Black Friday

It is now the second week of November and the spoiler websites are beginning to post . . . . yes, it is the time of year when Black Friday becomes another holiday.    Love it or hate it, it is looming closer on our calendar.    Question of the day -- Will you shop on Black Friday?

Sarah's View:    Absolutely!   This is probably one of my favorite days of the year.   I love it when the ads get dropped in the driveway on Wednesday night.   After cooking for more hours than I care to admit,  I spend even more hours looking through the advertisements to compare the best deals against my childrens wish lists.    My goal is to be completely done with Christmas shopping on Black Friday.   I generally have about half done before the big day.    I have three children at vastly different stages in their lives . . . oldest son is 22 years old, then daughter is 15, and small son of age 6 who wants EVERY toy advertised on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon (minus anything with Barbie, of course!)   I love the rush of finding the toy, meeting all kinds of people in lines and learning about them, and of course saving money.    Please don't think I fall into the commercial sell out of Christmas.   I believe with all my heart that Christmas is about the GIFT of Jesus. . .and I celebrate that.   I put up about 5 Christmas trees and love to decorate every inch of the house.   I make many presents and bake so much that I am surprised I haven't burnt out my oven.   I buy my family way too many presents. . ..  but it is a celebration time from God's love, my heart and hubby's wallet.  

Ruby's Take:  Black Friday is something Sarah invites me to partake in every year and every year I chuckle at the thought. Getting up at an ungodly hour to fight through hordes of  people just so I can come to blows with someone over a Snuggie?! I'll pass. I am so not a shopper I keep waiting to have my woman card revoked. When I need a new outfit for something I either borrow from Sarah or send my oldest daughter shopping, she knows all my sizes and enjoys shopping. (Maybe it skips a generation in my family.) Not only do I not enjoy shopping but I'm the most unorganized person I know. Christmas falls on December 25th every year, without fail, yet somehow it always sneaks up on me. I doubt there's been one Christmas since my kids were born where I wasn't frantically shopping on Christmas Eve. Although, I've found last minute shopping really takes the pressure off gift giving because at this juncture I'm not thinking about getting anyone what they want, I'm thinking I better just get them something. Jar of jelly? Hey! That looks good and the kids like jelly. What goes with jelly? Peanut Butter! Now I don't really buy my kids peanut butter and jelly for Christmas but you get the gist. So while Sarah is out fighting the crowds on Black Friday and finishing up her shopping, I'll be sleeping in then I'll consider doing some shopping online then I'll go back to bed for a while. After all, I've got to get rested up so I can fight hordes of people on Christmas Eve and finally come to blows over a jar of jelly.

The Quarter Auction

Tonight the Cornoisseur's attended a quarter auction to raise money for Sarah's daughter's show choir. This is a fundraiser where you hold up your paddle and toss a quarter in a bowl to bid on certain items. Once all the quarters are collected for that particular item they draw a number out of a hat. If the number called is yours, you've won the selected item for the bargain price of a quarter. It's like a cross between bingo and an auction.

Ruby's Take: It's a sad state of affairs when going to a high school show choir fundraiser is my big Saturday night out...but I figured it would be even more sad to sit home wishing someone would invent chocolate covered potato chips. I met Sarah at her house and we headed over to the auction. After a few ladies had explained the concept to us we chose our numbered paddles and checked out the merchandise. There were some cute things but not being a chachkie lover I gravitated toward the food based items. You can't go wrong with food. The basket with the Frankenberry cereal and matching hot pink and purple cups and bowls caught my eye but sadly it never went up for auction. I think it was there as a tease. ( I have to say Sarah thought it was horrid but I was excited, I didn't know they still made Frankenberry!) Strangely enough there was a gift certificate for permanent makeup and a night in a hotel. Now there's an odd combo. Throw in the Frankenberry and that could be a memorable evening! We sadly didn't win anything but I'm sure the choir came out ahead. It was a unique way to raise money, preferable to selling wrapping paper and now I'll at least be able to tell my co-workers I did something this weekend. As a school fundraiser I'd give it a two thumbs up, my daughter brought home a box of candy bars to sell and, as predicted, my household bought every stinking one. As a Saturday night out on the town I'd give it a half-hearted thumb up...the only cute boy over the age of twelve I saw all evening was Sarah's son and charming as he is, he doesn't count. There were a few ladies present that travel around from auction to auction...they didn't even have kids at that school! If I become that desperate someone shoot me...oh wait...never mind, scratch that.

Sarah's View: This was such an interesting and new concept for us, that we decided to check it out.Yes, it was a school fundraiser; but seriously who do you know who has been to a quarter auction?!   I venture to guess that most people I know have never been. . . until now. The good news is that the choir collected $825 in funds for the evening! That is exciting and part of the reason that I wanted to go on this little adventure. Ruby went along so that she could get out of the house. We tend to have fun whenever we are together and being in the school cafeteria was no exception. We got quite a kick out of the whole procedure of bidding on weird items and the lack of us winning any items added to our giggles. We bid on a variety of items from boxes of macaroni and cheese with a cow fairy (seriously, I am NOT kidding) to Vera Bradley purses. Nothing that either of us saw was exceptional, but we figured for a quarter it would be nice. I know that Ruby  loved the Frankenberry cereal box, but I am sure that those can be found at Odd Lots or a very old grocery store in the hills of Appalachia. . . . My favorite item was a Pampered Chef platter with serving spoon. Very nice, especially nice if you won it for a quarter!

We spent $2 on our paddles and then split a $10 quarter roll. We laughed and only spent $7 for an evening and the school raised money for the choir. Pretty good event. I wish that the items had been a little more high class and I think that if you win once they should take your number out of the running for a few rounds. Really, #65. . . do you think it is fair that you won over 9 items at the auction??!? What would have made it a higher rating = better atmosphere, hubby and if Ruby or I would have won something :)