Thanksgiving is next week and I have no plans whatsoever to celebrate it. 

I’ll be home with my family, but that’s it. Maybe we’ll order food from the local Chinese buffet. Maybe not. 

I do plan to make some purchases, though, because Black Friday is the biggest day of the year to save on big-ticket items. 

Instead of buying a bunch of items that will cost me $20 here, $50 there, and $500, I have three big purchases I want to make this year.

I decided on these three purchases for a variety of reasons:

• It benefits my family
• It makes people and myself happy
• It is useful or has a long shelf-life

These three purchases are:

• A treadmill
• A Roku Ultra streaming device + Milamart subscription
• A mattress 

I used to create my shopping list around each and every person in my family, but here’s the catch. There are ten of us. TEN. 

In previous years, I almost ripped my hair trying to find the perfect item for each of my family members. Two years ago, I opted instead to purchase big-ticket items that are not only useful, but they benefit the family.

Why a treadmill? Because I know that practically everyone in my family is going to use the treadmill. Plus, I noticed the fam has put on weight and this is a step in the right direction to help us get back in shape.

Why a Roku streaming device and a Milamart subscription? Because my family likes to watch Thai dramas. We used to live in Thailand before we moved to the United States in 2004. My parents don’t speak English so the Malimart subscription is my gift to them this holiday. Plus, this channel’s even got Chinese and Korean dramas in Thai dub. I may not be able to catch everything at 100%, but I can put two and two together to figure out what’s happening in the episode.

Why the mattress? The mattress is for me. But, I will be moving out soon. This is my gift to my older sister because she currently sleeps in the basement and her mattress is very old. 

Each of my gifts benefit my family, makes people and myself happy.

Instead of buying individual gifts, I opt instead to make purchases on big-ticket items that make my family happy.

As an added bonus, these items have a long life, so it should last for a few years. 

Before you purchase your niece or nephew that toy or that shirt, just think:

• Will this item make him or her happy?
• Will this item be used for a long time?
• Will this item benefit those around him or her?

Ultimately, it depends on what you value. There is nothing wrong with buying a toy or a shirt for someone. 

I am just making purchases based on my values and what I perceived to be the best use of my money.