The Black Friday promotional flyers have started trickling into my mailbox, and I’ve been reflecting on how I balance my disdain for excess consumption and crowds with my love of great bargains. (Hey, I’ve been a miser much longer than I’ve been a minimalist.)

Here’s my take:

1. We should never cut short Thanksgiving day to jump-start Black Friday shopping.

Thanksgiving, despite its difficult history, is at present one of the only days a year that we’re encouraged to appreciate the historically unprecedented abundance and ease we enjoy, and to exchange only consumable gifts, if any at all.

Gratitude makes us happier. Connecting makes up happier. Mashed potatoes make us happier.

The deals will be there in the morning, despite what the scarcity and urgency triggers in advertising might suggest.

2. Everything is 100% off if we don’t buy it at all.

We should not purchase things that are not on our shopping list, and we should not purchase things that are currently on our nopping list. If we’re considering shopping on Black Friday, we should start firming up those lists now so we’ll have the wherewithal to stick to them when we’re subjected to the manipulations of the store environment.

3. We can always vote with our dollar.

REI took a bold risk in 2015 with its #OptOutside campaign, closing its doors on Black Friday to offer employees a chance to access the same natural settings for which they equip their customers.

But people, myself included, found that so refreshingly counter-cultural, they became members of the cooperative. I now shop for all my outdoorsy gear at REI, and I’ll likely be a loyal customer for life. I get things I need there happily knowing I’m supporting a company with some conscious.

What vote do you want to cast?

4. We should concentrate our bargain-hunting on Small Business Saturday.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday offer great deals at big businesses which are unlikely to share our interests.

If we get what we need and want at an independent, local store, we know that 3 times more money will stay in our area than if we went to a big box, and 50 times more money will stay in our area than if we purchased from an online retailer.

That’s money that supports other local businesses, helps local politicians win elections, and funds three of my favorite things: schools, parks, and libraries.

Yet another way we can vote with our dollar for a world with less clutter, more community.