Black Friday tips! #MyBFDeals

With Thanksgiving over, who's ready for CHRISTMAS??  We are!  Especially since KRISTI surprised the family and showed up just in time for turkey...

...and BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!


We're thrilled to report we got most of our Christmas shopping DONE after this weekend (: Kell, our mom & older sister have started an annual Black Friday trip.  It saves so much money, although you're totally sleep deprived and dependent on Diet Coke at 7am the next morning, LOL!  It's worth the savings, are we wrong??

Kelli was never been a BF shopper but after bringing a car full home last year and spending less than $75, she became a believer.  

So Kristi tagged-along this year to learn the ropes.  Have to laugh at her laughing at all the craziness (:  


Hopefully some of these tips can give you confidence for next year...Kelli was terrified before the bossy older sister drug her along last year for the $8 scooters that were normally $20!  ;)

Tip: Do your homework before you shop!  The week before Thanksgiving, check out the sales online AND study those Sunday newspaper ads.  Don't clip any coupons but google "Wal Mart Black Friday 2011" and find more tips.  Know why you're entering the madness!!

So-here's what WalMart looks like at 9:30pm...shoppers just itching to grab goods off the shelf.  I always crack up at the poor young employees saying "Put that back!-it's not 10pm yet!" They try to keep the rules, money saving moms are just too frugal to keep their usual standards in check...


Tip: Know who you're shopping for.  If you're doing Secret Santa Exchanges with friends, family or co-workers, get it finalized by Thanksgiving.  Then you can search for what that person will like ahead of time.  By browing ads, you can even get it down to the price point if you have a limit like my family does.

Anyway, here are some awesome sales I jumped on, my 2 little guys love Legos, see how cleaned out the stack is?? To see a bazillion more pics of our shopping adventure, check out our Pinterest Black Friday Deals Board.  Seriously...did any of you shop BF sales??  Are we the only whackos who likes to save a buck?

Tip: WalMart is a great go-to for Black Friday sales.  We go specifically for kid's toys/needs.  I can't stand the idea of paying full price for my kids toys knowing how hard they are on them.  Also, I have 4 kids...they do a Secret Santa Exchange for both sides of the family which is 4 x's 2 = 8 additional toys on top of my kid's goods.  I know you see the reasoning behind it now, right??  (:

I'm definitely a sucker for signs that sport "Reduction: Now $0.99" ESPECIALLY if it also includes "Was 2.99"  I really try to keep my focus on my list but honestly, those side-by-side comparisons get the best of me sometimes, geez!  Like this art set...good price, and we have a long drive for Christmas this year!


Tip: I notice others go for the big ticket items like bikes & trampolines.  People are always keeping a hand on kid bikes way before midnight.  Dirty looks included, LOL.  I wish it was less crazy but really, I know what it's like and expect it so I put my game face on and try to grab what I need and get out of there asap...which is why I make my list ahead of time.  It's also really nice to bring a couple buddies because as soon as midnight strikes, we grab what's on our lists and hurry to the shortest check out line.  So your official tip is to split up...and have one of you head to check out line SOONER than later, some lines you'll wait for an hour just to check out.

Although this is a good bargain, Kristi thought we could buy it for an "Ugly Sweater Party".  Don't think so, sis!


Any other crazy Black Friday shoppers out there??  Please say "NO!" if I took something out of your cart, elbowed you or gave you a crusty look.  Haha, I'm totally kidding.  But you know where I'll be yet again next year!! (:

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias.  I really did have a blast shopping at WalMart, however, and it really is an annual trip for me! (:  All crazy opinions are my very own!