What is “Buy Nothing Day” and why is it on the same day as the biggest shopping day in America? Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. A day when we as Americans, still bloated from stuffing our faces, try and get the best deal on a TV. Well, that and anything else you desire. Big box stores tag their best prices on their goods and open their doors in the wee hours of Thanksgiving. Black Friday has become a sport; go to as many stores and get as many bargains as possible.

Black Friday has become the one day a year you are allowed to fight anyone if they stand in the way of you getting that awesome deal – your neighbor, a stranger, your kids, it doesn’t matter. In order to combat some of the gross capitalism of Black Friday an artist named Ted Dave founded Buy Nothing Day. This international day first started in the U.K., North America, Finland and Sweden, in September 1992 as a day of protest. “A day for society to examine the issue of overconsumption,” said the founder, Ted Dave.

When Ted brought the idea to Adbusters, they loved it. They took his idea to every major network in North America; the only company not to air their commercial was CNN. Once the commercials aired, the concept took off, and now several other countries participate.

As the years passed and Black Friday was eclipsed by Cyber Monday, the idea for Buy Nothing Day changed as well. In 2022, you can still participate in not buying anything that day, but you can also take note of what you’re buying and why. This year during Buy Nothing Day, notice how your spending affects others and your community. Pay attention to how you feel. Are you overextended? Stressed? Pressured to keep up with the Joneses? The point of this day is to stop and enjoy the life you have right now. Not the life you’ll have with that brand-new 72-inch flat-screen TV.

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