize have not only organized her clients but KEPT them organized for years.
Triste's Website:
www.systemize4u.com
Downtime Activities
- Reading Magazines
- Spending time at our cottage
- Keeping our Westie pretty
- Putting tealights around after the kids are in bed
- Adventures with my awesome hubby
- Making microwave smores...just for me
1 graham cracker, broken in half 1 small piece of chocolate 1 big marshmellow On one side of cracker put piece of chocolate and marshmellow on top. Place in microwave and heat for approx. 17 seconds (while cooking replace marshmellow on top of chocolate if needed). Put other half of cracker on top, eat and enjoy and watch out for oozing chocolate!
My Organizing Tool-Box
- Time - Outlook
This is a great way to keep papers off the desk and track where you need to go, task list, jot down quick notes on the virtual "post-its, keep up with contacts in the virtual Rolodex
- Personal Finances - Quicken
This simple yet practical program keeps your bank accounts in tact...did I mention simple?!
- Business Finances - QuickBooks
I have used this program for years and have set many clients up on it. It is a must for keeping track of business transactions and keeping tax time easy...push a few buttons and out come the reports, your done and your tax preparer loves you.
- Space - turntables
I love these things! You can put them in cabinets, the fridge, garage, and closets. They are inexpensive, easy to find and available at any discount store and you can even find fancier ones. If you are not sure what they are, they are the white (or other fancier kinds) and spin around like a lazy susan, you can have a single or double-tier one for spices.
- Personal - Magazines and Internet
I love to look at magazines and the internet for good articles on personal development, pictures for decorating inspiration and fun projects to do with my family. I keep my magazine subscriptions to a minimum (3) so I can read them and enjoy each one. I look for things on some of my favorite websites for whatever fancies me at that time.
- Online Recipe Boxes
Use these on some of your favorite websites, bring the laptop into the kitchen while the recipe is up and you never have to have the paper clutter. One of my and my husbands favorites is Williams-Sonoma.
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