Random Thoughts for a Black Friday

The carnage has already started, the sales are already on going, people are maming and fighting each other to get those elusive savings, yet here we set reading a blog? I think you are doing the right thing, Black Friday, to me is a bit of an overhyped idea. The savings I see seem good, but are they worth all the hassles and shopping? Maybe it would be better to sit this one out and make up a real plan of what needs to be bought before going out shopping?

The stock market reopens for half a day today, but given how badly things have been going, maybe it should just stay shut for a while. Not sure what has called the Bears out of hibernation, but the markets are down, down, down these days. The European economic world is teetering over the brink again, and now folks are wondering how many dominoes may fall, so doom and gloom really does seem to be the feeling in the monetary world right now.

In Canada there really isn’t a Black Friday, however, the stores are still trying to whip shoppers into some kind of frenzy so there are some having a Black Friday sale, but for me this week I didn’t talk as much about shopping, more about the following:

• PBS did have a good short video asking Do Students Understand the Costs of University Education? The answer is, they don’t think so.
• After watching a UC Davis policeman spray a collection of peaceful students, I went back to one of my favorite comments by Jean Chretien for I Put Pepper on my Steak and Sunday Best.
• CPI did Slow for October, but it is still pretty darn high with gasoline prices and energy being the culprits as usual.
• Showing off my DIY skills at home I boasted Skittering Seems to have Abated for now, but we shall see whether I have evicted my rodent #occupiers.
• Michael James called me out for Bloggers for Charity, which I’d like to point out, no one has taken me up on yet.
• Finally I got a little poetic with Financial Haikus, I was disappointed not to see any comments with Haikus of their own, too bad.

And thanks to those who added me on Twitter I am now over 950 folks who follow me, wow!

Black Friday, Charity and a few other things were on the minds of some of my favorite writers this week:

• Preet touches on an extremely important point for folks with disabled family members and that is The Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and the importance of getting it set up quickly.
• Larry MacDonald  points an accusatory finger at Public Sector Unions and the Harm they Inflict, being a member of PSAC, I represent that remark, but Larry’s points are still quite valid.
• Michael James says it is misrepresentation by some when they imply you should Invest Like the Rich Folk, when in fact many didn’t get rich by investing.
• Canadian Capitalist wonders if there is a Selective Access Edge for Institutional Investors that small investors just will never be able to use?
• Sandy at Yes I am Cheap points outs you should Save on Core Expenses to Help Get out of Debt, which is a good idea, but lowering spending everywhere is even a better idea.
• Boomer of Boomer and Echo wonders What is Your Real Hourly Wage, mine is effectively slave wages when it comes to this site, but it isn’t too bad for my real job.
• Mike at Money.Smarts announces the 2nd Edition of the RESP Book is now Available, and if you want to know about RESPs this is where to start!!!
• Canadian Couch Potato gives us some odd advice on How to Pick Last Year’s Winners, I guess next week they’ll publish how to pick last week’s winning lottery numbers too? Point is well made however.
• Frugaltrader at Million Dollar Journey Asked Their Readers: Is it Possible to Have a $90K Salary by age 30? The answer is, you could, depends on whether you want to be legal about it, or not. I didn’t really reach that level of income until my 40’s, if anyone is asking (and not from this site either)

Other Bookkeeping

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Remember

“If you think the United States has stood still, who built the largest shopping center in the world?”

Author: Richard M. Nixon and who shops there?