I posted last week about being a Black Friday scrooge, but Cyber Monday is a WHOLE different ball game! I absolutely love Cyber Monday...shopping online is so much more fun and easy and the deals can be even better when you add in discount codes and cash back sites. Here are some of my tips for how to score some great deals tomorrow!
~*~First and foremost, if you aren't already using cash back sites, NOW is the time to start. My personal favorite is Shop at Home because of their 110% guarantee that they have the best cash back deals and for ease of use. But I also have used Ebates and I really like that one, too. If you aren't familiar with these sites, they couldn't be easier to use. First, sign up for a FREE account (HERE for Shop at Home and/or HERE for Ebates). You will get a $5 bonus just for signing up and making your first purchase...free money already! Then, when you are ready to shop online, visit the cash back site first and search for the online retailer you are interested in. Click on the "Shop Now" link and a new window will open up with that store's site...when you make a purchase in that window you will get a percentage of your purchase back! The sites vary in how they send your money to you, but in general you will get a check every quarter or when you reach a certain threshold. And YES, these sites are legit...I have gotten many many checks from both of them! So, don't click "check out" unless you have clicked through one of these sites first! And on Cyber Monday these sites are running bonus deals where you will get double or even triple cash back for select stores.
~*~One of my top sites for Cyber Monday (and really all during December) is Amazon.com. Go HERE for Amazon's Cyber Monday page...they will have "Lightning Deals" all day on Monday (in fact, they have already started!) and some of the deals are sure to be HOT ones. On Black Friday we saw Kindles for $89, Wii Fits for $67, and more...I'm sure the deals on Monday will be just as great! (Unfortunately Amazon does not participate in any cash back sites, so you can just click directly to Amazon for their deals).
~*~A good way to see a ton of hot deals is to check out the forums at GottaDeal.com or SlickDeals.com. I prefer GottaDeal b/c it's a little easier to navigate, but both will be loaded with hot deals tomorrow!
~*~Most retailers are offering some kind of free shipping on Cyber Monday, whether it's free shipping on any purchase or free shipping if you spend a certain amount. Most big retailers will have these codes or deals on their home pages, but if you don't see a deal, do a quick search for free shipping codes before you buy. Not ALL stores will offer it, but it's pretty standard on Cyber Monday.
~*~Also, you may want to take some time this evening to sign up for the email lists for your favorite online retailers if you aren't already on their distribution lists...most will send out their hottest deals to their loyal customers. Or, even better, "Like" the Facebook pages of your favorite retailers...you are sure to see lots of deals popping up on Facebook tomorrow, too!
~*~My last tip is to take your time when making an online purchase. Yes, some deals like Amazon's "Lightning Deals" will expire if you don't jump on them. But no matter what you should take a few minutes (or seconds) to think about your purchase before you click "buy." If it is an item that you KNOW you need/want, then go ahead and buy it. But if you find a hot deal on something you weren't planning on buying, take a minute to do some research...read reviews online, make sure that the price you are getting is good, and think about whether you really need/want the item. A big drawback of shopping online is that it's SO easy to just keep adding and adding things to your cart without realizing how much you are spending. And clicking "buy" online doesn't seem to have as much of an impact on us as shoppers as actually having to look at everything in your cart when you are checking out at a physical store. So taking a minute to be SURE about your purchases can really help.
~*~One more thing...read Tracie's blog post here on KCParent.com from last week about how to keep your personal information safe when you are shopping online.