How I Survived Black Friday in 10 Easy Steps

"30% OFF!!", "50% OFF!!", "70% OFF!!!"

"Black Friday" – it's hard to resist such huge savings on the greatest sales day of the year. But how do you survive the mayhem and chaos that ensues in every store, mall and parking lot across America on this crazy sales day?

I'd like to share with you how I survived Black Friday. It was really quite simple and consisted of 10 easy steps:

1. I "slept in" past 4 am.
2. I enjoyed a home-made breakfast and sipped on fresh-brewed coffee that didn't cost me $3.50.
3. I didn't drive to the mall while half-asleep behind the wheel of my car. I was safely waking up on my couch which cost me $0.00 in gas money and tolls.
4. I battled catching up on my Google Reader and emails rather than battling SUVs for a parking space.
5. Rather than suddenly stopping or swerving for those $%@#! people who abruptly stop in the middle of the mall hallway for no reason, I only had to look left then right when going through a stop sign on the way to my parents house to pick-up leftovers (they insisted we take them)
6. The only line I waited in today was…actually…I didn't wait in any line today!
7. The only person I had to make sure I didn't lose sight of was my dog while walking him (he goes into a full sprint in less than 3 steps when he sees a squirrel-sometimes I lose that game of "tug of war")
8. I found the same, if not better deals online directly from manufacturer and discounter sites (including free shipping).
9. If I wasn't sure about the item I was planning on buying fitting, etc., I had already gone to the store before Black Friday and patiently waited until the big sales to buy it online.
10. I previewed properties and worked with buyers today (which is a dollar producing activity) rather than spending my time, energy and sanity battling the mobs of people at the mall.

Not to worry…these 10 steps are for anyone. All you need is a computer and an internet connection and you're good to go!