Black Friday

Black Friday is the one-day mega sale the day following Thanksgiving, and kicks off the “official” holiday shopping season. Stores open early, some open very early. 

To help make sense of the madness, sites like Blackfriday.com list all available Black Friday ads. Participating stores offer some amazing deals, and if you can stand the crowds, expect to save big on garden supplies. Black Friday sales are often the best way to get that one big-ticket item your kids are dying for, especially if it is normally out of your price range.

There are some drawbacks to shopping Black Friday sales. First, quantities are often extremely limited on big-ticket items. Second, you have to get up really, really early and deal with lots and lots of people. Of course, there are still decent deals later in the afternoon and the crowds general decrease as the morning wears on. Bottom line: If you’re trying to maximize your gift budget and are feeling brave, hit the stores early-early. On the other hand, if you just can’t stand crowds and chaos, shop later in the day or wait for Cyber Monday.