Today is the biggest sale day of the year in the U.S and officially determines the beginning of Christmas shopping season (so excited).  Why is today called Black Friday?  It is said that it indicates the period during which retailers are turning a profit, or “in the black.”

Stores have opened at the crack of dawn for customers eager to buy anything to everything as early as 4 a.m.  Today’s the day to get up, put on your shopping shoes, and run for those department stores.  Stores that I would run to are Saks Fifth Avenue (sales up to 70%), Nordstrom (sales up to 50% off), Bergdorf Goodman (sales up to 40% off), Lord&Taylor (sales up to 15% off), Bloomingdales (sales up to 40% off), and of course Macy’s whose sales vary depending on the item and is known to be a complete zoo on this day – maybe it’s better to do that shopping online.

The key to having a successful shopping day on Black Friday is to not go too crazy.  You don’t want to over spend, so I would plan a budget of how much you’re going to spend on what and where.  There are 25 days of the Christmas shopping season, so don’t go wild on one day because there are plenty more.

Now’s the time to not only shop for your friends and family, but for yourself too.  You’ll be able to find misc. pieces of clothing, shoes, accessories, and more that you wouldn’t buy regular priced but are now marked down to one more reasonable.

Happy shopping!