Let’s talk about the annual consumer apocalypse known as Black Friday.
It’s where rational thinking goes to die. Your wallet gets mugged by marketing ninjas.
Americans have spent over $10 billion on stuff this year,
$10 billion could solve world thirst or hunger, reforest huge swaths of land, build a brand new city, buy a professional sports team…
Of course, the $10 billion is a collective spending number, not any one person.
Still, $10 billion is enough to fundamentally change global systems. It allows for ludicrous personal luxury at the same time. It’s basically world-changing potential meets absolute personal freedom.
The Brutal Truth About Buying Stuff
Here’s a mind-blowing concept:
Just because something is on sale doesn’t mean you need it.
Shocking, right?
The Want vs. Need Battlefield
Most people confuse wants with needs like they’re playing some twisted psychological game of dress-up.
That 75-inch TV? Not a need. Especially when your 50-inch smart TV is getting the job done.
That replacement blender after yours died a spectacular kitchen death after blending up thousands of delicious smoothies? Okay that’s a need.
The Budget Battlefield
Your money is a finite resource.
Treat it like the precious, limited commodity it is.
Imagine your budget is a war chest. Every unnecessary buy is a surrender to the consumerism industrial complex.
What if you viewed every dollar as a financial freedom soldier? You’re the commander and you get to send your troops wherever you want, where would you send them?
Action Items for Financial Badasses
- The 48-Hour Purchase Pause
- See something on “sale”
- Wait 48 hours
- If you still want/need it after two days, consider buying
- Spoiler: Most “must-have” items mysteriously lose their magic
- The Necessity Inventory Before Black Friday, do a brutal audit:
- List actual needs
- Rank them by priority
- Set a hard budget with zero wiggle room
- The Temptation Shield Black Friday survival kit:
- Unsubscribe from marketing emails
- Delete shopping apps
- Block sale websites
- Treat your financial willpower like a sacred resource. Stay busy during the holidays by working or spending time on experiences.
- The Value Calculation For every potential purchase, calculate:
- Cost per use
- Long-term value
- Replacement cost
- Actual utility to your life
The Uncomfortable Financial Truth
Sales are not savings. They’re sophisticated psychological traps designed to make you feel like you’re winning while actually losing.
It’s like a con artist is selling you a “discount” parachute (filled with holes). You’re so excited about the price. You don’t realize you’re about to fall straight through to financial disaster. You’re applauding the “great deal” the entire way down. You think you’re walking away with a jackpot, but you’ve actually just been expertly pickpocketed while feeling good about it.
How the fuck does that work?
If someone really pickpocketed you and you knew about it? I’m sure there would be hell to pay.
Your Money, Your Rules
Black Friday is a game.
The best part is that you get to decide whether you play or get played.
Want isn’t a need.
Just like a sale isn’t saving.
Your financial peace is worth more than any “deal.”
Stay strong. Stay smart. Keep your wallet closed.
Joe DiAndrea 