11 Keys to Surviving Black Friday with a Young Family!
For those of you that love a good adrenaline rush bright and early in the morning, you know there is no holiday better for you than Black Friday!
The smell of freshly brewed coffee and crisp fall air brings new life to us all on Black Friday morning; no matter how late we stayed up visiting with family and friends the night before.
Black Friday commences the start of a new holiday season and prepares us for all the excitement that December is bound to bring. With Hanukkah beginning on December 6th this year, the winter solstice arriving the 22nd, Christmas happening on the 25th, and Kwanzaa starting on the 26th, December is looking like one non-stop celebration!
In order to enjoy all the festivities of December, it is nice to get most of your shopping done in the last days of November. Black Friday & Cyber Monday offer amazing deals on many of the items that your loved ones have been eying all year.
In order to have the most productive Black Friday ever this year it will be essential that you plan ahead!
At Little Teether we want you to make the most out of your Black Friday this year so we have included nine of greatest Black Friday tips for young families.
1. Stay Hydrated
Early mornings and hours of shopping create a great deal of energy expenditure. We've all heard it before, "Shopping is my cardio!"...
Many times in the rush of getting out the door in the morning of Black Friday, we forget that malls and stores don't always have the most accessible drinking fountains. If you are bringing young children with you, all the excitement of the crowds will make them dehydrate even more quickly than expected. Dehydration makes children and parents more susceptible to irritability, dizziness, infection, nausea, etc. And ain't nobody got time for that on Black Friday!
Here is how to avoid the problem of dehydration...
The easiest way to ensure that you will have enough water and free hands to grab all those great deals this Friday is to bring a Camelback Backpack or any other type of hydration pack for your back or hips.
Fill your hydration pack up the night before while you are cleaning up from the party and throw it in the fridge.
Set an reminder notification on your phone to remind you in the morning to grab the pack. If you don't have a hydration back and you have a new family, I highly suggest purchasing one. Kids love them, but a good old fashion water bottle will work too!
2. Eat a Good Breakfast
When you first wake up in the morning on Friday, you may still feel full from all the wonderful items you consumed the night before. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this feeling of 'fullness' will last with you throughout your shopping day. Leaving the house without eating something or grabbing something for later will leave you hungry and grumpy in no time. Lines at the food court will be ridiculous. And who wants to waste time eating mall food when you could be scoring the last bit of a Black Friday deal?
A good Black Friday breakfast should contain some protein, to sustain your muscle health, a little bit of fat, to keep you feeling full, and some carbohydrates, to keep your brain alert and ready for action.
Make a quiche, eat a bagel with lox, blend a smoothie, throw down a banana, enjoy a glass of orange juice, and sip a cup of coffee! Do whatever it takes to wake your metabolism up and prepare your body for some intense holiday work.
Remember to take your vitamins and/or medication too!
If you just can't seem to stomach anything after over indulging the night before, grab a protein bar and a piece of fruit for later.
Eating a good breakfast will keep you and your family on your shopping A-game this year.
3. Map Out Your Course of Action for Purchasing Items
The most successful Black Friday shoppers know exactly what they want and where they are going to get it. Make a list of the "must haves" this year. Look those items up online to find the retailers that are selling what you want and for the best price. Make a list of all the items you are planning to purchase; write down the prices advertised.
Notate the hours and locations of these retailers. Plan ahead for traffic and start with the store farthest away from home and then work your way closer to home. Call the retailer ahead of time to see if there is any additional information that you should know about the protocols for waiting in line, placing items on layaway, etc.
4. Host a Pre-Black Friday Family Meeting
Kids love the excitement that comes along with Black Friday. Kids seem to love anything that brings a bit of chaos along with it. Black Friday can be overwhelming for everyone, but it can be especially overwhelming for young kids if they aren't prepared for it. If you plan on bringing your kids along with you this Black Friday, it would be good to host a family meeting after the culmination of your Thanksgiving traditions . At the meeting you can discuss all the things you learn from this post!
5. Teach your Kids about the History of Black Friday
Use this holiday to familiarize your kids with what the economy is. Teach them about the stock market, why we shop on Black Friday, who we shop for on Black Friday, etc. the night before at the family meeting to prepare them for the chaos the next day. This is a great link explaining the history of Black Friday in case you don't know the history of the holiday yourself!
http://useconomy.about.com/od/demand/f/Black_Friday_Name.htm
6. Assign Family Members a Black Friday Buddy or to a Black Friday Team
Black Friday comes along with gigantic crowds. It is easy for kids to get lost in crowds but in the case that your child does get lost, they will do better if they are with a buddy or on a team. Make your kids aware of the dangers associated with large crowds and emphasize the importance of staying with their buddy or team. Shopping buddies/teams are also great because they will give you advice on whether or not your purchase is worth while. Make the idea of shopping buddies/teams fun by making t-shirts or doing scavenger hunts.
7. Outline the Morning Plan of Action
Having everyone on the same page about what is expected the next morning will alleviate a lot of stress. Being upfront about expectations with kids will give them a sense of responsibility.
Outline who will be driving and what time is everyone expected to be out the door. Give your kids tips on what to wear the next morning and have them lay out outfits so that there is no hassle in the morning with getting dressed.
8. Give Your Kids a Black Friday Allowance for Gifts
If you choose to bring your kids along with you this Friday, it will be more fun for them if they feel like they can participate. Kids love having money that they can spend on their own. Giving kids a little bit of money to enjoy Black Friday will help them understand commerce and give them a feeling of independence. It is also fun to see what kids buy on their own for others. So that meltdowns can be avoided, it is good to set up an amount of money which will be available to them on Black Friday. If you don't believe that your child is capable of holding the money themselves, give them a notecard with their starting amount. With each purchase they make, notate it on their card so that they begin to learn how money works...and how quickly it goes!
Setting a Black Friday allowance of $20-$200 dollars is reasonable depending on your family's financial situation.
9. Pick a Family Meeting Place and Set a Time to Gather There to Culminate the Day
Familiarize your child with the Guest Services center at the shopping center that you are going to. Let them know that if they are lost they can always ask a security guard to guide them to the guest services center at the mall. If your child does not have a cell phone, give them a card or wristband with your cell phone number on it. Walkie Talkies are also a great tool for connecting families in large crowd settings.
Setting a time to gather at a meeting place will also be beneficial in the case that somebody's phone dies. It also will help to structure the day and help in avoiding over shopping. If you are planning on shopping most of the morning, a good meeting place would be at a restaurant in the area for an early lunch!
Food is the best for bringing people back together and end the shopping day.
10. Don't Leave Out Those Who Would Rather Stay At Home; especially the Men
Shopping is stressful for men to begin with, Black Friday can amplify this, consider making a man care package of candy and goodies so he won't feel left out if he is left at home with the TV, PlayStation 4, and possibly the others in the family that are not fans of big crowds.
To the men reading this; this goes for women who would rather stay home too!
11. Coffee!
Espresso shots, on espresso shots...
We hope that you find everything you have ever wished for this Black Friday.
Happy Shopping!
Little Teether