This year, we decided to sit Black Friday out — no carts, no pressure, no racing to find the best deal. It felt good to pause and redirect our energy.
Instead of letting the day pass, we used the money we would have spent to support our long-term financial wellbeing in small but intentional ways. While none of this is financial advice — sharing what we did may help inspire you to think of new ways to shift how you spend during the holiday season.
1. We Put a Small Amount Into Partial Shares and an ETF:
You don’t need a lot of money to participate in the market. So we took a portion of our “opportunity fund” that would have covered Black Friday's cost, and bought fractional shares of a few companies we have on our watchlist.
We also purchased a low-cost ETF — this is a simple way we like to stay consistent with our investment journey.
2. We Added a Little Extra for our Beneficiaries — and Made a Small Principal Payment Toward a Mortgage/Loan:
Another portion of our non spent Black Friday "savings" went toward our beneficiaries, even the ones we are planning for in the future. A 529 is a long-term growth strategy — a structured financial vehicle designed to hold and grow money over time with intention.
We also made an extra principal payment on our mortgage, which is something we don’t do every month, but were taught to do at least one extra payment toward the principal of the loan (if possible). It reduces interest over time and your term!
3. We Turned Extra Time Into Extra Cash — and Used It for Wellness
Instead of staying home or scrolling, we used a few hours of free time to do something simple that brought in a little extra money.
Then we did something we genuinely recommend for everyone (emotionally, not financially): we used that extra income to treat ourselves to something restorative. A wellness experience. A service from a small business. And yes — we checked Groupon because there are real gems on there!
It felt good to reward ourselves without disrupting any goals!
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