In my family, Black Friday is a grand tradition.

Every Thanksgiving, precisely between dessert and second dinner (you know …), my dad’s family sits around the living room coffee table, which is overflowing with newspaper ads, and we scour through all the Black Friday deals, making our lists and checking them twice. Then, on Friday morning, we wake up early early and go out in small groups, hitting our most necessary stops first. After our first round of shopping, we all meet up for breakfast, showing off our finds and plotting where we go next.

It’s a blast. And not because of the shopping. It’s so much fun being with family, and over the years this tradition has developed into one of my favorites. There are years that I don’t even need to go shopping on Black Friday, but we get out anyway and drive around with hot chocolate and gawk at all the long lines. There’s something about planning and teaming up with family that I just cannot miss out on 😉

In recent years, I really have taken full advantage of Black Friday and have scored some pretty amazing deals. Now, we absolute do not go out on Thanksgiving evening, and certainly not Thanksgiving morning (I’m looking at you, Kmart), so this changes the game a little bit. But I find that there are still prevalent amounts of items to choose from on Friday morning.

A big problem with Black Friday? You can easily get caught up in the deals that you end up buying a bunch of crap that you don’t need or even intended to purchase in the first place. Oh, that’s never happened to you? Maybe it’s just me …

To avoid this trap, I’ve developed a system that has worked well for me. So I thought I would share it here for any other Black Friday fans out there! And of course, this could work just the same for Cyber Monday!

First, I make my big list.

I begin by making my entire Christmas list. This has saved me so much time and stress because I know exactly what I’m getting for each person I gift. It’s been like a miracle. I get my shopping done faster and on a better budget since I’m not buying anything and everything in a scramble at the end.

I break my Christmas list down into sections based on who I’m buying for. Obviously, I get certain people (Dave and George) more gifts than others, so they may end up taking up a few sections. I include which gift that person would like, who that gift is from (since I’ll often pick up gifts for the boys that will end up being from grandparents, etc.), how much I’m budgeting for that item, and what the actual cost ends up being. I also include a section that can be checked if I plan for that gift to be a stocking stuffer (marked: SS). Call me hyper-organized but that one column has been super helpful.

*these lists aren’t real, so don’t get excited, family 😉

You can download this Christmas list and print it off for your own use!

Second, I browse the ads with my list as a guide.

In order to avoid getting caught up in all the pretty and shiny things for sale on Black Friday, I sit down to the ads with my Christmas list in hand. Rarely do I stray from that list. If it’s in the ad but not on the list, I hardly ever add it to my Black Friday list. I make occasional exceptions for gifts that I didn’t think of that I truly believe would be enjoyed by someone on my list. There are also times where I will do the bulk of my clothing shopping for myself on Black Friday. For that instance, I set a budget and remain in those boundaries.

Third, I make my specific Black Friday list.

As I’m looking through the Black Friday ads, if I find something on sale that is also on my Christmas shopping list, I will add it to my Black Friday shopping list. I include the name of the store/vendor, the specific item, who the item is for, how much it costs, and I leave a column to check that item off once I have it. This helps me to 1) not forget which items I was intending to get from which stores (because the amount of ads can make my head spin!), and 2) keep track of my budget and whether or not I actually have that item in possession.

You can download my Black Friday Shopping list and print it off for your own use!

Finally, I stick to the list!

I really try my best not to stray from my Black Friday shopping list. Also, I don’t let myself get attached to a deal because, if it’s gone by the time I get there, it’s gone, and I’m not going to sweat it. Black Friday should be fun, lighthearted, and enjoyable, not stressful and over-competitive (ahem).

An important note: don’t forget to support your local small businesses on Black Friday, and small businesses in general, including online!

Now you tell me, friends, do you shop on Black Friday or protest? Do you have any tricks of the trade to help us? Do share!