When will the "buying season" start next year?

While celebrating thanksgiving with friends and neighbors - we laughed at the ads which had arrived that morning in and with our local newspaper. Many stores were opening at 4 AM on Friday and a few at midnight. None of us could think of a single item we needed enough to go out and stand in a line to get into a store in the middle of the night!

The evening news started with footage of people camping in tents to be first in line. I figured if that was the most important local news of the day - I'd rather not watch - and so I turned off the TV.

With the greedy corporate money grabbers after everyone, I wonder how far back the buying season will go? We already have the "holiday" paraphernalia out in late August but I fear the corporate buy-buy-buy season will also get re-set to pre-Labor Day - or earlier. Why not? This year some buyers were cautious as the price of gas and home heating went high and so spent less money after Thanksgiving - which itself cost more this year. So if the pre-xmas sales start while it's still warm out and before we have to pay to heat our homes - maybe we'll spend our way into bankruptcy months earlier.

And those who get on the stupidity train of the "war on xmas" can spend more months arguing that point! Ah - life in the USA! And all during this many "pine" nostalgically for the good old days - yet forget that in those good old days - people actually spend time with family and friends - not in tents on lines waiting for stores to open!

Black Friday or start of Black Month?

I know "they" call it Black Friday because supposedly it's when those corporations get out of the red ink into the black. But I call it the start of Black Month as it's gloomy and dreadful being on the road from now til Xmas and all for the support of stores that otherwise do not like you. They only want your money and the credit card companies want you to go into debt - deep debt- between now and December 24th....

Me? Unless absolutely necessary, like food for me or my pets - I try very hard to avoid stores from now til early January....but I hate shipping to begin with...and do as much as possible online from places like REI and Amazon...where I can find what I need or want at a discounted price....

As my son always reminds me, I am not like everyone else - so if you are out there and enjoying the mob scenes and sales - that's great! Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy - but do not go overboard into debt : - )