50 Things to Do Other Than Shop on Black Friday

It’s that month, again. No, we’re not talking about the month where you spend a good portion of the month being thankful for everything that you’ve got (though that’s important to do). We’re talking about the month where for almost an entire four weeks you’ll be bombarded with messages about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and everything in between.  Want to take a stand against the consumerist (and sometimes even violent) message of Black Friday? We’re spending the month compiling our list of 50 things that you can do on Black Friday other than shop. Stop by daily from now until Black Friday to see our latest entries, and be sure to get prepared to have a healthy, sustainable and satisfying holiday season with your free copy of A Very Postconsumer Holiday. You can also follow our list on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter! Now, let’s get started.

1. Love One Another

Above all, instead of shopping on Black Friday, focus on loving one another. We’ve all seen the news stories and imagery of some of the ugliest behavior you can imagine happening on Black Friday. However you choose to manifest it, find a way to embrace the idea of loving one another on Black Friday. And we’d love to hear what your definition of that is!

 

2. Plan Your Next Vacation (Use Money Saved by not Holiday Shopping)

You may be at home avoiding crowds now, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t be getting ready to be somewhere amazing and exciting. Using the money that you didn’t spend buying things that you don’t really need on Black Friday, plan and budget for a trip for you (or you and some loved ones) after the holidays. The only thing that money can ever really buy is a happy memory, so instead of giving your money to Black Friday merchants, use it to buy memories of an amazing trip or experience either to celebrate yourself or to share with somebody else.

If you do take a vacation, use these tips to make sure that your souvenirs are eco-friendly!

 

3. Pub Crawl

To be very clear, we mean “walk between pubs”. We do not mean drive while drinking, and we do not mean literally crawl! However, a pub crawl with friends can be a fun and social way to get out into the world on Black Friday without being a part of the consumer throng. You’ll get the excitement and rush of the busy crowds and holiday decorations, but you’ll avoid the actual consumerism. Plus, there will be great football and other sports on TV. Be responsible about having a designated driver, but a group trip to visit your local pubs (all of them!) can be a fun daytime or evening alternative to visiting all of your local stores and malls.

Looking for other unique ways to celebrate the holiday season without the stress of consumerism? Find them in a free copy of A Very Postconsumer Holiday.

 

4. Quiet Meditation

It’s busy and overwhelming outside, but it can be calm and peaceful inside your mind. Find a quiet spot (either indoors or out) and wrap yourself into some solitary meditation. What should you focus on? Whatever will bring you peace and calmness before we enter such a hectic time of the year.  If you need to leverage group meditation, do it! If you need to drive yourself a hundred miles away from the city to a quiet spot in nature, do it! If you just need to lock your bedroom door and turn on a cd of ocean music, do it! Whatever helps you get into your center and quiet your mind, that’s a great way to spend Black Friday.

Looking for ways to reduce noise clutter in your life? We have some ideas on how to do that.

 

5. Start Your Taxes Early!

It sounds like a terrible way to spend Black Friday doesn’t it? But the benefit is that, unlike endless shopping, you’ll be doing something very productive that will make your life easier and more relaxing later. Get receipts and write offs organized, make a list of the forms you’ll need, download the forms from government websites. For some people, you may even have everything that you need to actually start doing your taxes (especially if you do individualized write offs). If Black Friday is about money (and it really, really is), make it about being responsible about money. Make irs.gov your friend for the day.

Looking for budget tips and advice? We have them here.

 

6. Host a Horror Movie Festival

Whether hosting means hosting you and your blanket on a couch or having friends and family over, get wrapped up in the thrills (and cheesiness) of a full-on horror movie festival at your home. From classics to horror films that leverage the latest technology for extra screams, wrap yourself up in movies full of people who just don’t have enough sense to turn around when they sense danger. Let your mind relax and go on the roller coaster of shocks and scares of one of the most popular film genres ever created. Plus, you can get your gore fix before the sweetness of holiday program specials begins!

Why watch movies at home? Because there’s huge eco-waste in visiting the Cineplex!

 

7. Clean out the Attic/Basement

Raise your hand if you’ll need to go into your attic or basement in order to collect your holiday decorations and other items? If so, this is a great opportunity to make it an entire-day event and clean out all of the clutter, junk or just  excess “stuff” that’s in your attic or basement. Not only will you kill two birds with one stone (unpacking holiday items and cleaning), but you’ll get to head into the new year with a freshly decluttered storage space which, as a result, will help declutter your mind. Trust us!

Ready to let go of stuff and clutter altogether? Start with a personalized evaluation from the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

8. Climb a Tree

Keep it simple. Go outside. Find a tree. Climb it. Sit there for a while. Sometimes, the best alternatives to a day of business, clutter and noise are really pretty darn simple. Then thank the world for having trees by planting one.

Then, reduce stress in the New Year by taking care of a plant.

 

9. Make a Time Capsule

Maybe what you don’t want future generations to remember about us is Black Friday madness. But what, then, do you want them to remember? Make Black Friday about determining what you’d really want future generations (or, sure, aliens) to know about our society. Collect items that represent those things and bury them in a time capsule. Needless to say, this is a great family activity as well as a great solo activity.

Aliens? Well, it’s no worse than the idea that what we need is actually a second planet.

 

10. Read a Book

It should (but unfortunately doesn’t) go without saying that a great way to spend Black Friday is to stay at home and get lost in a great book.  Whether you choose a book that’s an old best friend from the past or something that’s new and fresh from the best seller list, let yourself get carried away into another world that doesn’t involve malls, bags, traffic and television commercials. It doesn’t matter if you like turning pages with the paper between your fingers or whether you’re an e-reader type of person, let the power and magic of words transport you away from the Black Friday surge.

Don’t want to buy a book? Here’s an eco- and budget-friendly tip – visit the library.

 

11. Clean Out Your Junk Drawer

The holidays will bring clutter into your home. Take a moment to get some clutter out of your home. You know that drawer in your house that’s always full of junk and you somehow have no idea how that junk got there? Take the day to dump that drawer out and clear out the clutter, junk and stuff. Sure, it’s likely that by the time the holidays are over that drawer will be full again. But at least you’ll have made an effort to clear it and you can feel good about the fact that instead of adding to clutter on Black Friday you reduced it.

Struggling with how to de-clutter? Start by making a list of the 100 things you couldn’t live without.

 

12. Fall in Love

Maybe we’re optimists or hopeless romantics, but take Black Friday to fall in love! Yes, of course when we say this we’re hoping that everybody finds their soul mate on Black Friday, but there are lots of other things that you can fall in love with. Your pet, a book, the warmth of your bed, a foot massage. Find something that makes you feel special and warm on the inside (the way that love should make you feel) and completely embrace it with passion for the day. And, if you’re lucky, that passion will attract your soul mate! If you’ve already found your soul mate, take the day to spend together and really reconnect and re-ignite your passion.

If you’re ready to fall in love, then you’re ready to find the satisfaction of a passionate life with the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

13. Build an Igloo

Do you live in a traditional winter snowy environment (that hasn’t been impacted by climate change!)? If so, when was the last time that you actually went out into the snow and built an igloo and then played in it all day? We’re guessing it’s been a while for most of you! If there’s snow on Black Friday, stay out of the malls and instead make your own igloo. You’ll get outdoors, get exercise and above all have done something wildly unique instead of shopping. Then, of course, follow your efforts up with hot chocolate in a warm home!

Worried that there won’t be snow for much longer if the planet keeps warming? Get tips on how to live a more eco-friendly life to help combat climate change.

 

14. Get a Tattoo

What’s that we said about taking chances and trying new things on Black Friday? What fits that definition more than getting a tattoo? If you’ve been saying for a while that you want a tattoo but you just need a reason to get one, then we’re giving you that reason! It’s a great way to do something other than shop on Black Friday. Sure, it’s a bit of a thin reason to get a tattoo, but we say embrace it anyway!

You’re ready to become a new bold you with a tattoo? Then you’re ready to find the satisfaction of a passionate life with the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

15. Clean Out Your Holiday “Stuff”

Many people will be unpacking their holiday decorations and kitsch the Friday after Thanksgiving. Take that activity one step further and make this the year that you do a stuff purge of your holiday items. Whether that means just sorting out broken items or whether it means making some choices about items that are just taking up space and causing clutter, the truth is that most of us could stand to unclutter our holiday collections. The benefit of doing this on Black Friday is that if you donate items you’re getting rid of to thrift or second-hand stores, they’ll be in the stores in time for somebody else to enjoy them over the holiday.

How do you identify if you should purge an item or not? We explain it right here.

 

16. Listen to Albums that You Haven’t Listened to in Over a Year

Those could be physical albums or downloaded albums! Find some music (even holiday music if you want to get into the spirit of the season) that you haven’t listened to in over a year and spend the day reliving old favorites that please your ears and your brain. Whether you put together a playlist that’s random or listen through complete albums one-by-one, old music can inspire new actions and appreciation for old memories. Or it can make you wonder “What was I thinking?” Either way, enjoy a day of music from your past.

Or, as another alternative, expand your horizons by listening to a new type of music that you’re not familiar with.

 

17. Clean Off Your Social Media Profiles

You just flinched at the idea, but this task needs to be done by almost everybody, and Black Friday is a great day to buckle down and do it. Whether it’s updating information, removing information because of privacy concerns, cleaning your friends list, or just limiting those tagged or uploaded photos that are no longer appropriate to have out there in the world, take a few hours to clean up (or even in some cases delete) your online social media profiles. It’s a big, wide, huge internet out there. Part of annual decluttering needs to be virtual, too. Black Friday is a great time to take care of this ticky-tacky task.

It might also be a good time to think about reducing digital noise in your life altogether. Here are some tips on reducing the information overload.

 

18. Spend the Entire Day in Bed with a Lover and/or Ice Cream

If you’re lucky enough to have a lover, opt for a lover over shopping bags. If you don’t have a lover, ice cream is everybody’s lover. If you’re in the best possible scenario, your Black Friday can include both a lover and ice cream.  Or, lovers and ice cream! What’s the take away here? Be sensual and indulgent on Black Friday. Malls, stores and parking lots are sterile and mass produced. Take the other route and be sexy, sensual and experimental.  Trust us, you’ll feel a thousand percent more alive at the end of the day than anybody who rushed to a fifty percent discount sale.

Want some other eco-friendly sexy-time ideas? They’re right here.

 

19. Go for a Walk. The Countryside. The Beach. Wherever.

Get outdoors, get outdoors, get outdoors. Just be sure to get outdoors away from the crowds of Black Friday. Whether your best local natural environment is a beach, a park, the countryside, a farm or an abandoned railroad, get out and experience it. Do it by yourself for solitary meditation time or make it a group or family hike to keep everybody active (and by active we don’t mean active shopping). You’ll get health benefits, mental benefits and the great feeling of being outdoors and moving (as opposed to stopped in traffic or circling parking lots looking for spots).

If you want to reduce stress overall this holiday, start by taking the advice in your free copy of A Very Postconsumer Holiday.

 

20. Make a “Grateful For” List

It’s possible that Thursday left you exhausted from talking about what you’re thankful for, but it’s also possible that your Thursday skipped the most important part of Thanksgiving in favor of food and over-scheduled events. If the latter is true, then Black Friday is a perfect time to get out your pen and paper (or laptop, or mobile device) and make a list of the things that you’re grateful for. Then take the time to really sink into the moment and actually be grateful for them.  Reflection is always important as the year comes to a close, and this is a great day of the year to sit back and reflect.

If you’d rather keep a journal than make a list, we’ve got advice on how to create a Satisfaction Journal.

 

21. Go to Church (Whatever Yours May Be)

There’s nothing less spiritual than mass consumerism, so take the day to go the alternate route and embrace spirituality. Whether that means attending a church, synagogue or temple service, meditating on your own, walking in nature, or just listening to sermons online or reading your chosen religious text, make the day about connecting with something greater than “stuff.” We all have something that is our religion no matter how secular we may be. Make Black Friday the day that you focus on that element of your life.

Most importantly, though, don’t buy into the new religion of consumerism.

 

22. Sci Fi Nerd Celebration Day

Indulge your inner sci-fi nerd! From Star Trek marathons to reading Harry Potter books all day to playing computer games or video games, take Black Friday to celebrate the inner sci-fi nerd in you! Make it a group activity or go solo, complete with unhealthy snacks and your favorite Star Wars t-shirt. Celebrate that you’re too smart to be out with the crowds buying things you don’t need and instead celebrate the idea of a world of Klingons, dragons, alternate universes and spaceships. Own your sci-fi nerd all day long while the mere mortals shop.

We’re sci-fi nerds, too. Here’s our favorite Captain Picard quote.

 

23. Host a “Free From Black Friday” Party

Want to celebrate with friends and family instead of drown in consumerism? Then make it happen! Instead of hosting a holiday party this year, put together an elaborate event to celebrate being free from Black Friday. Whether you make it casual or formal, it’s a great way to keep you and others off the streets and out of the stores while enjoying great food, great beverages and great company. It can also be an official kick-off to the holiday season that doesn’t rely on purchasing and buying. An added fun thing to do is to start the party at 6am to counteract the “door busters” movement.

Want some tips on keeping your party eco-friendly? Here they are!

 

24. Raise Money with a Car Wash or Lemonade Stand

While money is flowing out of Black Friday shoppers’ wallets, you can collect money from the crowds for good causes instead and right the cosmic karma. Find a place where Black Friday crowds will be full and busy (but where it’s legal and there’s room for you to set up) and raise money for charity with a car wash, a bake sale, a lemonade stand or even just a donation can. You may need to do a little research about permits and allowances, but it will be worth it when at the end of the day you can drop off a bag of cash or write a check to a meaningful cause. Just think how much spare change is in the world on Black Friday. Be the force that channels that spare change into good deeds.

Want to take this one step further to make sure your holiday gifts are socially conscious? Here are four ideas.

 

25. Mashed Potato Orgy. Interpret That As You Will.

What’s a mashed potato orgy? Maybe we mean that you should fill yourself to the point of bursting with the left over mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving dinner. Maybe we mean that you and a lover should make some kinky magic that involves gravy. We’re going to leave the interpretation to you. But of one thing we’re sure – you can’t go wrong on Black Friday if you build your day around the indulgent use of mashed potatoes.

Let’s say that you really were talking about eating mashed potatoes, here are some other tips on how to not waste food this Thanksgiving.

 

26. Get a Massage

Go into the holiday season (or recover from Thanksgiving) by doing something just for you with a massage.  Whether you splurge for the spa or find an alternative home massage solution, you’ll definitely be more relaxed at the end of the day than frantic Black Friday shoppers will. Forget the running, sore feet and legs and sore backs from hauling bags and the stress of Black Friday traffic. Opt for something that treats you, relaxes you and keeps you away from the fray. This is also a great girls’ way or couples’ way to spend the day on Black Friday.

Don’t want to spend to go to the spa? We’ve got advice on free or low-cost massage alternatives.

 

27. Weatherize Your Home

Yep, it’s not glamorous, but it is needed and it will both keep you warm and save you money all winter long. And of course, it will help the planet too when you burn fewer fossil fuels because your home is better insulated.  No matter whether you have an epic mansion or a small studio apartment, sealing off windows and doors and adding heavier curtains helps you keep warm, controls your budget and makes Mother Earth smile. Set time aside on Black Friday to do all three of these things just by being responsible about the windows and doors in your home.

How else can you reduce your winter energy bills? Here are some other ideas.

 

28. Put on a Play , Puppet Show or Musical for Your Family

Is Black Friday a day when your family will all be home? Then it’s a great day for home performances. Whether it’s just you entertaining the entire family or whether you all get in on the act and put performances together for each other, sharing creativity and performance trumps buying stuff every time! This is also a great activity if you want to invite friends over for a day of peer-to-peer performances, and if you’re doing puppets instead of live performances then making the puppets can be a creative bonding activity, too.

Need some spark to get creative? Try this video on tips for creativity.

 

29. Write a Blog for Postconsumers

We’d love to share your thoughts on postconsumerism, “stuff”, Black Friday, the environment, stress, the media or any topic that will help people find the Satisfaction of Today on our blog. Whether you want to write it longhand and then type it into an email to us or send us a fully formatted Word doc, we’d love to share your content with our passionate followers. Send your blog to getsatisfied@postconsumers.com and we’ll (after a possible mild edit!) post it along with your bio and image. Black Friday is a great time to reflect on thoughts about our consumer culture, write about them, and have us publish them!

And, of course, you can read all of the great Postconsumer articles and blogs right here.

 

30. Climb a Hill or Mountain

Get high! By which we mean go find a hill or mountain and climb it. Stay away from the recycled air of the malls or the exhaust fumes of store-lined streets and get into nature. No matter what the weather in your region is, chances are there’s something for you to climb! It can be a small hill or a full-on mountain, but take the day to get to the top, breath the fresh air, enjoy the view and know that you accomplished something. You’ll feel great, have done something healthy, and have something to show for your day. This activity is great solo or with friends.

Learning to let go of “stuff” can feel like you’re climbing a mountain – but the feeling of freedom when you hit the top is amazing. Get started on your journey with the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

31. Make a List of Goals for Next Year

The main rush of the holiday season is about to start, and with it a whirlwind of activity that may decrease your time to sit and reflect on the year itself.  Black Friday is an excellent time to set some time aside for just you and think about what you accomplished this year and what you hope to accomplish next year. Take the day to make your list of what you really want to achieve in the upcoming year. Or, if you need to, make your list of goals for what you need to achieve in December! Either way, take the day to set priorities for you before the rush of the season takes over.

How do you set goals that are actually attainable? We’ve got some advice on how to set achievable goals.

 

32. Volunteer

It seems so obvious, doesn’t it? What’s a better thing to do on a day when the M.O. is to buy and take than to give back to people, animals or the environment to counteract the consumer karma? Where you volunteer doesn’t matter. Pick a cause or organization that’s important to your world view. At the end of the day, others will have bags full of “stuff” but you’ll have a heart full of happiness and satisfaction. Step out of the stores and into the process of making the world better.

Need some advice on how to find a cause? We’ve got some.

 

33. Attend or Organize A Buy Nothing Day Meetup

You may feel alone in your desire to buck the trend against Black Friday, but you’re not! Across the nation, thousands of people are attending and organizing Buy Nothing Day Meetups.  Visit the Meetup website to find one that’s close to you or organize your own. Not only are you taking a stand against Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the whole group of “buy, buy, buy” days, but you may make some cool new friends along the way.

Where else can you find other like-minded individuals who want to step out against consumerism this Black Friday? On the Postconsumers Facebook Page of course!

 

34. Back Your Computer Files Up to the Cloud

Black Friday doesn’t have to be about doing something relaxing or creative, it can also be about taking care of those tasks that we all never seem to have time to do but that come back and bite us when we’re least expecting it. Get a cup of coffee, tea or your favorite beverage and take the time to back your computer files up to the cloud. You’ll be thankful you did the next time that you have an unexpected blue screen of death. While there are many services such as Dropbox to do this, we think that Google Drive (formerly Google Docs) is a great solution for this. It’s free, and you’re probably using Google products already!

What else can you do to make good use of online time on Black Friday? Get ready to find the satisfaction of enough in the New Year by completing the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

35. Have a Home Wine Tasting Party

Is there a better way to relax and enjoy time with people than a glass of wine? Well, maybe, but we don’t know it! Stock your home with some delicious wines that you love (or that you’ve never tried before) and then invite some friends over to avoid the stressful crowds and instead enjoy an afternoon or evening of sipping wine and having great conversation. You may even want to mix it up and turn the event into a grand experiment for making holiday-themed cocktails. Just be extra sure that nobody leaves the event unable to drive. While designated drivers are always important, they’re even more important on days when the roads are extra dangerous like the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Want more tips on how to increase satisfaction and decrease stress this holiday season? Get started with a free copy of A Very Postconsumer Holiday.

 

36. Write a Short Story or Poem

Are you a writer? Have you never written anything before? Neither thing matters! Get out the trusty pen or the beloved laptop and let your creativity go crazy. Sometimes, you don’t know that you’re a writer (or how cathartic writing can be) until you try it for the first time. If writing is part of your normal life, then this is a great time to set aside time just for you to do something that you love. If you’re not a writer, start by trying to write a personal journal and then see where the exercise takes you. Not only will you stay out of the Black Friday crowds, but you’ll stimulate your mind.

Looking for more ways to try new things and become a new you in the New Year? Start with a customized evaluation on letting go of stuff and finding satisfaction from the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

37. 24 Hour Holiday Movie Marathon

Get into the holiday spirit and relax with a day of your favorite holiday movies.  Whether you rent, stream or rely on the holiday movie marathons that are starting on almost every television station on the Friday after Thanksgiving, make friends with your couch, some snacks and some comfortable clothing. Stick to your favorites or go out on a limb and find some holiday movies that you’ve never seen before. Especially if you’ve had a taxing Thanksgiving rush and are in need of some pre-holiday down time, this activity has the benefit of being low energy and holiday-inspiring!

Want to make it a week-long movie marathon? You can. Black Friday has turned into a week-long event.

 

38.  Try a New Recipe – A *Really* New Recipe Like Sushi

We know, we know, many of you will be sick of cooking from the Thanksgiving feast the day before and there may be a fridge full of leftovers sitting in your home.  But we think that Black Friday is a great time to take risks and try new things instead of just going with the herd. Especially if you like cooking (but this is fun even if you don’t), find the recipe for something completely foreign to you. Sushi is one idea, but experiment with anything that isn’t something that you commonly make. This activity is just as fun with a partner, group or family as it is a solo endeavor. Get your chef apron on and make something wild happen  in your kitchen!

Looking for more ways to try new things and become a new you in the New Year? Start with a customized evaluation on letting go of stuff and finding satisfaction from the Get Satisfied Interactive Handbook.

 

39. Clean Behind the Furniture

Black Friday means buying “stuff” and adding clutter. Take the opposite stance and batten down the hatches for the day for a full-on, pre-holiday rush cleaning. We’re talking move the furniture, launder the curtains, get out the toothbrush and clean the grout. Sure, it’s not a glamorous, relaxing or even mentally stimulating way to spend the day. But when you’re done, you’ll have a spotless home that you’re excited to spend the holiday in and that’s free of post-Thanksgiving dirt, turkey grease and visitor fingerprints!

Want to keep your cleaning binge eco-friendly? Here’s some advice on eco-friendly, homemade cleaners.

 

40. Pick up Neighborhood Trash

While the rest of the neighborhood is out generating more landfill trash, improve your karma by cleaning up neighborhood trash. You also get bonus points if you then sort that trash, separate recyclables and make sure that they make it to their appropriate recycling destination. If you organize this as a community event, you may be surprised how many people pony-up and agree to join in. This activity is also a great way to teach kids about responsibility, the environment, and how to take a stand against consumerism and Black Friday.

Not only is picking up trash good for your neighborhood, it’s a great learning opportunity for kids (and even adults).

 

41. Go to the Museum (It Will be Quiet and Empty)

Do you want to know where almost nobody will be on Black Friday? At your closest or local museum. It’s a perfect day to get lost in paintings, sculptures and photographs (or science and nature) without crowds, school trips, loud tourists or non-appreciative patrons. If you’ve ever wanted the experience of wandering through a museum alone with only the echo of your footsteps, chances are that your best opportunity to do that will be on Black Friday! Take advantage of it.

What’s another great place to visit on Black Friday? You guessed it – the library.

 

42. Send a Package to a Soldier

For many serving in the armed services, Black Friday is just a distant memory and the winter holidays can be lonely.  Spend the day getting a package together to send via Give2TheTroops.  Just be sure that you Priority Mail your package the next day since holiday donations need to be received by December 1^st.  Sometimes, buying things is for the good of everybody, and buying some items that can make a deployed soldier feel better over the holidays is a great use of time and resources. While others are buying for themselves, you can make a difference to a young man or woman who’s serving our nation.

 

43. Become an Amateur Photographer for the Day

Whether you take your camera out and about regularly or whether you’ve never taken a photo with the idea that “Hey, I’m a photographer!” before, get creative on Black Friday and pick a subject for a photo study. You don’t need a fancy camera, chances are the camera on your phone is just fine if you’ve got one. And while we don’t love the eco-impact of it, disposable cameras are great, too. If you don’t want to battle the crowds, work on still life photos or family photos in your home. Get outside and enjoy the seasonal changes with your camera. You may even want to take pictures of Black Friday itself! Make an album on your favorite social media channel and share your work when you’re done.

Looking for a photography project that’s sure to relax? Consider the sunset photography project!

 

44. Go on a Blind Date

Why not take a chance on love and start the New Year with inspiration? And you already know that any date that you go on during Black Friday will be with somebody who shares your mindset about how the day should mean more than just shopping.  Just be sure to pick a date location that’s far away from malls or shopping strips. And, if you’re somebody who has a hard time approaching people to ask them out, you have a great opening line for this one. “Let’s make Black Friday about companionship instead of shopping!” Take a risk. Ask somebody out instead of loading up a shopping bag.

Looking for ways to take chances and make a new you in the New Year? Here are some great ideas for postconsumer New Year’s resolutions.

 

45. Make Upcycled Holiday Decorations

Start getting into the holiday spirit and also doing something environmentally responsible by finding some old items in your home and turning them into fantastic holiday decorations. You don’t even need to be particularly crafty or creative. Just gather up everything that you identify as “junk” in your home.  Then think about how you could turn those items into fun holiday decorations. This activity is even more fun when you make it a group activity!

Confused about the difference between upcycling and recycling? Let us explain it to you.

 

46. Call or Write a Letter to a Long Lost Friend

Who do you miss or think of often who you haven’t talked to in years and years? Remember a fun holiday story or gift exchange with a friend from school or a special time in your life that you’ve just lost touch with? Dig up their address or phone number (it’s probably easier than you think) and then call them or write a letter to them. A call is great, but a letter allows you to take the time to really relive the old memories and express yourself. Now is a great time to take pen to paper (or fingers to keypad) and get back in touch with somebody!

Haven’t written a letter in a long time? We’ve got tips on how to write a letter to somebody you care about.

 

47. Workout.

Did you eat too much turkey? Are you worried about the impact of cookies and candy over the major holiday season? Do you want to set a goal to lose weight by the New Year? Do you need a stress reliever from the family over-share on Thanksgiving? Do you just want to do something healthy? Then stay out of the stores and in the gym, the outdoors or your living room for a Black Friday workout. If you’d really like to embrace Black Friday, try a workout you’ve never done before, like belly dancing. If you need some relaxation from the holiday, opt for a more soothing and calming workout like yoga!

How does physical exercise contribute to stress relief? We explain it here.

 

48. Sleep All Day. You Deserve the Down Time.

If you’re like most people, by the Friday after Thanksgiving, you’re exhausted. So give in to the exhaustion and just sleep all day. Whether it’s in a comfy bed, on a couch with the smells of the holiday around you, in a car while you travel back from a Thanksgiving visit (unless, of course, you’re the one driving!) or outdoors in a hammock, take the day to just let your body recover. Not only are you likely to be tired from the holiday itself, but chances are that you’ve got a potentially stressful and exhausting December ahead.

Looking for more ways to de-stress after the holiday? Try the Postconsumers Stress Reduction  & Satisfaction board on Pinterest.

 

49. Play Board Games

There are so many reasons that board games (or shared experience online games) are a great way to spend a day. Firstly, you’re not crying in a parking lot under a rush of humanity trying to get a good deal on televisions! Secondly, you’re working out your brain. And, of course, thirdly you’re being social with the other people playing the game. Of course, you may prefer a solitary existence on Black Friday. That’s a great time for vintage video games or solitaire.

50. The Sweet Smells of Baking

You know that we love food, so of course we’re ending this list with food related ideas. If you’re not so much for the stove and more for the oven, get your baking mojo on this Black Friday. And don’t be afraid to box up some of the results and send them to us! We’ll gladly take them off your hands.

 

See last year’s images!

2015 (Click any image for a larger version)

2014 (Click any image for a larger version)

2013 (Click any image for a larger version)

2012 (Click any image for a larger version)