Green Post: Black Friday Shopping Tips
Written by Sara on November 23, 2009 – 9:11 am -
Good Monday morning, readers! I hope you all had a blissful weekend – I spent the last few days with J, with friends, and with Jim and Pam of The Office…needless to say, I pretty much checked out over the weekend and didn’t do any wedding planning at all! It was very relaxing.
A note about blog posts this week: in addition to the post below, I will put up a post tomorrow (Tuesday), but that’s it – I’m taking a long weekend to enjoy time with family and celebrate what we have to be thankful for this year. I encourage you to do the same!
The Thanksgiving holiday promises yet another exciting day – Black Friday. Two years ago, J and I got up early on Black Friday just to see what we could find, and he purchased our kitchen table (a black pub-style table; very fun!) and I scored a killer pair of black boots on clearance. But this year, J and I have more ambitious plans. A few months ago, J and I decided that we are going to try to purchase our wedding bands on Black Friday. We’ve never been on such a specific mission (as I said, two years ago we shopped for the fun of it), but I am eager to scour the ads on Thanksgiving Day and define our plan of attack.
That being said, this year on Black Friday, J and I are going to make a special effort to “green-ify” our shopping. Here’s a few tips for you on how to make your holiday shopping greener:
- Bring along your own shopping bags. J and I both purchased green canvas bags from our local grocery store, and this year, we’re going to put them to good use. By eliminating the amount of plastic you take home from the store, you inevitably reduce the carbon footprint of your own family (fewer plastic bags to throw away) and of your community!
- Bring along water in your own bottle. We all know that shopping can be tiring sometimes, especially when you’re standing in line forever at Best Buy waiting to purchase those seasons of The Office on DVD! Instead of just buying a bottle of water at one of the stores on your list, bring along your own bottle of water. You’re again eliminating waste by not consuming water out of the plastic bottle! Put ice in it to keep it cool, and stick it in your purse.
- Take advantage of Black Friday sales; invest in a water purifier. This point ties into #2, but it’s worth making. By running tap water through a purifier, you’re eliminating the need for bottled water.
- Purchase eco-friendly holiday gifts. This year, I plan to purchase many of my holiday gifts from Etsy, which is literally an online marketplace full of beautiful and creative handmade goods. However, I am also in the process of making a gift for my father’s 8 brothers and sisters (my aunts and uncles) using recycled and/or upcycled materials. If you’re looking for eco-friendly items to give as gifts, you can also check out the Eco-Mall directory.
- Carpool on Black Friday. This is the easiest way to reduce the amount of fossil fuels and pollution in the air, and is also the most fun! Shopping + time with family and relatives is always a recipe for fun.
I hope these tips will be helpful to you – happy shopping!
Photo courtesy of www.consumerreports.org
Tags: Best Buy, Black Friday, Consumer Reports, Eco-Mall, Etsy, green shopping, Jim and Pam, Thanksgiving, The Office, wedding bands
Posted in Eco-Chic, Our Wedding | Comments Off