WJBC Forum: Buy nothing day

Posted on November 25, 2016

By Elisabeth Reed

On Thanksgiving Day, many Americans will gather around the dinner table, and while eating that delicious homemade meal, will catch up on each other’s lives, relive family memories, and share the many reasons they are thankful for their blessings this year.

When the last bite of pumpkin pie is eaten, many of these people who were pleasantly enjoying a family meal just minutes before, will gather their bags and wallets, and leave their family at home to take advantage of the season’s biggest holiday bargains and join the madness that is: Black Friday.

 Traditionally, Black Friday was meant for stores operating at a loss for the entire year to earn a profit (“or go into the black”) on the day after Thanksgiving, because holiday shoppers spent so much money on discounted merchandise. Today, however we are consuming at a record speed and retailers can report going “into the black” many times throughout the year. In fact, several big retailers are resisting the Black Friday movement giving their employees time off with their family, indicating that they are financially able enough to skip the Black Friday sales.

So, instead of consuming more stuff that YOU DO NOT NEED, here are some things to do on Black Friday instead of going shopping.

  • Sleep in and enjoy an extra cup of coffee in your pjs
  • Visit the library
  • Read a book
  • Go to the gym
  • Go for a walk
  • Go for a run
  • Watch a movie
  • Meditate
  • Plan a vacation
  • Do a puzzle
  • Call or write a letter to that long lost friend
  • Listen to music
  • Make a list of things you are grateful for
  • Get a massage
  • Volunteer your time at a place in need
  • Download all those pictures from your phone
  • Make that photo album you haven’t had the time for
  • Try a new recipe with those turkey leftovers
  • Go to a museum
  • Send a package or write a letter to a soldier overseas
  • Play board games
  • Bake cookies

And finally, if you just can’t resist the need to purchase, after saving your pennies on Black Friday, you can make a plan to spend them on Small Business Saturday instead. Many local retailers are offering great discounts and specials, and that money goes back into our community.

This year, enjoy the Friday off that many of us receive instead of drowning in consumerism.

I know I will be!

Elisabeth Reed teaches fashion merchandising classes at Illinois State University. She grew up in Bloomington Normal, graduating from Normal Community High School in 1996. After receiving an undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s in fashion design from the Savannah College of Art & Design, she realized that there was no place quite like home and returned to Bloomington in 2008. Elisabeth lives with her husband, Matt and their two wild little boys in historic Founder’s Grove.

The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media Inc.

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