As Thanksgiving dinner comes to an end, Black Friday makes its way to the door. But over the years it has been slowly showing up earlier.

It all started with Black Friday: the official beginning of Christmas shopping season and the busiest shopping day of the year. Now that Brown Thursday [sales on the Thursday before Black Friday] and White Wednesday [sales on the Wednesday before Black Friday] have begun to take over, is Thanksgiving and your money at risk?

People think that Black Friday deals only come around once a year, so they run into stores to take advantage of the sales. The average discount on Black Friday can reach up to thirty seven percent off during the weekend, according to The Balance, a website on managing money. They also said that some of the best deals aren’t even on Black Friday. Amazon and other retailers offer better deals earlier than Black Friday. Online sales are the best before Thanksgiving, but could this be digging into our turkey time?

Most of us know that Thanksgiving night is meant for giving thanks while being around our loved ones. After eating a delicious, filling meal, you decide to sink into the couch and have a family chat. The house is warm from the oven being on all day, and you can still smell the gravy, but once you enter the living room, you find out that your family have all left to go shopping. Nowadays, it has become common for people to ditch Thanksgiving and skip right to the sales.  After asking people if they have ever skipped Thanksgiving dinner to go Black Friday shopping, I found that sixty five percent of the 100 people I asked said that they had skipped. Most leave early to camp out in front of the stores and grab the merchandise fast.

Black Friday is a time for saving, but do you really save? According to The Balance, most shoppers, on average, expect to expend spend up to $1,007.24 during Black Friday. This amount includes $637.67 on gifts, $215.04 on food and decorations, and $154.53 on taking advantage of the deals. Black Friday doesn’t just take away time, it takes away money. Yes, you do get more for less, but you also spend more than you would on a normal shopping day.

There is no shame in going a little crazy on Black Friday, just remember not to have your wallet go crazy. Have a limit for how much you spend and how long you take shopping during the Black Friday sales. Don’t let the sales craze distract you from the delicious turkey sitting on the center of the dinner table.