It’s time to gear up for Black Friday’s sidekick Cyber Monday.Use these tips to load your online shopping cart with savings:
Spreadsheet Organization
Create a list with recipient names, gift ideas and addresses in advance – you won’t accidentally buy 3 gifts for your boss and forget about dear Aunt Sally
Check Portals
Research ahead of time who’s got what. CyberMonday2012.com, highlight deals from hundreds of online retailers. Sign up for email alerts and use their comparison tools to see who can give you the best price.
Use Group Savings Sites and Apps
Check out all the daily deals from Living Social, Groupon, Saveology and Amazon Local for both national and local deals. In addition, load TGI Cyber Monday by Swagger Media LLC onto your smartphone. Use this app to browse all of this year’s top Cyber Monday deals from over 50 of the top retailers in the world, including Amazon, Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Best Buy, and many more. Deals, specials, and offers will constantly be updated in order to ensure you save the most on all of the items on your shopping list.
Share the deals on Facebook, Twitter, email or text, and browse specific categories and retailers in order to find exactly what you are looking for. You can “Shop Now” to take advantage of these specials and sales directly on your device, create a personal shopping lists and email it to yourself or others. Your shopping list will be saved so when you return to the app to continue your shopping.
Know Your Prices and Track Your Favorite Sites
Use Google.com/Products to compare prices online to determine if it’s a good deal or not. Know if your deal is a ‘Doorbuster’, as these have an extremely limited supply, and look for “limited quantities” wording – you have to be at the front of the virtual line to take advantage of these offers. Know when sales start and don’t procrastinate. Also, follow daily online deals – this week, sites like Amazon Lightning Deals and Target Daily Deals will offer fabulous discounts. Use your gift list to check promotions at your favorite sites now in order to take advantage Cyber Monday.
Download FreePriceAlerts.com to select products on the site of over 100 retailers to help monitor your marked products. When the price on the product you want drops, you get a notification email.
Get on the ‘List’ and Know Return Policies
Sign up at your favorite store sites to receive exclusive coupons and sneak peeks. While there, read the return policy to ensure a recipient can return products in-store if it’s the wrong size or defective.
Don’t Shop At Work
Don’t let shopping cost you your job. According to a CareerBuilder study, 22 percent of companies fired employees for using the Internet for non-work activity and 7 percent of human resource managers fired an employee specifically for holiday shopping. Keep the price hunting to lunch or break time. No sense tempting fate and the unemployment line.
Use Free Shipping Codes and Combine Savings
Many Cyber Monday deals will offer free shipping. In order to reap the best deals, combine sales and free shipping offers with a coupon code. Visit sites like Couponcabin.com to search for your store. You’ll find coupons, promo and free shipping codes to stack. Also send your gift directly to the recipients and consider signing up for the following: Amazon Prime, ShopRunner, or Free UPS My Choice.
Shop for Free
Cash in those points you’ve earned on sites like Swagbucks.com or visit your major credit card site. Redeem those rewards points for gift cards to places like Amazon.com, Lowes or JcPenney, earn “free monee” by paying with your credit card on Cyber Monday, or select other gifts for friends and family.
Ship to Store
Many online retailers offer free shipping when you ship to your local store for pick up, saving you shipping charges.
Use Cash Back and Rebate Site
Always shop through Cash Back and Rebate sites such as Ebates, ShopatHome, FatWallet and others to earn cash back with each transaction. These sites link to over 1,000 retailers with higher cash back percentages during the holidays.
Use Your Credit Card and Stick To Reputable Sites
Use a credit card for online purchases and only purchase through reputable sites. During the holiday season, many fraudulent sites pop up with deals too good to be true. Don’t lose out by shopping at a questionable site.
Pay Attention to Extra Charges
Shipping, handling and taxes can easily double the cost of an inexpensive gift, as well as gift wrapping or shipping to multiple locations. Be aware that the fantastic price online may not include these extra charges, and sites may not disclose those fees until after you’ve put the item in your cart. If it costs you an extra $10 to split the shipment or gift wrap an item, this is not much of a savings. Before you click “buy” make sure you know the final cost and how it stacks up with deals at other sites.
Don’t Buy Items You Don’t Need
Your mission is to purchase the gifts you need at the price you want, not to save money on stuff you’ll never use. Don’t buy something just because it’s practically free, or the pop up ad looks enticing. Stay within your budget. The best gift you can give your family is financial security.