A Conscious Consumer's Guide to Black Friday

Black Friday is known as the biggest shopping day of the year. With that, comes a lot of excess and overconsumption, and that begs the question; should a conscious consumer participate in Black Friday?

The answer to this depends on who you ask, what your values are, and what you consider when making purchases. Do I think we should cancel Black Friday? No. No, I don’t, but I do think there are ways to make it more sustainable and to avoid overconsumption. Here are some tips to help making conscious decisions when purchasing:

MAKE A LIST OF THINGS YOU NEED AHEAD OF TIME AND STICK TO THE PLAN

Temptation is hard! By having a list beforehand, this helps you stay on task and not get distracted by all the shiny things on sale.

STOCK UP ON ESSENTIALS

This is a great time to stock up on sustainable shelf-stable consumables that you have to buy, no matter what— such as home and hygiene products: toilet paper, soap, cleaning products, etc.

SUPPORT SMALL AND SUSTAINABLE BUSINESSES

Shopping at big box retailers is easy, we know that, but supporting small and sustainable businesses is so important. Look for fair trade certifications, ethical working conditions, brand transparency, organic and plant based materials, sustainable manufacturing, vegan or vegan friendly, charitable, b-corp certifications, etc.

SHOP ONLINE INSTEAD OF IN-STORE

Go directly to what you’re looking for and you can close your laptop anytime. In addition, you avoid the crowds and temptation!

UNFOLLOW OR UNSUBSCRIBE

Unfollow or unsubscribe from brands that tempt you to over consumer or make unnecessary purchases.

Now that you have some tips and a guide to stay on track, below are some conscious and sustainable brands that are having Black Friday promotions.

ECO HOME & LIFESTYLE

40% off Package Free Shop

40% off Veestro

30% off Dropps

Up to 35% off Reel Paper

25% off Stasher Bag

Up to 30% off Thinx

Up to 40% off Grove Co.

50% off Made Terra

GREEN BEAUTY

25% off Youth to the People

25% off Kooshoo

25% off Truly Beauty

20% off Moon Juice

BOGO Makeup Eraser

30% off Sale Petit Vour

25% off Herbivore Botanicals

Up to 20% off MAELOVE

20% off Superzero

30% off Pacifica Beauty

Up to $75 off Vegancuts

30% off Long Wknd

ETHICAL FASHION

30% off We are HAH

30% off ASN Hats

Up to 70% off Boyish

30% off Girlfriend Collective

Up to 40% off Christy Dawn

25% off Reformation

40% off Noize

20% off Boody

Up to 40% off Organic Basics

30% off Andi Bagus

33% off Yes And

30% off Back Beat Co.

My Top Picks From The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

It’s the time of year that Nordstrom has their Anniversary Sale! Nordstrom wouldn’t be the first place I’d think of when you talk vegan fashion, eco home & lifestyle, and green beauty, but they do have some good options!

Please note that although you can preview the sale today, July 6th, the items won’t actually start to be on sale to the public until July 12th. Below is a breakdown of the timeline.

July 6 - Sale Preview (Everyone!)

July 12 - 27 - Icon Early Access

July 14 - 27 - Ambassador Early Access

July 16 - 27 - Influencer Early Access

July 28 - August 8 - Sale Open To Everyone

You can get early access if you have or sign up for a Nordstrom credit card. More details about this on their website.

Everything I have curated below is vegan and cruelty-free. I try my best to include organic, sustainable, recycled, ethical, and made in the USA items and brands as much as possible.

VEGAN FASHION

$25.90, Originally: $39.00

$11.90, Originally: $18.00

$16.90, Originally: $29.00

$159.90, Originally: $238.00

$22.90, Originally: $35.00

$39.90, Originally: $59.95

$24.90, Originally: $38.00

$51.90, Originally: $78.00

$46.90, Originally: $69.95

$99.90, Originally: $172.00

$79.90, Originally: $119.95

$59.90, Originally: $98.00

$89.90, Originally: $135.00

$64.90, Originally: $99.95

$98.90, Originally: $145.00

$25.90, Originally: $39.00

$99.90, Originally: $165.00

$169.90, Originally: $258.00

$119.90, Originally: $180.00

$49.90, Originally: $78.00

$45.90, Originally: $74.00

$54.90, Originally: $88.00

$195.90, Originally: $325.00

$54.90, Originally: $98.00

$145.90, Originally: $218.00

$65.90, Originally: $98.00

$59.90, Originally: $89.95

$99.90, Originally: $159.00

$39.90, Originally: $59.95

$59.90, Originally: $98.00

$89.90, Originally: $134.95

$95.90, Originally: $148.00

$89.90, Originally: $150.00

$39.90, Originally: $59.95

$89.90, Originally: $148.00

$13.90, Originally: $22.00

ECO HOME & LIFESTYLE

$119.90, Originally: $169.00

$19.90, Originally: $50.00

$28.90, Originally: $39.00

$19.90, Originally: $29.00

$15.90, Originally: $20.00

$22.90, Originally: $34.00

$75.90, Originally: $95.00

$19.90, Originally: $29.95

$198.90, Originally: $249.00

$79.90, Originally: $99.95

$18.90, Originally: $23.95

$55.90, Originally: $69.99

$28.90, Originally: $40.00

$22.90, Originally: $35.00

$15.90, Originally: $20.00

$49.90, Originally: $59.00

$33.90, Originally: $50.00

$19.90, Originally: $29.95

$159.90, Originally: $199.95

$29.90, Originally: $49.00

$73.90, Originally: $99.00

$20.90, Originally: $26.95

$22.90, Originally: $35.00

$28.90, Originally: $40.00

$18.90, Originally: $29.00

$59.90, Originally: $90.00

$19.90, Originally: $38.00

$25.90, Originally: $39.95

$23.90, Originally: $29.99

$12.90, Originally: $20.00

$18.90, Originally: $23.95

$44.90, Originally: $60.00

GREEN BEAUTY

$19.90, Originally: $30.00

$23.00, Originally $33.00

$28.00, Originally: $45.00

$32.00, Originally: $46.00

$32.00, Originally: $46.00

$35.00, Originally: $54.00

$35.00, Originally: $52.00

$35.00, Originally: $56.00

$38.00, Originally: $64.00

$66.00, Originally: $99.00

$42.00, Originally $81.00

$46.00, Originally: $76.00

$50.00, Originally: $80.00

$49.00, Originally: $75.00

$99.00, Originally: $196.00

$33.00, Originally: $49.00