Dani Johnson Helps You Keep Cash In Your Wallet This Black Friday

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, is the official start of the holiday shopping season and it seems to become a bigger event each year. Retailers are already releasing their sale advertisements and many will open on Thursday night so consumers can shop off their turkey comas. Though there are great deals to be found on Black Friday it is easy to overspend. Who better to lead us through this consumer maze than personal financial expert Dani Johnson?

 

The economy has not yet recovered from recession, yet the National Retail Federation is predicting a 4.1 percent increase in holiday sales. Retailers have hired hundreds of thousands of seasonal workers to assist customers this year. On the Sunday night broadcast of The Dani Johnson Show, Dani discussed the many temptations that this mega shopping event brings and how to avoid them. By being smart shoppers, we can minimize our stress and anxiety this holiday season.

Though the economic boost that Black Friday can bring is positive, many consumers are in post-recessionary financial crisis. Unfortunately, events like superstorm Sandy and reduced governmental spending are placing more pressure on consumers to help the economy this season. In the aftermath of Sandy, October retail sales declined by the steepest figure since last June.

Many people will cut their Thanksgiving meals short to head to the mall. Others may forgo the holiday celebration in favor of a pre-shopping nap. Dani began her broadcast by expressing disgust for this behavior. After all, Thanksgiving is time to count our blessings, not the number of gifts in our shopping carts. Greed is an ugly monster, and it takes center stage on Black Friday. We choose whether to acknowledge it and if we do, the results can be even uglier.

The holiday season is a major debt trap for many Americans. Holiday prices are difficult to resist and before they know it, people are up to their ears in credit card bills. What do they have to show for it? Unnecessary gifts that will soon be discarded. The true meaning of the holidays is sharing, caring, and giving, not getting the latest fashion and gadgets. We would be wise to keep this in mind, says Dani, before getting up from the Thanksgiving table to head to the mall.

Overspending forces us to live on less or face a new year filled with debt. Many people will be unable to repay holiday bills in January so they will begin 2013 in debt. They will spend the rest of the year paying off their Black Friday shopping spree. By the time the bills are paid, the gifts will be forgotten and maybe even donated or resold. Is it really worth it?

Black Friday is an opportunity to exercise self-control. Listen to the recording of Dani’s broadcast on her website to learn how. Changing your approach to Black Friday can literally change your life. By keeping more money in our pockets, we can improve our personal financial situations, which will boost the economy in a different way.