Lynda Moore has Black Friday stories. She wants to hear yours

After talking about needs and wants last week, the Black Friday sales were a great way for you to test out what you had learned and think about how you meet your needs.

How did you go? Did you manage to do the research and only purchase what you planned to, or did it get all too much and you found yourself saying yes, more frequently than no. Or were you able to switch off completely and avoid it altogether?

There was certainly lots of advice about checking prices, making sure they weren’t being inflated and then discounted.  Tips on how to keep a check on how much you spent so you didn’t’ go overboard. How not to succumb to the scarcity messages if you didn’t hit buy now button straight away. It’s all very good advice, and great in theory, but the reality is, when it is in your face so much, it can be hard to switch off from all the hype and leave logic at the door and let your emotions take over.

I’m pretty good at keeping my inbox clear of sales emails as I’m rather fond of the unsubscribe button, so not much was getting through to my inbox during the week. But… I also like to listen to the radio when I’m working and on Friday it was constant, Black Friday this, Black Friday sale there.  By the end of the day, it was all a bit of a blur.  But I still resisted purchasing anything online.

I had been doing a bit of research for a week or so for a hands-free lead for Jett.  I had looked at prices, brands, reviews.  I was taking my own advice and researching rather than being impulsive.  After talking to a couple of friends who were doing the same research, we all decided on a particular brand and style.  We knew what the pre–Black Friday price was, and we patiently waited for the sales to begin, thinking we could grab a bargain.

I checked a couple of times on Friday.  No discount.  What, surely not, the one thing I wanted (and decided that Jett needed), wasn’t on sale, how unfair.  I know, I’ll wait until Saturday, maybe then it will be on sale. Nothing, it’s still full price.

What am I going to do?  Buy it of course.  It was something I was already intending to purchase.  A Black Friday sale would have been a bonus.  The research had been done; this was the product that I wanted.  There were other options that were on sale but based on my research they weren’t the right fit, so I wasn’t tempted to save $40 just for the sake of the ‘sale’. 

I felt rather proud of myself, as a spender money personality, Black Friday, and the boxing day sales, were something I used to find very hard to resist.  That word SALE dragged me into the shops to spend money on things I didn’t really need, and often didn’t have the money to pay for.

While I am busy patting myself on the back for a good decision. Mum is having a great time with the sales, but again it was very considered spending.  She had been given a gift voucher and decided that Black Friday would be a good time to use it.  She was right, she bought exactly what she wanted (50% off) and had money left over for a few other bits and pieces that were nice to haves.

Overall, our Black Friday experience was a positive one.  Judging by the number of times I have seen the courier’s delivering packages to our neighbours, it looks like they had fun too!

The topic of Thanksgiving came up while I was out with friends, as among us was someone from the States and they were missing the family get together. We all agreed what a great tradition, families getting together to share a meal together and give thanks for what you have.  There’re no gifts, just families connecting (and sometimes arguing too, it is family after all).  But the next day, at the sales, it’s a free for all.  Grannies having fisty cuffs in the store over a toy for their grandchild.  Queuing up for hours to get a cheap TV.  Quite a contrast from the night before. Why do we do this we wondered?

I know the answer.  Money is emotional, it’s as simple as that, there is so much going on in our minds when it comes to money, we very easily slip from being logical and rational to being emotional. 

Understanding your triggers and what is going on in your own head about money, can turn all your experiences into different, and hopefully, more pleasant ones.

In the comments below, I’d love to hear your Black Friday stories.

*Lynda Moore is a Money Mentalist coach and New Zealand’s only certified New Money Story® mentor. Lynda helps you understand why you do the things you do with your money, when we all know we should spend less than we earn. You can contact her here.