Black Friday

This year I did not my traditional Black Friday shopping. It was so confusing to me this year because most places opened on Thanksgiving night and I didn't want to spend Thanksgivng plotting where I wanted to go. So, I let it go.

I did end up going shopping during the day on Black Friday. I went mostly to buy things that I needed for crafts rather than true Christmas shopping. I actually had a shopping buddy this year, which is new. My sisters in law have not ever expressed an interest in going with me and because I have traditionally had a plan, I have not minded going alone. This year, my "new" sister in law said she had a few things to buy, and I said that we would work together. We ended up at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Ulta, Hallmark, Home Depot, and Jo Ann's Etc. We got most of what we needed and some of what we wanted!

Thirty-One Gifts

Until last March I had never heard of Thirty-One Gifts.  Then, one of my friends started as a consultant, and I was looking for a Vera Bradley printed type bag that was not cloth.  I also wanted a new school tote that was not a canvas tote.  I love my canvas totes from Lands' End, but the tote itself is heavy without adding books to it.  I decided to have a party, and my love of their products was born.  I have found that I do not like everything, but the things that I do like, I really like.

The most useful tote is the Organizing Shoulder Tote.  It holds just enough items inside and can stand mostly straight up for files, and is durable.  I have only one and I use it everyday.  I have bought many more for gifts.

I also love my two Large Utility Totes.  I use one for beach/swimming gear, and the other one for library books.  I like that it is open and has a frame that makes it stand up.  I also like that I can keep my library books in the bag when I get home because it is easy to get into and the tote is pretty enough to keep out.

I just bought two All-In-One Organizers for my children.  The idea is that they will use them to help pick up their things every night.  They will hang on their bedroom doors for things that they need to put away or just need to know where it is.

The purse that I bought is the Organizing Shoulder Bag.  It is a crossbody bag, and I love it.  It needed to be washed was the only reason why I stopped using it.  It holds just enough and lays really well.  I would buy another one except that I have not seen a print that I like in the Fall/Winter fabrics.

There were a few products that have not been satisfactory.  I bought the Picnic Thermal Tote specifically to take on a trip to Walt Disney World.  I wanted to carry in water and snacks so I could spend money on meals and souvenirs.  For the amount of stuff that I could put into it, the strap was too flimsy.  It made the bag heavy, and it was not easy to carry either on one shoulder or crossbody.  We ended up either putting it in the stroller or hanging it from the stroller which didn't really work.  (Next time I will buy a backpack cooler, and not for $76.00.)

I bought a Mini Zipper Pouch and did not use it for many months.  When I finally found a use for it, after a few uses, the side stitching came out.  The Mini On-The-Go Organizer was okay as a little wallet, but when I tried to match it with a previous print that I had bought, I felt that the black and white print that they have currently is too big for that little of an item.

I would love to be able to buy some of their higher priced totes, but....  Maybe some day!

All in all, I have to say I like the totes, but I still want a Vera Bradley!

Presents

Do you like to buy presents ahead of time or right when you need to give them?

I use to like to but presents right when I needed to give them so I could have a particular person in mind while I was shopping.  As time has gone on, I have found that I like to buy some presents ahead of time because I do not always have the time to shop when I need something.  I like to keep lots of general things around so that I have a choice when I pick a gift from the things that I have on hand.  I also find that the gift stash is convenient when trying to keep the cost down when buying gifts for my children to take to their friends' birthday parties.  When they do not go to the store and pick out something, I can better control how much is spent on the gift.

Black Friday

Well, it is the day after Thanksgiving and one of the first in many years that I did not go shopping.  When looking at the ads yesterday, it seemed like there were not many deals.  Add that to the fact that we were leaving early in the morning, and it was not worth getting up.

This afternoon I did stop at Office Max for a portable hard drive that I have been eying for awhile now.  The flyer prices for the various stores have been the same since the summer.  When I went to Office Max, there was a sign on the door that said that there is a shortage of portable/desktop hard drives because of the flooding in Thailand, so customers are limited to one per purchase and of course, the ones on sale were already gone.  On top of that the prices are not going down, but going up because of the shortage.  I was going to buy another portable hard drive that had less gigabytes and was more expensive, but then just decided to buy a 16GB flash drive instead.

I also ended up at the Dollar Tree today looking for containers to store games in at school.  I did not find the containers, but found magnetic cookie sheets and some decorations for the Christmas cards that I think I am going to have my children make.

Lunch, Movie, Library, and Dinner with grandparents rounded out Black Friday!