6 Ways to Spend Black Friday at Home

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I am not a Black Friday shopper. My dislike of large crowds generally trumps my love of good deals, unfortunately. Plus I couldn't bear for my mother to see me on the front of a newspaper as the poster child for shopping madness, trying to wrestle the last Barbie doll at Target away from some mother hopped up on turkey leftovers, adrenaline, and coffee. (See also: Why People Go Crazy on Black Friday)

This is why I plan to not leave my house on Black Friday. If you're in the same boat (the boat that is anchored at home), there are still plenty of ways to spend Black Friday that will help you get an early start on the holidays.

Clean House

Winter gift-giving means you'll potentially have lots of new things coming in. Take the day to go through your closets and drawers and get rid of anything you don't use. You might find some re-giftable items, or at the very least a bag of things you can bring to Goodwill next week (don't forget to get a receipt so you can deduct it from your taxes!).

Start Crafting

While I love giving homemade gifts, I often leave myself too little time to make everything I want to. This year, my hope is to spend Black Friday knitting, sewing, and infusing alcohol. Wise Bread's writers have plenty of other great homemade gift ideas as well, including homemade gifts for young children, gorgeous silk-flower brooches, and 25 things you can make from old jeans.

Shop Online

Cyber Monday is all well and good, but that doesn't mean there aren't Black Friday deals to be had online. If you haven't already subscribed to our daily deals newsletter, do so now; we'll be sending out emails both Friday and Monday with deals for those days.

Exercise

Okay, this doesn't help you with your gift-giving, but it does help you get an immediate start on curbing the holiday weight gain so many of us complain about.

Make Cookies

The day after Thanksgiving might seem like a bad time to mix up some sweets, but if you make and freeze cookies, you're halfway to having your holiday baking done. Check out Linsey's article on batch cooking for some more information about making and freezing big batches.

Rest

December can be a constant whirl of holiday parties, shopping excursions, and decorating-laden weekends. Take a day off!

Are you avoiding the stores on Black Friday? If so, why?