Year after year I swear off Black Friday, only to be lured in by the promise of exclusive, insane savings on everything from toys to electronics and full-size vehicles. It’s my own fault for falling for it again and again. But budgets and children’s Christmas lists often clash, persuading me to set my alarm for a ridiculously early hour “just this one last time.” In case you haven’t already had the debate with yourself, I offer here the arguments my inner shopper and I have had more than once when I’m attempting to convince her to let me sleep in:

I’ll Over-Spend (on Stuff I Don’t Need)

Did you ever hear about the young husband who found his wife struggling to carry a 30 pound bag of dog food into the house from the car? When he pointed out that they didn’t own a dog and asked her why she bought such a big bag of food, she responded, “But I had a coupon for 50 percent off — that’s a $15 savings per bag. I bought 10 bags — we saved $150!” It’s that way of thinking that the stores count on every Black Friday, and I do my part to go with the flow. As Divine Caroline points out, stores know people tend to buy more than they normally would if the items are discounted. But a bargain is no bargain unless you were going to buy those items anyway.

Some Sales are the Real Deal

It’s true, for every 10 bogus door-buster and minimally discounted items, there actually are some sales that are worth depriving yourself of sleep and braving the sale-maddened crowds. Television prices start dropping around Black Friday and continue dropping through January. If you have a few movie and video game fanatics on your Christmas list, you’ll be hard pressed to find better deals on those stocking stuffers than the day after Thanksgiving. Bankrate.com says that Black Friday is the best time of year to find amazingly low prices on boxed sets of movies or TV shows.

No Pie for Breakfast

Every family has its traditions, and one of ours is “punkin” pie and cinnamon coffee with a shot of Bailey’s (for the adults) for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. Getting up early and hitting the mall for those supposedly special prices means foregoing this beloved tradition, at least for those of us who get up and go. The ones left at home still get to enjoy their leisurely and decadent breakfast…and leave the dishes for me. It hardly seems like a fair trade-off. As Digital Trends asks: the bargains that require you to sacrifice QT with your pumpkin pie should be even better, doncha think?

The Stores I Can’t Deny

It doesn’t matter what I’m called to give up, I have a (very) short list of stores that I just can’t turn down on Black Friday. Truth be told, it’s not that I give in to my fears about going over-budget on Christmas. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t miss out on Black Friday at those stores that are near and dear to my heart. Macy’s sales, for instance, are mood-altering, spiritual experiences for me. I can always find something I cannot live without if I spend enough time perusing the clothing, house wares and cosmetics departments. And that’s during a normal sale. Black Friday? Fuggeddaboudit! Yeah, I may complain, but I have no illusions about missing the Black Friday sales anytime in the near — or distant — future.

*This post was written by Erica Valdez.