Bashing Black Friday

     I have to admit, I have already done some online peeking at the Black Friday sales.  I spend a significant part of Thanksgiving Day perusing the flyers, making a list, checking it twice, and planning the itinerary as if we were exploring space instead of parking spaces. Stories of Black Friday shoppers fighting and trampling their way to the holy holiday have given Black Friday sales a well deserved black eye. They are considered by some to be the epitome of ugly American greed. But greed is not what motivates me to leave my cozy bed at 5 a.m. on what is, for me, a work day, so that I can buy my family more extravagant gifts that I could ordinarily afford, it is love.
     Love--and thrift.  In the SILK (Single Income Lotsa Kids) days of my childhood, we lived on the cheap side of the thrift tracks. After graduation, I headed off to Bible college with faith, a student loan, and very little income. As a newlywed, I helped put a broke husband through aircraft fixing school (a modest investment on which I have lived for 33 years).  Then I was the overworked, underemployed mom of three children who were able attend Christian school on Reed's modest income.  I worked part time through some of those years, but my main contribution to the family finances was saving, not earning, money.  Our kids are grown and my husband is established in his profession so we have a more comfortable lifestyle, but I have not retired from my lifestyle as cheap financial officer. I consider thrift wise stewardship of the income God has given us.
     Greed is wanting, and buying, more than you need or can afford. Black Friday sales allow us to buy gifts that our loved ones want or need and still stay within our Christmas budget. My shopping-impaired husband even goes with me, after all, he is used to getting up to hunt in the wee hours of the morning. Finding these bargains was especially important as our children launched from home and needed--OUR stuff.  On one hand, I love getting a good deal, on the other hand, I love sleeping in, on the third hand, I love my children more, but on the second third hand, not enough to shop the dreaded discount stores like Walmart.  We mostly shop at hardware stores, and the hammer holding horde is neither as numerous nor bargain blood thirsty as the Walmart warriors.
     The last thing I want to do is recruit more shoppers to the sales, by all means stay home. Feel free to bash Black Friday consumerism, but don't look down on us stalwart stewards of our discount daily bread, we haven't had our beauty sleep.