For your Thanksgiving weekend reading, we keep is short and sweet and on topic. Safe travels if you are traveling, enjoy time with friends and family, and if you have some time to read, here are a few interesting tidbits about each day of the coming week.

Thanksgiving

• The cost of your Thanksgiving dinner is actually down 4.5% from last year—certainly something to be thankful for. (NPR)
• And getting to that Thanksgiving dinner is also cheaper this year, with gasoline prices down about 40 cents/gallon on average, and airfares down by double digits in many cases. (NYT)
• You can fuel up and join the 182 million people planning to shop this holiday weekend, up almost 16 million from last year and the highest number since this organization began tracking it in 2017. (National Retail Federation)

Black Friday to Cyber Monday (Week)

• Here are some statistics about Black Friday/Cyber week. (Tech Target)
• Black Friday started very early this year. (NBC)
• What time do your favorite stores open for Black Friday? (CNet)
• Where will shoppers likely find good bargains this year? (Reuters)
• People are planning to spend a lot this year, and not just on holiday gifts. (Axios)

Small Business Saturday

• If you want to avoid crowds on Friday and support your local small businesses on Saturday, Google provides a new filter map to help you locate what you are looking for. (USA Today)

Giving Tuesday

• Finally, here is some advice about using credit cards if you are planning to participate in Giving Tuesday. (Bankrate)

About the Author

Beth Tallman

Beth Tallman entered the working world armed with an MBA in finance and thoroughly enjoyed her first career working in manufacturing and telecommunications, including a stint overseas. She took advantage of an involuntary separation to try teaching high school math, something she had always dreamed of doing. When fate stepped in once again, Beth jumped on the opportunity to combine her passion for numbers, money, and education to develop curriculum and teach personal finance at Oberlin College. Beth now spends her time writing on personal finance and financial education, conducts student workshops, and develops finance curricula and educational content. She is also the Treasurer of Ohio Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy.