It is, you know. Black Friday IS a Cyberbully.Not only does Black Friday stress you out as you freak out trying to grab deals – you end up being blackmailed into spending money you never meant to in the first place – money you could have put to better use.
Celebrate White Friday instead of Black Friday. Support International Buy Nothing Day.
“Today, humanity faces a stark choice: save the planet and ditch capitalism, or save capitalism and ditch the planet.” Fawzi Ibrahim
Give Black Friday the Black eye
First, give it a thrashing and rinse it out and turn it into #WhiteFriday. Yes. It is easy. It costs nothing. Literally! You need:
- Mindset
- Attitude
- Willingness
Once you adopt all three, just decide not to buy anything over the weekend, except food and groceries. Yep, you can eat.
Celebrate International Buy Nothing Day – an international day of protest against consumerism celebrated annually just after Thanksgiving.
Here are five great reasons to celebrate International Buy Nothing Day instead of Black Friday.
Held on the last Friday in November, Buy Nothing Day coincides with the start of the Christmas shopping frenzy. This year, Buy Nothing Day lands on November 28, 2014. It is an international, informal annual event dedicated to raising awareness of over-consumption. Participate by not participating!
How to boycott Black Friday
- Get your family together and tidy up your home. De-clutter. “Hey, my home is spotless, and so are the glasses”, you’re thinking, right? Fine. *Stifling my envy* So pick up a box or bag and go around your house. Pick two things from each room to giveaway. You can, you know. If you live in one room, that’s fine, too. Just look around. I did that once. I went around the neighborhood asking people to donate a couple of things, and visited them again half an hour later to pick it all up and carry it over to the local welfare home.
- Donate cash to your favorite charity. I have a list I choose from, besides my annual contributions which I make in January every year.
- Call your friends for a get together. Remind them to wear good walking shoes, because you’re all going to the park for a stroll, a brisk walk or a jog – whichever suits you. Then, come back to your place for refreshments. Years ago, my friends and I used to do this. Meet up in the morning, go for a walk, come back to my place for coffee, a chat and a breakfast of fruit. We enjoyed it so much it became a habit. Where’s the time, you’re asking, I know. If there’s one thing I can say about human beings – it is this: how badly they want something determines the effort they’ll put in to make it happen. We solved our time problem by meeting at 6 am…which meant waking early. It was so worth it.
- Plan a family get together. Just you and your loved ones. Laze around at home. Cook and eat together. Watch movies at home. Talk. Have conversations. Tell each other how much you care.
- Take a mini digital vacation. Switch off your devices. Focus on real life – make time to smell the flowers.
- Talking of flowers, why not plant a tree? Or get a potted plant? Hey you could even start your own kitchen garden.
- Indulge in your hobbies, some DIY. No hobbies? No problem. Have fun trying a recipe. Plan a project. Listen to music. Write a book.
- Look up your calendar for birthdays. Make some greeting cards. You don’t have to be an artist. Address these cards and keep them ready to send out. I know I grew up without the internet until I was 34 – but receiving an actual greeting card is such a novelty these days! Just like sitting across the table with your friend face to face.
The idea is – instead of spending money, you spend time looking after your home, your family, your community, yourself. It could be a day of giving – but hey, we got a whole other day for that on December 2: Giving Tuesday.
12 comments
Hi Vidya! YES…what a great way to describe the madness of Black Friday. I don’t go anywhere near a store on this day and refuse to be bullied into buying cheap crap just because it is sold cheaper than normal? Thank you for putting this all into perspective and reminding us all that “The best things in life aren’t things!” ~Kathy
Kathy @ SMART Living 365.com recently posted…30 Inspiring Movies I Am Grateful For
Indeed, Kathy! I like to add that they’re the things we already have! 😀 Great to see you here!
Vidya Sury recently posted…Gratitude Changes Everything. Announcing Gratitude Circle
That’s another great idea. We already do some of those things – breakfast with family, a morning walk, pottibg plants and if course DIYing. The ‘giving away’ bit needs to be worked upon since I’m a compulsive hoarder.
obsessivemom recently posted…Pigeon mums don’t quite make the cut
Tell me about it, Tulika! Things just seem to pile up at our place, too! The good thing is, over the past few years I’ve begun to give away stuff actively. If we haven’t missed it in three months, no more cozy place for the item inside the house! Still, I have miles to go before I sleep. Hugs! You can do it, if I can do it!
Vidya Sury recently posted…50 Shades Of Grateful #Gratitude
Many of us think it’s unfashionable to enjoy the simple things in life. For example, instead of going for a walk, we go shopping even though we don’t need any of the things we eventually buy. Many people do this not because they want to, but because they don’t want to be considered ‘old-fashioned’.
“We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like.” – Dave Ramsey
Proactive Indian recently posted…Honesty is the best policy
Can you believe I’ve never been out for black Friday, but I’ve heard many stories about it! People go NUTS. Ironic, since Christmas is supposed to be all about “LOVE.”
Love you more than Christmas Gifts, Vidya. xxxx
My Inner Chick recently posted…6 Early Signs of Domestic Abuse
🙂 I know Kim! You should see the shops here when they announce deals! Festival time is absolutely crazy to go shopping! The stores compete with each other to woo customers.
Love you more than shopping, Kim! Hugs!
Vidya Sury recently posted…Kindness. Always Possible!
You’re so right, Vidya. I couldn’t believe the madness going on in our UK stores yesterday (well, I saw on tv and heard friends talking about it). The other thing was the pressure on you to discount your own books so people could buy them. Well, hello, they’re not exactly competing with white goods and bikes, are they?
There was an interesting discussion on Breakfast TV this morning with a psychologist and a retail analyst involved. The psychologist was talking about the emotional rush of feeling you’d got a bargain (and beaten the system!). Well, I think the emotional rush people would get from your ideas are much better. I must prepare for next year now. Can I steal most of your post, please?
Jemima Pett recently posted…Book Review | Halitor the Hero by Rebecca M Douglass
🙂 Of course Jemima!
While I enjoy shopping, I had to compete to get a deal. It sickens me to see people stock up on stuff they are unlikely to want! And the glee, eeeks. The psychologist is probably right about the adrenalin rush. You know, we have these jewelry stores here that announce a one day discount and the crowds that land up – mind-boggling!They are all so grabby – and desperate.
Seriously, it takes a change in attitude to be immune. Hugs! Yes, I hate that people who are not interested bullied into reducing their prices!
Vidya Sury recently posted…Smiling From Year To Year #MicroblogMondays
Here in India I see it happening in the great online shopping festival(GOSF) time.. Frankly I refrain from buying any of those..
simple girl recently posted…Stopping myself from further being a lazy bone and writing a post…
Oh my goodness-I am behind-look what life does…ok…I love it and wish more people would stop shopping and stop from getting trapped into the mindless buying especially in the States with Black Friday. people have actually trampled others to death for what? stuff! I just did my regular grocery shopping as Canada already celebrated Thanksgiving (funny give thanks for what you have and family & the next day trample them to death to get something you don;t really need)
Birgit recently posted…IWSG-Sunday was the first of Advent
I know, right? I love how you put it! Giving thanks for what you have and then trampling them to death 😀 And then everyone is running around to find out how to clear clutter!
Hugs, Birgit!
Vidya Sury recently posted…Giving Tuesday. A Day Tue Give