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How to Make the Most of Black Friday Sales

There is no better time to take advantage of great deals on your favorite merchandise than the day after Thanksgiving, or Black Friday as it is known to most. Even if you’ve never participated in the annual event, you know exactly what it entails. With Christmas right around the corner, thousands upon thousands rush to their local retail and department stores to fight the cold and the crowd with nothing but a little bit of cash and a lot of hope that the item they hope to purchase isn’t sold out by the time they gain entrance to the store. You know you want to get that great gift for that special someone and you want an awesome deal and maybe save a little bit of extra cash, but rushing into a store without a plan on Black Friday is a dangerous mistake that could land you with nothing but disappointment when the day is over. I’ve got a few tips for you, and I think that they are pretty reliable. I’m an associate with a large retail chain, and I can help you save time by showing you the shortcuts to Black Friday shopping.

Tip 1 Budget

As with every other aspect of your life, you should set aside a certain amount of money that you plan on spending that is separate from what you’ll use to purchase things necessary to live. You don’t need to overdo it, but you do need to remember that Black Friday is usually a day where high-dollar products are promoted, so you’ll need more than a twenty in your wallet when you leave your home.

Tip 2 - Research

The next step to organizing your Black Friday experience is to research the different stores in your area that are participating in the event and take note of what products they will be featuring this year. Not every item in every store is marked down, so it’s important to know what products you’re interested in, and if any store in your area (or one that you’re willing to drive to) will carry that product, or one similar. You can find advertisements in your local newspaper, in your mailbox, online, or in the store itself.

Tip 3 List

You make a list on any ordinary day when it’s time to go shopping for groceries, don’t you? You should! After you get an idea of the different stores around you and the items that they will be featuring in their doorbuster sales, make a list of what you hope to purchase, and make your most important item first. A list is a great tool to keep you on track, and can act as a quick reference to what you’re after should you get lost in the excitement of discount shopping. Note that you should keep items in the same store together as a way of managing your time, and follow the list from top to bottom, unless you feel that you could potentially sacrifice losing one item in order to get another.

Tip 4 Prepare for THE Day

You’ve set some money aside, you have done the research, and you know exactly what it is that you’re going after and where to find it. All that’s left to do is wait for Friday and get in the car and go! Well, almost.

Just getting in the car and going isn’t going to get you to the product that you want in time. You’ll have to make a few sacrifices, such as going to bed early on Thanksgiving and forcing yourself up at a terrible hour in the wee morning. Utilizing all of your tools is necessary, so get that coffee pot ready, and organize yourself a bit.

You should get up, wake up, and make yourself presentable. Take some time to go over your list, and rehearse the morning over and over in your head until you’re confident you know what you are going after. Leave the house in a timely manner, making sure you arrive at your first location before the sales begin.

(Note: At the retail chain that I am employed at, our store will stay open twenty-four hours and will put special policies in place to ensure organization and calm. We anticipate a crowd to gather all through the night, and intensify as early as three in the morning. Consider getting to your first location a couple of hours before the sale.)

Tip 5 Manage Your Day

You’re at the store. You’re in a long line somewhere, whether it is outside the building or at a pallet of merchandise. Stay calm, and keep yourself organized!

Most stores will have some sort of organization to their products. When you arrive and are able to enter the store, ask an associate at the door where the products that you are interested in are located. Chances are they are not next to where they usually are on the shelf due to spacing issues, so please note each location carefully. Also, ask if the associate has a map or list of where the products are. You’ll find this to be very useful.

While walking through the store, remember that the people around you are just as crowded as you are, and just want to get in, get their stuff, and get out. Be courteous to everyone, or you could create intense situations that could lead to crowd instability. That’s never a good thing, especially when people are tired and in a hurry.

Walk from item to item on your list, making no stops. There isn’t much time, and you are sure to lose out on a deal if you stop!

When you have gathered everything, make your way to the checkouts. Exhale, and be happy that you have found such amazing deals!

Last Notes and Closing Comments

It will be a hectic day, and you’re sure to get frustrated at some point or another. Just remember to be courteous. Don’t argue, push in line, steal from another cart, stalk individuals with the hopes that they will not be able to pay for their item, disrespect associates, etc. Remember that everyone is just like you, and wants that amazing deal for the holidays!

Have fun, stay safe, and keep to the plan. Organization is the best way to make the most out of Black Friday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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13 Expert Tips for Carving a Perfect Pumpkin

Better Homes and Gardens Deputy Art Director Scott Johnson gives us the scoop on how to carve the perfect pumpkin this Halloween.

1. Pick with purpose. Know how you want to design your jack-o’-lantern before picking your pumpkin so you know what size and shape to look for. “If you’re going to do more detailed carving, it’s often easier to carve if you pick a pumpkin with a flatter surface,” Johnson says.
2. Stop at the store. You don’t have to hit the pumpkin patch to find a great gourd. Swing by a grocery or department store for a wide variety of pumpkins waiting to be carved. Avoid pumpkins with surface rotting or soft spots. But don’t be scared if they’re dirty, as long as the pumpkins are firm and have solidly attached stems you’re good to go.
3. Don’t make the cut — yet. Wait to carve your pumpkin until two or three days before Halloween. “Pumpkins soften quickly,” Johnson says. “The more surface you cut away, the faster it’s going to get soft and fall apart.”
4. Clean and cut. After waiting, rinse off the pumpkin and use a sturdy knife to cut an opening in the top. Johnson recommends cutting a round lid with a triangular notch. “Without a notch, it can be hard to fit the lid back in when you’re done,” Johnson says.
5. Start scraping. Use a large cooking spoon to remove your pumpkin’s pulp and seeds. To make the messy job quicker and easier, Johnson recommends using a stainless-steel spoon, which holds up to the pulp much better than plastic. “Just scrape the surface of the walls,” Johnson says. “Avoid digging into the walls too much or they’re more apt to cave in.”
6. Stay in the sink. Remove pumpkin pulp in the kitchen sink for quick and easy cleanup — no more soggy newspapers! Just remember, don’t put the pulp in your garbage disposal. “It’ll ruin it,” Johnson says.
7. Save the seeds. Johnson looks forward to baking pumpkin seeds with his family every year. “They’re a great snack,” Johnson says. Check out one of his favorite recipes.
8. Draw your design. Use washable markers to draw the design you want on your pumpkin. Once you’re done carving, wash off the remaining marks with a damp cloth.
9. Use a filet knife. For a classic Halloween jack-o’-lantern, a store-bought kit isn’t necessary. Use a long, thin knife to carefully carve your pumpkin. If you’re cutting simple shapes, Johnson suggests pushing the pieces out from the inside — pushing them into the pumpkin causes breaks and tears.
10. Try a unique tool. Use an apple corer to punch through the pumpkin’s rind to create a perfectly round hole. “It’s so easy — you just push the apple corer through and pull it out,” Johnson says. For an easy, sophisticated twist, buy three different-colored pumpkins, and mix and match the plugs. For this technique, you don’t have to remove the pulp. “It’s a mess-free way to come up with a cool look that lasts a lot longer,” Johnson says.
11. Add some depth. Even simple designs can be dazzling with some extra dimension. Scrape the surface skin off for a different level of light. “You can get a lot of variation depending on how deep you make the cuts,” Johnson says. He recommends using linoleum knives and clay tools for this effect.
12. Creepify your pumpkin. Save some of the gutted seeds and pulp and let them hang out of your jack-o’-lantern’s mouth for a fun and scary look. Johnson also likes saving the cut-out pieces and using toothpicks to stick them on different areas of the pumpkin’s surface.
13. Keep it fresh. Avoid shriveled and discolored pumpkins by trying Wilt-pruf, an organic mix made to spray on evergreen trees so the trees don’t lose moisture in the winter. Spray Wilt-pruf (available at nurseries and garden centers) inside the walls of your jack-o’-lantern’s nose, eyes, and mouth to prevent moisture loss.

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Great Football Tailgate Recipes

Keep your football fans cheering with a great selection of football appetizer recipes, chilis, sandwiches and other football party foods.

Pepperoni Appetizer Recipe

This great appetizer idea will be a hit at your next party or gathering, or serve it with soup and salad as a delicious substitute for bread.

Container: medium bowl, mixer and 9×13 baking pan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serving Description: approximately 4 squares
Servings: 8

Ingredients
-   3 cups milk
-   3 eggs - beaten
-   3 cups flour
-   1 1/2 cups muenster cheese - shredded
-   1 teaspoon salt
-   1 dash pepper
-   1 dash oregano
-   1 package sliced pepperoni
-   Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions
-   In a medium bowl, combine milk and eggs.
-   Mix in flour with an electric mixer until smooth.
-   Add remaining ingredients and stir well to incorporate.
-   Bake in a greased 9×13 baking pan at 425° for approximately 40 minutes.
-   Cut into small squares.
-   Serve warm with your favorite marinara sauce. 

Barbecue Pork Ribs Recipe

Barbecue ribs grilled to perfection with a homemade sauce. A great recipe for football parties or back yard barbecues.

Container: Medium Saucepan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serving Size: 2 cups
Servings: 4 
 
Ingredients
-   2 cups ketchup
-   1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
-   1/4 cup molasses
-   1 tablespoon dry mustard
-   1 tablespoon chile powder
-   1 teaspoon cumin
-   1 teaspoon dried oregano
-   2 tablespoons bourbon or whiskey (optional)
-   fresh ground pepper to taste
-   salt/tobasco to taste
-   4 pounds pork spare ribs
 
Directions
-   Whisk ketchup with vinegar, molasses, dry mustard, chile powder, cumin, oregano, pepper and bourbon or whiskey (optional).
-   Simmer 20-30 mintutes, stirring often.
-   Add salt and tobasco to taste.
-   Brush on meat the last 5 minutes of grill time.
-   Set up the grill for indirect heat, medium temperature. Grill the meat, rib side down, until the bones protrude slightly from the meat, about 2 hours (may take more or less time, depending on rib thickness and grill temperature). -   Brush with barbeque sauce during the last 15-20 minutes of grilling so that the sauce carmelizes onto the ribs.
-   Serve extra sauce on the side.
-   Sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. May also be frozen.

Bacon Wrapped Smokies Recipe

Crispy and full of bacon flavor, these cocktail weiners are sure to please.

Container: small slow cooker, baking dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serving Description: 4 weiners
Servings: 10

Ingredients
-   1 package Little Smokies
-   1 pound bacon
-   3/4 cup brown sugar
-   2 tablespoons vinegar
 
Directions
-   Cut bacon slices in half.
-   Wrap one piece of bacon around each smokie and place them seam side down in glass baking dish.
-   Top with brown sugar and drizzle with vinegar.
-   Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
-   Remove from the refrigerator and bake in a 350° oven for one hour.
-   Remove from baking dish and transfer to a small slow cooker to keep them warm while serving.

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