Tips for Surviving Black Friday in Seven Simple Steps

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the best and worst day to go shopping. It's the best because we have Friday off and a ton of Christmas shopping to do. It's the worst because everyone else has the same idea. So here's how to survive Black Friday in seven simple steps.

Step one: Plan your route. By going online, you can find copies of the Black Friday ads ahead of time. This will tip you off to which stores are open early and which have incredible deals. Take care of the "early bird" sales first. Then, make sure you pick up any "hot items" that could get sold out.

Step two: Make a shopping list. This sounds obvious, but many people run around on Black Friday wondering what to buy for whom. Your experience will be easier and cheaper if you write a list that includes what you want to buy and how much you want to spend. My wife actually buys her Christmas gifts throughout the year. Before Black Friday, she makes a list of what gifts she already has. Then, she has only a short list of people to buy for on Black Friday. Her plan has made Christmas shopping much less stressful.

Step three: Leave the kids at home. Your Black Friday experience will go more smoothly if you find someone to watch the kids. Trust me, your children do not want to spend a day off school on a 10-hour shopping binge. Ignore this advice at your own risk. The kids who are crying and exhausted at noon may be your own. If you have to bring your kids, start making a list of games, songs and other diversions when they are in the car or in a long line.

Step four: Buddy Up. You can hit twice as many stores if you tackle Black Friday with a buddy. If you plan ahead, you can buy your gifts along with your friends at one store, while your friend reciprocates for you at a different store. Bring your cell phones to talk about last-minute additions or newly discovered deals. That way, if one of you is stuck in a 45-minute line at Best Buy, the other can be filling two carts at Target.

Step five: Pack a cooler with lunch, drinks and easy snacks. It makes no sense to shop for Black Friday bargains if you're going to shell out 30 bucks for lunch. Pack some sandwiches, fruit, snacks and drinks in a cooler. Then at noon, you can take a deep breath, eat a healthy lunch while in line and hit the stores again.

Step six: Travel light. You are going to be carrying several shopping bags on Black Friday, so you don't want to be lugging coats and purses around. Leave your coat at home and dress in layers. Take a layer on or off in the car as needed. You can even sleep in your sweats and just take off in the morning if you're going before the stores open. Instead of a purse, use a fanny pack. That way, you will have both hands free to carry shopping bags.

Step seven: Prepare for the craziness of other people. Remember, you will run into people who are rude, short-tempered and inconsiderate. The shoppers might bother you, too. Go into Black Friday with a positive attitude and get ready to roll with the punches. The craziness might extend to the parking lot as well. One year, a car blew a stop sign and smashed into the back of our van. I guess she was in a hurry at 6 a.m. Even a setback like that doesn't have to stop you from having a productive - and even enjoyable - Black Friday.

Enjoy your Black Friday with these seven simple steps. If you enjoyed this article and would like to write your own please click here.