This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Shopping at Goodwill and Staying in the Black on Black Friday

Goodwill is the ultimate holiday shopping experience for the financially challenged, or just plain cheap.

Goodwill—Staying in the Black on Black Friday

Call me cheap. But for me, nothing says Black Friday deals more than shopping at Goodwill. Yes, that second-hand retailer that takes your donations and turns them into cash to fund programs for families and individuals in need, as well as providing job-training.

Add to that, Goodwill is the ultimate holiday shopping experience for the financially challenged, or just plain cheap, like me.

Find out what's happening in Sarasotawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

I must confess my love-hate relationship with Goodwill retail stores. I love them when I’m getting an over-the-top deal.  And, I hate them when I think something I want is overpriced. That happens far fewer times than when I'm deeply in love.

It’s a safe affair to carry on because my guy is a bit enamored, too, as are the kids.

Find out what's happening in Sarasotawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So, after a lovely Thanksgiving meal, my guy lovingly announced that he’d be happy to take me Black Friday shopping in Venice at my favorite Goodwill store.

I was over the moon! Black Friday at Goodwill is 50-percent off day!

We headed out around 9 a.m. There were no long lines to battle, and inside the store was as calm as a sunset walk along the shoreline. It was, as always, a happy place to avoid the post-Thanksgiving Day shopping rush. Though, I suspect if we’d been there when the doors opened at 8 a.m., things might've been a little hairy.

It took us about three hours to nail down the deals and check out. I told you I love the place. So a lot of that time was spent talking it up with the new and old friends and Goodwill employees.

All in all, we had a blast. But that’s not why you’re reading this post. So, here’s what we got!

  • Santa Fe Knife Set (The ones from Neiman Marcus) $2.50
  • Mikasa Gourmet Basics 32-piece Briar Rose $25
  • Palm Handheld Date Book*Address Book*Note pad*And More (New in Box) $6.50
  • View Sonic 20-inch monitor $20
  • Dell Monitor $15
  • Asus Keyboard (new) $1
  • Candle Holders (2) $1.50 each
  • Candles, dish, and rock set $2
  • Office supplies $3
  • Clothing: Five men’s shirts, 3 boys pants, 1 dress
  • Plus--Gifts I can’t talk about
  • Total Spent: $111.43

Look, I’m not suggesting you ditch your Black Friday ritual, lining up at those big-box retail stores for those unbelievable door-busters and drop dead sales.

But, when you’re done, it wouldn’t hurt to check out your local Goodwill Store.

You never know what you’ll find, but you can be sure that some of what you spend is going to help someone in your community. Who knows, maybe even a neighbor in need.

Happy Holiday Season!

Be sure to click the link. There's a little something just for you. Enjoy.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?