A new TV or life insurance? You decide...

The sales figures from Black Friday are in. So how is America’s economy doing during the most wonderful time of the year?

Looks like overall sales were down, but the shoppers who spent bought more than they did last year, so the sales figures aren’t as bad as they seem. Overall, traffic was down 9.2%, according to RetailNext. However, the value of an average purchase went up 11.5%, offsetting that dip in sales.

One reason for this shift in traffic vs. purchase price is the educated consumer. People are researching what they plan to buy–and then sticking with that plan. These days, fewer shoppers head out randomly, unsure of what they’ll buy until they see it. More and more, people do their homework online, know exactly where they’re headed, what they’ll buy, and what price they will pay.

Interestingly, RetailNext also reported that almost half (47.5%) of Black Friday sales happened…drumroll, please…between 11 am and 3 pm.  NOT at 6 am or 4 am or whatever other ungodly hour stores opened their doors to frenzied people who just had to save a hundred bucks on an LCD TV.

It sounds like these folks know the value of a good night’s sleep…and that calling in sick to camp out for 3 days in front of Best Buy might not quite be worth the $250 savings they’re after.

Something else to consider:  as you’re dropping hundreds (or thousands) as the cash register, ask yourself if that’s money well spent.Could you put that money toward a college education, or a life insurance policy?

Life insurance is cheaper than you think–we ran some numbers, and a healthy non-smoking 38-year-old man can buy a 20-year-term-life policy for $250,000 for about $16/month.  That’s a ballpark figure, of course, but it shows you just how inexpensive life insurance can be.  If this hypothetical 38-year-old wanted a million-dollar 20-year term policy, he’d pay about $45/month.  That’s less than many data  plans or the cost of one new video game.

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