This month, the month of November, is my very favorite month of the year. It's not only my birthday month, but it's the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, and then we get great shopping values on Black Friday. That's right, I'm a big-time Black Friday fan. I don't, however, buy silly items that just happen to be flashy or have a reduced price. I also never stood in line waiting for doors to open, so I could fight my way through a throng of people to get to the big ticket items at the department stores. Nope, not me. I'm the one watching those idiots on live YouTube feeds. I will say, however, that since the invention of online shopping, there has been a dramatic drop in those types of vicious and videoed encounters.
Black Friday for me has not always been a pleasant experience. I had $$$ stolen from my credit card one year (at Target). I try really hard not to get out on that day to do any real shopping. I have been known to run to the grocery store for this or that, but I do my pre-holiday shopping long before Black Friday, usually, and even when it wasn't a cool thing to do, I shopped the clearance aisles for gifts throughout the year. That way, I could stash a gift in a box and forget about it, making it just as exciting when I open the box again, wrap it, and give it away. (Sorry, but I'm not going to get a black eye buying my friends or family something I could buy the week after Christmas the year before and just keep it under wraps!) I've worked this system for ages.
Online shopping sales started this week for their annual "Pre-Black-Friday" sales. I think I'm catching on to how this game is played. I keep an eye on the clearance tab on Amazon just because, and when I see something at another store, or on another site, I check to see if Amazon has it. I've tried using the Capital One shopping gizmo as well, but I'm not convinced it's helped more than a tiny fraction in costs, and I'm not going to download their extension on my computer; nope. So, it's Amazon to the rescue for me.
This year, because I needed one and wanted one, I have kept my eye out for a good, manually operated recliner that is a name brand, of good quality, has lots of reviews, and those reviews must have a minimum 4-star rating. I have a budget, and I keep that in mind as well. When I found exactly what I wanted today, I nabbed it. I didn't care if it was going to be delivered in 3 weeks; that doesn't bother me. I'm good with that, actually, but it is being delivered by Amazon - for FREE. They, and a handful of others, were willing to do that. Most places charge around $150 for delivery and setup. (Amazon is only going to leave it outside the garage.) Laura and I will have to use the dolly to pull the chair inside. We can do that.
Signature Design by Ashley has always been a good brand. I've always had good experiences, and I assume others have, given that the rating was over 4 stars and the reviews reached the 23,000 mark - a good sign. JC PENNEY had it for $599 but $150 delivery. Wayfair had it for $549, and the delivery cost was $129. Amazon had it for $408 and free delivery! The only caveat was, it was dark brown. Oh no, dark brown? Really? Damn! Good thing my favorite color of all time is DARK BROWN! I'm good. I bought it. Merry Christmas to me.
We're moving the week before Thanksgiving, and my computer will be set up and ready to go, tuned in to some real-time hot and heavy fights over the latest and greatest electronic gizmos that Walmart has to offer. I'm done with gizmos. Give me a comfortable chair anytime. What would I stand in line for? A metal grab bar for the tub. Yes, you know you're old when you're shopping for one of those babies. Not the suction cup type; no, I want a good sturdy (very functional) type. I bet I can find one -- and I'll have my new handy-dandy handyman put it in for me. I haven't told you about him yet, but I will. I'm just waiting to get his permission to do so!
I have Laura to pop open jars and assemble the furniture pieces, but a good handyman is quite useful. I'll keep you posted. So far, we've charged him with building the dog fence, clearing out the barn, and taking the barn's awning and back panels off. He may pull the storm shelter out of the ground later in the early spring and fill up the hole with whatever he can find. I told him I'd stay quiet if he had a few bodies he needed to hide -- he laughed.
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