Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

We have progressed from Thanksgiving to Black Friday. Then on to buy local Saturday, and Cyber Monday, followed by Giving Tuesday. When I started writing this morning, I saw that today is Green Monday. Where did all of this begin?

Go back with me to those thrilling days of yesteryear. I first learned of Black Friday in the 1980s when my wife and I had three young children. Did it exist before then? Not in Springfield, Missouri. I think Wal-Mart brought it here. The first year or two, my wife went by herself or did her shopping before 7:30 AM.

My job required some of us to be in the office on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We alternated. Those who had to work after Thanksgiving were given Christmas Eve off. It worked well and meant I only had to go Black Friday shopping every other year. We eventually stopped working on that Friday, and I became a full-time Black Friday aficionado.ame Black Friday come from? Supposedly, this was the day when businesses that struggled all year would make enough sales to cover what they had lost. My experience in business is that if you go from January to the end of November without a profit, you are out of business. The journalists who invented the term Black Friday did not think this through.

Local Saturday came a few years ago after Cyber Monday. Monday was the day the online companies had their big discounts. Now every day is Cyber Day for some internet retailers. For others, any day is a day to con you out of your hard-earned money.

We should all buy local and not just on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Local retailers are the main reason you have a grocery or hardware store in your community. Avoid Wal-Mart and check out these local shops as often as you can. I will give you some of my favorites in days to come.

Now back to the present and Giving Tuesday. We have all spent all our money on Thanksgiving dinner and Friday, Saturday, and Monday shopping. How does anyone expect us to give money on Tuesday? We should be given at least one to two weeks to receive our next paycheck. For us seniors, it will be later this month when the social insecurity checks arrive.

What can we do about this? For this year, set aside five percent or more of your next paychecks. If it isn’t very much, do not worry. Every little bit helps. Select one charity each check or one for the final weeks of 2025. Do your part.

For next year’s budget, that’s five percent from each pay period. Determine now who deserves it. Do the research. Your first contribution should be given to your local church or place of worship. I suggest five percent. A tithe is ten percent to the church. If you can’t spare five percent of each check, give a couple of bucks.

Help those whom you can, and do not forget that giving begins at home. If you have no extra money because you are helping parents, children, siblings, or someone else that you know personally, do not worry. You can always donate time to the organizations that you want to support. Giving is not only monetary.

What about this Green Monday? It seems to have been created by eBay. Another chance for the cyber shoppers. It is a day when you purchase used products. If these are for others, I suggest looking around the house for regifting options. Beware of whom you select for these items. You might want to ask, “Do you remember when you gave me ___.”

Some local brick-and-mortar stores are getting in on the hype. Remember to watch your budget. Whatever happened to Taco Tuesday? Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Joyful Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger