The Superbowl for Girls

Ok, so I have to admit I'm a sucker for Black Friday. For those of you who are not female or gay, Black Friday is the shopping frenzy that occurs on the day after Thanksgiving. Companies can get their finances out of the "red" and into the "black" in just that one day if the sales are good enough. It's competitive shopping at its best - it's like the Superbowl for girls!

I usually get anxious for the newspaper on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving day. Those sales flyers are like playbooks for me! What I usually do is map out the locations of the stores in the order of the best sales. Then I get up at the crack of dawn and hit the shopping full on.

I'm not one of those people who will camp out in front of the store in the cold. I try to get plenty of rest and fluids before the occasion. Then once I'm in the store, I beeline to the stuff I want and then beeline to the register. Truth be told, you'll wait FOREVER at the register but at least it's warm in the store and not freezing outside in a tent with no bathrooms. If you're fierce and quick, you'll get all the stuff you wanted with plenty of time for a victory brunch at La Madeleine.

Unfortunately, sometimes the things you really want are not on sale. You're pretty much at their mercy when it comes to specific items at bargain prices. Here are the weirdo things I wanted that we couldn't find on sale anywhere:

• Noise cancelling headphones
• Sterling Silver ring with a yellow topaz stone
• Electric warming throw blanket
• A large jar candle in Gardenia
• Cozy house socks

But I did find some other good bargains...even after Black Friday. All in all, I think I scored well in this year's Girl Superbowl. Let me know how you did!