25 things to do today that aren't shopping

Because Black Friday is a marketing tactic, not a holiday

Nov 28, 2025

If ever there was an Olympics for a deinfluencer/someone whose work pivots on overconsumption, it would be right now. And though I sneer at the directive to ‘produce content’ during this (or any, really) time, I do feel an almost moral obligation to throw folks a lifeline of solidarity during this, the most consumerist of times.

Guzzling the Black Friday Haterade

My Millennial brain remembers spending many Thanksgiving evenings, after the kitchen was tidied up and the menfolk were passed out watching football (it was the 90’s; forgive the gendered roles), going to line up outside of Dallas big-box stores so as to be there right when they opened to ‘get the best deals.’ Looking back, this older-school approach, pre-internet, was actually kind of fun and communal (Side note: I read an article on how Ticketmaster and the like have destroyed the egalitarian pricing and community vibe of the old-school practice of lining up for concert tickets, first-come, first-serve, and this feels a bit similar).

Fast forward about a decade, my wonderful mother worked in retail for eons. She’s one of those rare people who’s absolutely amazing at authentically selling to people to meet their needs, rather than just shilling random stuff. That said, the whole retail vibe over the holidays is one where she almost never got to relax (she’d have to be up at 3am to go to the store to set up) or spend quality time or enjoy, and the chaotic hot-mess-express shit she witnessed and experienced from rabid shoppers was nothing short of shameful and concerning. People bum rushing doors to get a Stanley Cup or the latest Chanel eyeshadow quad. Folks being downright rude and violent to sales people. Tearing up stores and leaving giant messes for others to clean up. Ugh. That changed my perspective on Black Friday, long before it was scrutinized as maybe not the best thing for people or planet. And though the domination of online shopping has made it less likely that we’re going to fist fight each other for the latest Labubu (or whatever) in person, the consumerist swirl is still very much alive and well as we tap-tap-tap on our computers and phones.

Black Friday is a marketing tactic-turned-holiday

I don’t need to tell you that Black Friday isn’t a real holiday. It’s a marketing tactic that plays on our FOMO that has been holiday-ed and folded into the cultural consciousness. It’s a uniquely and grossly American phenomenon, and if that gives you the ick or you just want to do other things with your day instead of just shopping, well, here are a few ideas - in solidarity, of course:

Spend quality time with your people, your pets, or just yourself.
Go to your local animal shelter and walk or spend time with some critters.
Organize a part of your home/car/life that’s been bugging you. This can be big or small, like your whole closet, or just a drawer or your bag.
Read. Anything. This Substack. A newspaper. A whole-ass book.
Create something. Paint, draw, journal, crochet, put up your raggedy holiday decor, cook something delish.
Move your body. Go for a walk, pull up a quick exercise class on YouTube, do 25 jumping jacks, challenge your family to a sprinting contest, hanky panky.
Put your phone away. Unless you want to use it to give someone a good-old-fashioned phone call, put it away. Pretty much everything you’re going to engage with on it is monetized to the hilt, and will bombard you with Black Friday deals.
Declutter. Don’t tell me you don’t have a drawer or food items or stuff that’s been weighing on your mind. Take a few minutes to tackle get it handled. You’ll feel way more amazing after.
Take a nap. It’s good for you.
Engage in experiences: the museum, a concert, a play, poetry reading, bingo, fun run. I guarantee your community has free, low-cost, and spendier activities that will rock your socks, get you connected with people, and that will stimulate dopamine without buying a single thing.
Use all those fun samples you have and take the most epic everything shower or luxe bath ever.
Explore volunteer opportunities in your area so you’re ready to call and sign up when places open after the holiday.
Make a list of No New Things-compliant holiday gifts for people and start tackling that early so your December is less stressed and more blessed.
Repair something. Wobbly chair? Hole in your duvet cover? Button missing from your favorite shirt? You know what to do.
Call someone. Have a real conversation with a person you’ve been meaning to catch up with.
Write some thank you notes. This is my very favorite thing to do when I’m feeling stuck or down because it’s like a gratitude journal in the wild. I have some old cards and postcards, and I take the time to let folks know how much they mean to me. Then I walk them to the mailbox. Snail mail is so rare these days, that it’s like getting a little treasure for recipients.
Try out a new makeup look, hair style, outfit with stuff you already have. It’s free, fun, and will give you that hit of newness that your brain often is craving when you want to buy something.
Clean. Don’t punch me, but no lie, doing laundry, washing dishes, tidying your space also gives that hit of newness that your brain craves. And no matter how much we may hate it, taking care of our things is like a love letter to abundance. Doing so helps us see how much we already have and often that we already have everything we need.
Plan your next year. So much of shopping impulse is rooted in wanting to have things to look forward to (the very release of dopamine is done in anticipation of buying or receiving a thing, rather than in the actual having of it). You can feel a much more enduring excitement from planning out your future. Maybe it’s planning a trip, or setting goals, or looking at your finances and determining where you’re going to shore things up for 2026. Planning builds anticipation and even joy.
Rearrange a space. Again, your brain sees a slightly tweaked space and goes ‘someone cooked here’ and in return, provides a surge of ‘new space’ feelings.
Play a game, solo or together with people. Stimulating your brain in other, creative ways absolutely obliterates shopping FOMO and is scientifically proven to make you feel happier and more content.
Unsubscribe from retailer promotional emails and notifications. Today is both a tempting and a good day for that if you’ve been meaning to, because they’re all coming out to party and send you stuff. So you’ll be reminded who you need to unsubscribe from.
Unfollow influencers and people who make you want to buy things or have you feeling like your life isn’t good enough as it is.
Make a list of things you’re grateful for.
Plan a Stuff Swap, per my last post. It’s fun, rad, and will have you feeling decluttered, connected, and flush with good things.

This is not an exhaustive list by any stretch, so I’d love to hear from you what you do when you’re not looking to shop til you drop on this fake-ass holiday. And hey, as always, if you do need something and it makes sense for you, go on and get it. No New Things, which absolutist in title, is about balance. And it’s also about welcoming habits that bring more joy and ease into your life longer term.

OH, and if you liked this post, you’ll very likely love my new book, No New Things. You can get it everywhere books are sold, in every form imaginable. Katie Couric has called it ‘transformational.’ The New York Times said ‘she’s right’ (meaning me). So, it’s got that going for it. And ironically, it’s on Black Friday sale on Amazon lol. And if you’re already a fan, I’d love to hear about it via a message or a review. It makes my whole damn week hearing how the No New Things approach has helped to make your life more joyful.