Rory and Sarah vs. Black Friday

Five years ago, my friend begged me to go shopping with her on Black Friday, a day I had avoided like the plague. The savings intrigued me, but I was not about to get elbowed in the ribs for a $10 discount. No, thank you. Plus, the stores opened at 4am that year, which is only two hours after my weekend bedtime and just try waking me up at 3am. It's more dangerous than Black Friday. Ugh.

She talked me into it. Rory was working all weekend and, like I mentioned before, Black Friday intrigued me. I literally stayed up all night and then off we went. Our first stop was Walmart where I wanted to get a camera for my brother and she wanted to get a TV for her mom and Tomtom for her step-dad. We split up. The camera was super easy to get and I went over to the Tomtom's for her next. Can you believe a guy shoved me? Or atleast he tried. I stood firm and he got an elbow to his gut and backed off real quickly. It was an adrenaline rush and I have been hooked on Black Friday ever since.

That's my only Black Friday incident. I have since created two hard-fast rules.

1. No standing in line for more than 45 minutes.
2. I absolutely refuse to fight someone over a material possession. They can have it. 

This year, the sales start on Thanksgiving which I find to be ridiculous. You know there will be people that completely miss Thanksgiving with their family in order to be first person in the door at Target. Then there is me that will wander in an hour after it opened and get almost all the same deals. 

Our Thanksgiving plans look like this:

• 9am - Wake up and immediately turn on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. 
• 10am - Start cooking. This year we are going with a completely Paleo Thanksgiving meal (because of that whole trying to lose weight thing that you can read about here.). Emeals.com is giving away a free menu complete with shopping list. I was stressing over what to make besides Turkey and they solved my problem. 
• 1pm - Eat with the family. Actually it will just be me, Rory, and my mom because that's all the family that lives in our area. 
• 2pm - NAP TIME while Mom watches football.
• 4pm - Hit the stores and drag the family along with me. My mom had never been to "Black Friday" sales until last year. 
• Midnight - Come home, crash, and sleep all day on Friday. Yay!

Sounds like the perfect day to me, although I know many people who would protest.

Since Rory and I are moving into an RV next year and our living space will go from 1400 sq ft. to probably 200 sq ft., we are being careful about what and how much we buy. We probably need a new TV (our current one only turns on when it wants to). So our Black Friday focus this year will be on gifts for others and items we need/want for the road. Additionally, photography items are on the list because I am a photographer and want my photos to be stunning for you all to enjoy. Here is our wishlist:

1. Fitbit Charge Wireless Activity Wristband - Numbers, stats, data, analyzing... yes, yes, yes! Sorry, geeking out over here. Why have I waited so long to have this in my life? This version even displays Caller ID. The one I am most excited about comes out in early 2015 and has a heartrate monitor.
2. BOOM Swimmer Waterproof Wireless Bluetooth Speaker - Honesty moment: I sing in the shower, so this is perfect for me. Plus, it will be great for our adventures in hiking, canoeing, etc.
3. Eagles Next Outfitters Double Nest Hammock - Rory has always wanted a hammock and this one is can be rolled up into a nice little sack. 
4. Slim-Fold Director's Chair with side table - Perfect for sitting outside on a nice day.
5. Sun Dolphin Canoe, 15.6 feet - There is some debate on whether or not to get a canoe. Rory really wants to buy one and store it on top of the motorhome. I vote that it's too much of a hassle and we rent one when we get to our destination. Regardless, this one is only 97 lbs and would be great for us. (How do you weigh in?)
6. Wildgame Innovations Blade 6 LightsOut Game Camera - Rory loves wildlife and animals. He wants to capture pictures of all the wildlife sneaking up on us at night. 
7. GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Camper Cookware Set - Cooking outside excites Rory plus it's a good way to keep the heat of cooking out of the motorhome. Heck, I'll buy whatever gets him to cook more (not because he doesn't cook, but because he's a great one).
8. Eyefi 16GB Pro X2 SDHC Class 10 Wireless Memory Card - This card will allow me share my beautiful DSLR photos with you on Instagram immediately. No waiting until I get home, transferring photos to my computer and then putting them on my cloud in order to have them on my phone. No #latergram needed! 
9. Bokeh Masters Kit - I want to turn pretty lights into hearts and stars and maybe even little motorhomes!
10. Joby UltraFit Sling Strap for Women (there's one for men, too.) - This strap is probably my ultimate want. My current strap rubs on my neck and my "girls" get in the way. A strap for women? Yes, please!
11. "I've Been Known to Flash People" T-Shirt - Just because I like it.
12. Joby GP3 GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Flexible Tripod - Expect lots of pictures of Rory and me. This tripod is going to allow me to be able to step out from behind the camera and trust that my camera is safe. It's stable on uneven surfaces and can even wrap around poles.

Wish us luck finding great deals! What's on your wish list?

*This post contains links to Amazon in case you don't want to face the Black Friday crowds. These are affiliate links so you will be paying the same amount but we will get a small commission. Thank you for your support!