Cyber Monday Deals and More

Yes, the Cyber Monday deals are rolling into my junk mail box every hour. Black Friday for 2011 was a great success with sales going over normal by 6.6%, which is great for our economy. I still enjoy shopping online, though. Black Friday deals are not worth the crowd, the rudeness, the pushing and shoving to get to that one great product, or the newly added pepper spray attack – really? Nope, I enjoyed my Friday shopping online at Kohl’s, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, and Harry and David. I also went to local businesses for gift certificates and unique gifts.

Now, Cyber Monday is already upon us, and I am ready. Since I do not enjoy shopping in crowds, I love shopping online and getting the Cyber Monday deals. I am going to take advantage of the Cyber Monday deals that come to my junk mail with their online coupon codes. I already have some great ideas for clothes from JC Penney, Kohl’s, Express, and Ann Taylor. I am the most frugal of shoppers. If I cannot buy it on sale, I do not buy it at all. You must beware of whether it is an actual online deal or not. A good way to check is to look up the previous online flyers for the stores that allow it or, if you saved them, going through the past few Sunday paper flyers.

One great gift idea comes from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. The NuWave Pro Infrared Oven is a great gift. I would not buy it at full price, though ($139.99). I bought mine with a 20% off online coupon. Because of Cyber Monday, they were offering free shipping if you spent over $100 – Bonus! It cost $120. Because our economy has been so bad, the offer came to my junk mail before Thanksgiving with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday promises of more deals to come. I bought one and roasted my fourteen pound frozen turkey for five hours, basting it with olive oil and butter, and stuffing it with an apple, three stalks of celery cut up, and a quarter of an onion. Moist and delicious turkey was the result without worrying about thawing and using up oven space that I needed for other Thanksgiving dishes. In a nutshell, I bought my Christmas gift from my husband with his blessing. He hates to shop worse than I do, so online deals were the best route for us.

The deals are out there and they are snowballing with Cyber Monday. If you like a specific store, go to its website and sign up for the deals. I never add them as a contact to fill up my inbox unless they are infrequent senders that I might miss. Signing up and letting them go straight to your junk or trash mail makes it easy for you to click on the link, go through their products, checkout with the coupon code – you cannot forget the coupon code – then sit back and wait for it to arrive or opt to pick it up at the store or have it sent on a specific date as gifts for out-of-town loved ones and friends. Some stores even offer a gift wrapping service for a fee. I never choose that because I love getting a box in the mail or from UPS or FedEx. I open them with the same childlike anticipation I would have ripping Christmas wrapping paper. Some people are not as easily pleased as I am, and I must admit sending it with gift wrapping is probably classier.

So, sit down to your computer and finish your Christmas shopping. I want to share a little secret about Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals, though. I think you will see the same deals and possibly even better deals during the Christmas season.

My favorite gift idea is giving gift certificates so my whole family can go shopping after Christmas and get the 70 and 80% off sales. We get to choose when we go and end up choosing what we want and more of those items because the stores are moving out the merchandise to get ready for the Spring items. You may not like this seemingly impersonal gift, though, but making it a family outing causes it to be a fun experience.

Whichever way you choose to shop, try to stay in a set limit. It is easy to over spend with a computer in front of you and a credit card in your hand. Remember, don’t ruin the rest of your year by getting a bill that you are going to have pay off with interest for months or even years to come. Shopping with Cyber Monday deals can be great, but your family and friends don’t want you to go in the hole.

© sholland10 2011. All rights reserved.

Christmas Music and Gifts for Everyone