Black Friday/Cyber Monday Purchases

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This past weekend, I shopped until I dropped! From online to in person, I was able to cross many gifts off of my list, as well as being able to treat myself to a few things. It is the season for giving, right?
I started my shopping on Thursday, where I purchased "Finding Audrey" from Barnes and Noble, as well as a new bookmark. While the book itself wasn't on sale, I was able to save 30% off, making the book only $9. Not bad. I also purchased a few things on my mom's end with her Kohl's charge (she doesn't know much about how to use
On Black Friday, I went to Jo Ann fabrics to purchase some beads. I also had a lot of coupons, in addition to all of the beads were 60 percent off. I was able to get strings of beads, normally over $4 for about $1.97. What a deal! The next day I went back and purchased more beads to make more projects. The end result of those beads were to make two bracelets as a Christmas present for my mom, as well as two for myself. In total, I spent about $20 and got four bracelets.
The biggest deals however were for Cyber Monday. I bought my mom Bath and Body Works lotion, body spray, and soap for about $30. Barnes and Noble had a great deal as well--I got 25 percent off of one item AND Y/A books were two for $15. I bought four.
Overall, I saved a lot of money getting things for myself and my mom. However, I didn't get all of my gifts on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I got a majority of them at TJ Maxx and through Amazon earlier on because I had a gift card from trading in old electronics.
Did you get any Black Friday deals? Let me know in the comments below.

Should Stores Be Open on Thanksgiving?

Recently on the news I have heard that some stores are opting to open Thanksgiving night instead of the wee hours of Black Friday morning. The mall in my local area was now making it manatory for the stores to open their doors then. It really got me thinking to how Christmas is overpowering Thanksgiving to the point where it even takes over the actual holiday.
Black Friday is the official start of the Christmas Holiday shopping season. However in recent years, it's slowly inched its way up to Halloween and even earlier. Some stores have even opted to switch Halloween decorations for Christmas ones. At the end of the day, it's all because of one thing-profit.
I am a huge fan of the Christmas holidays. I enjoy gingerbread as much as the next girl, and even enjoy watching Snoopy holiday specials. (I even own them.) However, Thanksgiving is a holiday that deserves to be celebrated as well. Thanksgiving, although it's not as comerical as Christmas, it's a holiday that really is about being thankful for the things that you do have as well as enjoying some quality time with your family. And, of course the Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is always on my television screen each and every year.
By opening on Thanksgiving night, you're not even giving people who work in retail the chance to enjoy some rest of the holidays before the hustle and bustle of Christmas. I think that there should be a law against such thing, because workers really need to enjoy their holiday break to spend time with their families. I'm all about shopping, however, it can wait til Black Friday morning to get those deals.
Profit is something that comes and go, however, allowing people to enjoy time off with their families is priceless. 
What do you think about the stores opening their doors in late Thanksgiving night?

My First Black Friday.

I normally don't shop during Black Friday. Like ever. Something about not wanting to wait in lines for a deal, and getting up way too early isn't exactly my thing. However, this Black Friday, my grandma called and decided to go out to shop for a gift for my mother. So, I decided to tag along.
First we went to TJ Maxx. Surprisingly, they weren't that busy. Probably because they always have a great deals. After looking around, we only found an Alex and Ani for my mom, which my grandmother bought. (Sorry mom, if you're reading this I ruined your Christmas present.)
Then I went to Radioshack, because I had remembered that they had an Otterbox (shown below) for my iPhone that was on clearance a while back. So, on a whim I decided to go in. And they had it marked down to $20. In my favorite color. I thought it was fate. Needless to say, I bought it. (I've been looking for one for a while, and so far they had one for $27.)

After I bought that, we went to Bon Ton. It seemed like everything was on sale. My grandma, who never shops ever, literally was in heaven. We found a jacket that was a really good price. Then, we decided to head to the shoe department where they had really good deals on shoes. I needed a pair of sneakers, so I managed to find a couple that I liked. Unfortunately, they didn't have any in my size, or my grandma's. She did however find a pair that she liked that wasn't on sale, so that was good. We also found a silver chain that I needed to replace my necklace that was too short. The price? 10.80. Not bad for a chain that was originally $45.
All and all, we managed to find a lot of really good discounts. I enjoyed going out because it felt like everything was on sale. I like trying to get the best deals that I can find. I don't ever see myself going out at midnight, but I do see myself a returning customer at Black Friday.