Can we talk about Black Friday for a minute? (I know! Already??!)

With Black Friday less than two weeks away, the pressure to buy is everywhere. Social media is flooded with gift guides, affiliate links, and “must-have” recommendations. As someone who creates content myself, I understand the business side of influencer marketing—but I also see it through a very different lens.

As a professional organizer with years of experience helping families manage their homes, I’ve seen firsthand what happens after the holiday rush ends. And I want to share a perspective you won’t find in most Black Friday content.

The Real Cost of Holiday Shopping: Understanding Post-Holiday Waste

 

The numbers tell a sobering story about holiday shopping waste and overconsumption.

The Waste Problem

Nearly 1 in 3 holiday gifts are unopened or unused, and about 30% of unused gifts end up in landfills. Americans spend around $15.2 billion on unwanted holiday gifts annually, with at least 61% of people receiving at least one gift they don’t want. The United States creates 5.8 million tons more waste in December than in other months of the year.

The Return Problem

Returns have increased for eight consecutive years, with retailers expecting about 17.8% of merchandise to be returned—that’s $158 billion worth of goods. The shipping process for returns is responsible for about 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. Even more alarming, retailers dump 5 billion pounds of returned products in landfills annually.

As both a professional organizer and a mom, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, I deeply value gift-giving. But I’ve learned that meaningful gifts—the ones that show you truly know someone—rarely become clutter or returns.

My Approach: Organized and Intentional Black Friday Shopping

 

Here’s how I approach holiday shopping in a way that reduces waste and increases meaning.

Create Your Specific Gift List

Before you even look at a single Black Friday ad, write out the names of everyone you’ll be purchasing for this year. Not a vague “family and friends” list—specific names.

Reflect on Each Person

This is where the magic happens. For each person on your list, spend time remembering:

What hobbies have they mentioned wanting to explore or get back into?

What challenges or goals did they share with you this year?

What brings them genuine joy?

Example thinking:

Your sister mentioned wanting to start a fitness routine in January? Consider a gift card to an athletic apparel store rather than generic workout gear that might not be her style. For me personally, Alo is my favorite place to shop for workout clothing. It’s always classic yet stylish and lasts forever!

Your dad has been talking about wanting to get back into woodworking but hasn’t had the budget for supplies? Black Friday might be the perfect time to invest in quality tools he’ll actually use.

Your friend keeps borrowing books from the library on a specific topic? A carefully chosen book in that area shows you pay attention.

The Key Question to Avoid Wasteful Gift Giving

Ask yourself: Am I giving what they would want, or what I want them to have?

This single question will help you avoid wasteful purchases. When you focus on the recipient’s actual interests and needs—not your assumptions about what they should like—you’re much less likely to give something that ends up donated or returned.

I’ll be honest here—I’ve opened gifts from family members and quietly wondered if they truly know me. Not the polite, surface-level “me” they see at holiday gatherings, but the real me with specific interests, genuine needs, and a particular lifestyle.

It creates such a conflicted feeling. I’m sincerely grateful they thought of me and invested their money. But I also feel guilty knowing this item will likely end up donated or returned—meaning their generosity was ultimately wasted. Neither of us feels good in that scenario.

This experience has shaped how I approach gift-giving, both personally and professionally. After helping clients declutter unwanted gifts each January, I’ve realized something important: gifts should spark genuine excitement, not obligatory gratitude.

Think about the last gift you received that delighted you—the one where you immediately knew the giver “got” you. That’s the feeling we should aim for when we’re shopping for others.

So as you prepare for Black Friday, consider this: How do you want your recipient to feel when they open your gift? Do you want them to feel truly seen and understood? Or do you want them to smile politely while already planning what to do with an item that doesn’t fit their life?

That distinction matters—and it’s exactly what thoughtful, intentional shopping is all about.

Make Strategic Use of Black Friday Sales

Now—and only now—start looking at Black Friday deals. Use the sales to purchase items on your thoughtful list, not to buy things just because they’re discounted.

The Impact of Intentional Gifting: A Professional Organizer’s Perspective

 

In my years as a professional organizer, I’ve helped countless families declutter their homes. January and February are generally busy months for donation runs—right after the holidays. We’ve loaded countless bins of unopened gifts, unused kitchen gadgets, and well-meaning presents that didn’t fit the recipient’s life.

But here’s what I’ve also seen: When people receive gifts that truly reflect who they are—a quality tool for their actual hobby, a book by their favorite author, an experience they’ve been wanting to try—those gifts get used, appreciated, and never become clutter.

A Challenge for This Black Friday: Reduce Holiday Waste

 

This year, I’m challenging you and myself to approach Black Friday differently:

Make your list first, sales second

Think about the recipient’s actual life, not an idealized version

Choose quality over quantity

Remember that gift cards aren’t impersonal—they’re an acknowledgment that you respect someone’s autonomy

When in doubt, choose experiences over items

The goal isn’t to avoid Black Friday or to stop giving gifts. It’s to make sure that the time, money, and resources we invest in gift-giving actually honor the people we’re shopping for—and don’t contribute to the millions of tons of post-holiday waste.

Creating a More Meaningful Holiday Season

 

This holiday season, let’s aim to give gifts that show we truly know and care about our loved ones. Let’s create less waste and more meaning. Because the best gift isn’t the one with the biggest discount—it’s the one that shows you’ve been paying attention all year long.

( example gift guide from 2022 )

Non-Clutter Gift Guides

 

Once again this year, I’ll be sharing gift guides organized by age and interest. But I want to pull back the curtain on how these lists actually come together—because they’re created very differently than most gift content you’ll see online.

Throughout the year, I’m constantly taking mental notes. When I’m in a client’s home and notice they’re still using that label maker I recommended two years ago? That stays on the list. When I see a beautiful coffee table book that’s clearly been read and enjoyed rather than just displayed? I pay attention. When a organizing tool consistently solves problems across multiple client homes? It earns its spot. If a fitness item consistently makes it to my gym bag? Yep, it’s on the list!

On the affiliate marketing side of my business, I receive product submissions constantly. Brands are always hoping their items will make it into my content. But here’s what most people don’t realize: the acceptance rate is incredibly low. I only feature products that have been genuinely tested—by me, our team, or my own family.

Some made the cut because we used them successfully in client organizing projects. Some are items my teenagers actually use every single day (and trust me, teens are the toughest critics). Some are solutions I’ve personally integrated into my own home and can’t imagine living without. Others are tools my organizing team has road-tested across dozens of installations.

The bottom line: if something appears in my gift guides, it’s there because I would genuinely feel good giving it to someone I love. Not because it has the highest affiliate commission. Not because a brand paid for placement. But because it works, it lasts, and it adds real value to people’s lives.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Christmas shopping, Black Friday,  or gift giving and receiving so share in the comments!

Back soon with more guys! xo,

Sam