Tips for Unplugging From Black Friday Noise

Black Friday sales can seem amazing because some products can suddenly be bought for a quarter of their retail price. Laptops, TVs, and even the home appliances you’ve been eyeing are often marketed at a fraction of the cost in the days leading up to Black Friday. But are the sales really worth it?

You feel compelled to buy these things because “there might not be another chance,” and you want to “outsmart” the system by getting more bang for your buck. There’s nothing wrong with buying stuff during Black Friday, especially when you don’t normally buy appliances, gadgets, or other things that need replacement in your home. But do you really need those cute, one-off kitchen tools, and do you actually need that extra item in the promoted bundle? Probably not, but temptation is everywhere—you’re not safe at home, either. E-commerce platforms like Amazon also mass-market their sales; for the gamers out there, long-awaited Black Friday Steam sales might be difficult to resist.

I’m not telling you to stop shopping entirely or rid yourself of your desires; I’m asking you to take a step back and evaluate whether you truly want that item or need it or if it’s a manufactured desire that has been planted in your subconscious by marketers and corporations asking you to blow your hard-earned cash on their products. Some of these sellers reprice their items at a higher price the month before and then bring it back down to normal on Black Friday to make it seem like you’re getting a good deal. These are details you need to be privy to if you plan to participate in the Black Friday sales, especially if you’re getting gifts for your friends and loved ones during the holiday period.

The best way to save is to start keeping track of your expenses. Listing how much you’ve already spent that month and planning where to spend your money for the coming month is sobering. Seeing your bills and expenses won’t give you the illusion that there’s more to spend, and even if there is, you’ll be much more cautious with what exactly it is you plan to spend your extra money on. In line with this, make a list of the things you really need and want to buy and be strict with sticking to it. Making an excuse for one item that’s 80% off will lead to a terrible downward spiral you don’t want to get into.

Then there’s also the alternative of muting push notifications for e-commerce platforms, social media, and email lists. Opting out of email lists lessens the temptation to buy something completely unnecessary. If you want to take it a step further, create an email address dedicated to marketing lists so that your personal and work email accounts are protected from getting bombarded by aggressive marketing campaigns.

If none of these things work for you, then you must slay the source of all evil. By that I mean uninstall your online shopping apps. Amazon, Sephora, ASOS, and eBay all have to go if you find it difficult to control your spending impulses. Remove your cards from Apple Pay and other online payment wallets so that buying things becomes inconveniently annoying.

It’s not about the volume of items you’re buying but the quality and the utility you get out of them. Remember, the key to securing the best deal is making sure you never break the bank. It’s not really a “sale” if you end up penniless by the end of the day, and it’s not really a “deal” if the items you’re getting don’t have the best quality and break within weeks of buying them.

This Black Friday, if you want to avoid the temptation, make plans with your family or friends, stay away from the internet and malls, and spend your money as and when you need to, not when businesses tell you to.

(featured image: Eduardo MunozAlvarez/VIEWpress)