Black Friday: How the new frugality affects what we buy

The recession swept across this country like a storm; hitting hard and wreaking noticeable damage. In response, a lot of Americans began making more responsible financial decisions, paid more attention to their savings and began consuming more consciously and cooperatively. John Gerzema and Michael D'Antonio's term for this is "spend shift."

As Black Friday casts its long shadow, it's an interesting time to discuss this new conscious consumerism.