In recent years, my sister and I have gone Black Friday shopping every year we have been able to. We have a blast! Last year, she was super pregnant and having to get up in the night to pee, and my air mattress had gone flat on her living room floor, so I was up anyway, so we ventured out even earlier than we had originally planned. Lucky us! As my sister says, and I quote,

It’s literally the only time in life when a mom can go shopping for like five hours straight without her kids or being harassed by her husband. Bliss.

I concur.

But I totally understand why some people have a negative view of it. We’ve all seen it on TV… people trampling people for a TV or a Furby or whatever. It’s depressing.

But that’s just not what I’ve seen around here in the great state of Iowa. I’ve honestly seen happy people having a good time and being cheerful in the spirit of the season.

I definitely don’t think spending money and the spirit of the season have to go hand-in-hand. And while we could go on and on about the horrors of commercialism, I won’t. All I know is, it can be a good time to join in the fun for a few deals!

The last few years I’ve been in Iowa City for Black Friday, but I’ve also had the pleasure of shopping it up in Des Moines. And this year is once again a Des Moines year, as we’ll be hosting Thanksgiving in the Clark household. Whoop whoop!

This brings me to my advice for all you shopping mamas, braving the elements (possibly) for a little fun this year.

Here are six things you should do if you Black Friday shop this year:

1. Make your own homemade coupon book!

Cut out the best deals from the Thanksgiving paper and exercise your pasting and construction paper skills! We do this every year and rate where we want to go based on what we want to get most/first. It’s a lot of fun and also ridiculous—which is the point (I think) of Black Friday.

See how bad/awesome this is? This is just the beginning of what we’re working on for this year. You could do so much better!

Some of our favorite mom deals to watch for are:

• Target: $5 kids pajama sets (cutely tied with a bow), $5 movies, and sweet toy deals
• Menards (wealth of awesome things you never knew you wanted for your husband or men in your life): One year, I got a shop vac for super cheap, another year an extendable ladder and free paint with rebate. Who doesn’t love a good rebate? However, Menards is just the best store ever anyway. This year, even before Black Friday, it’s where we got a stocking that is bigger than I am to send to my dad in Florida. (He loves to decorate for Christmas). Hehehehe….
• Walmart: bedding sets, kitchen stuff, and things for the home. Walmart seems to have a lot of surprise deals.

2. Shop local, too.

Family-owned or locally-owned businesses ROCK. And they have deals, too. What is better than keeping it local?

3. Go with someone you love.

It’s supposed to be fun. No one likes to get up early with someone she doesn’t love.

4. Don’t get crazy or run over anyone.

That’s rude. It’s just stuff.

5. Stop and get food.

Chick-fil-A sells breakfast on this wonderful shopping day, and however strange it may seem to eat chicken in the middle of the night/early morning, we’ve always enjoyed it with a little Simply Orange juice (um… that’s top of the line, folks) and some Chick-fil-A tator tots.

6. Be awesome.

Last year, we saw two ladies in their 50s maybe, definitely sisters, with reindeer antlers on their heads walking through the mall. My sister and I looked at each other and mouthed simultaneously, “NEXT YEAR.”

This is Lenora, my niece. She is showing us what we might look like this year on Black Friday. Only she is way cuter.

If you don’t do any of the above, just have fun and enjoy some family time!

What are your tips for Black Friday shopping?