It's not how much you spend. It's how much you save.

I'm not a huge fan of Black Friday. Crowds, teaser deals, and misleading markdowns all contribute, but they aren't the real reasons.

The real reasons are:

• 30% off doesn't make a useless product better or more useful
  
• a few more gifts doesn't say anything more than you're already saying
  
• a bit more leftover cash isn't going to change your life
  
• and, the real deals are not the ones that are advertised