Top 10 Ways To Save and Go Green on Black Friday

If you decide to fight the crowds to save a little money on Black Friday this year, follow these tips to make this years shopping trip a little more green.

1. Shop Online at Home

The popular belief on Black Friday is that you have to sit in line for hours to get the cheapest laptops and high-def TVs. This could not be further from the truth. Many of those hard to find items can be found online prior to being released in stores. Last year, I was able to buy a TV online the night before. It was one of the better deals available and I was able to sit comfortably at home out of the cold. You can either have the items shipped to you or elect to pick up the items in store and going later. You can then go pick up the items at a time when you need to go shopping and save making a separate trip. Online only retailers like Amazon have tons of good deals and don’t require you to make a trip to the stores. The only problem with this is that the specials go fast online and are usually published on weird hours. It’s still better than waiting in the freezing cold for hours and fighting huge crowds of people.

2. Go Prepared

One thing I have seen when I have gone out on Black Friday is people shopping for stuff that is not on sale or is not necessarily a good deal. Make sure to always go prepared by researching on sites like Gotta Deal. Not only will it save you tons of money by not buying unnecessary things you don’t need, but it will also save on gas. You know exactly what stores you need to go and the items you want to buy. This can save you tons of money, gas and time. Also remember that the markdowns retailers have may not always be cheaper than any ordinary day. Just because they have a flashy sign doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a special that day.

3. Dress Warm

In warmer areas you may not have this problem, but here in Maryland it tends to always be one of the coldest nights of the year on Black Friday. Make sure to always wear more as you can always take clothing off and simply carry them in the stores. You don’t want to be stuck out in cold weather with not enough clothes as you may not be able to even make it until the store clothes. Depending on your area, dress as if you are going skiing. Wear thermal underwear and layer clothes on to ensure that you stay warm the entire night and not just for the first hour.

4. Don’t Leave Your Car Idle

This goes back to the Dress Warm item where it tends to be pretty cold on Thanksgiving evening and night. If lucky enough to have friends, most people decide to go back to the car to warm themselves up to get out of the cold. It’s tempting, but this is a complete waste of gas and spits out tons of CO2 emissions. Make sure to dress warm as I describe above. Also, you can try to bring warm beverages or hand warmers.

5. Carpool to Store

If you do decide to drive to retail stores, try to carpool with other people instead of driving by yourself. I found myself doing this regardless of whether I was aware of it or not. When I have gone out in the past, I have gone with friends and would only take one car. This will not only reduce the amount of gas used, but it will also reduce some of the congestion in the parking lots and on the road.

6. Shop Locally

Try to choose stores that are close to your home. This can be hard sometimes as only certain stores have the specials you want. Before making a huge trip to the store that has that discounted item, decide whether it is worth it in the price of gas and time. You may find that you could have purchased the item at a closer store or online for only slightly more. Also, Try to choose you stores that are close to one another to prevent wasting additional gas. Once again, this may not always be possible, but think about the waste of time and gas if you make an extensive trip just to save a few bucks.

7. Bring Reusable Bags

The waste of so many plastic bags is such a huge problem on Black Friday. Most people tend to go to many stores and therefore get a bag for each store they shop at. This year, try putting all your purchased items into reusable bags. Not only will it be saving tons of plastic bags, but it will consolidate all of your items for easier carrying.

8. Recycle Waste

After the initial crowd of people waiting in line to get into the store, I always find that there is tons of garbage all over the place. Usually it is paper cups from coffee that could have been recycled or at the very least thrown out. Be sure to throw away any trash you have left over from the night and if possible, recycle it. It may be hard to find a recycling bin in the store you are shopping, so try holding on to it and taking it home to recycle.

9. Buy Green Products

There are various green products on sale from online or retail stores. I found a good article that gives a huge list of deals for online green stores at Happy Hippie. I never realized how many deals were available from green stores. These deals also allow you to shop online instead of in store. You can also try to find energy efficient products that have the Energy Star Seal, buy products with less packaging or even buy CFL light bulbs.

10. Buy Nothing

There is a campaign that has become fairly popular called Buy Nothing Day. It’s as simple as the title says and could save you tons of money by not buying anything on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. If you really don’t need anything in particular, try it this year and see how it works out. It is hard for most to leave stores without buying something simply because there were just too many “good” of a deal. If you do go out shopping, try not buying those extra things that you don’t need and will end up collecting dust.

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