Want a savings tip for Black Friday? Don't shop

As Thanksgiving and the frenzied countdown til Christmas approaches, here’s a radical thought: I’d like to institute a Noblesville Buy Nothing Day.

Instead of falling prey to the Black Friday ads, grabbing credit cards and heading out in the middle of the night to wait in insanely long lines to score some crazy deals and spend too much money, how about doing the opposite, which is to reject consumerism and vow to not get sucked in to the commercial hype? All of that is ultimately empty anyway.

Buy Nothing Day, which is celebrated internationally, was first organized in Vancouver in September of 1992 as a way to reflect on over-consumption. Five years later, it was moved to the day after the American Thanksgiving, one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Admittedly, it’s pretty easy for me to avoid the Black Friday feeding frenzy, because a.) I am cheap and don’t like to spend a lot of money at one time b.) I don’t like to shop c.) I don’t like to waste my time in lines d.) I don’t like crowds, especially shopping crowds and most especially holiday shopping crowds and e.) I try to reject over-consumption every other day of the year anyway.

Plus, all of that plastic bag consumption makes me crazy!

I would much rather stay home and be with my family, or visit friends and neighbors, or do something otherwise meaningful. (I’m sure I’ll be working in a little post-thanksgiving running and hooping in there too.)

Now, I’m willing to bend a little bit on the Buy Nothing Day concept, because I would be willing to venture to the downtown square or elsewhere in town  in order to shop the local businesses.  I will always choose to shop the independents before the chains if I can.