Online Shopping - Finding the Deals 

The arrival of Black Friday marked the beginning of the holiday shopping season. Just like Santa, the veteran shopper is making a list and checking it twice. They’re on the hunt for the perfect gift at a bargain price regardless of who has been naughty or nice. The malls are packed with people and the parking lots are full. And if you can tolerate the chaos that comes with the hunt, then you’re bound to find a great deal.

I, on the other hand, don’t enjoy the crowds that accompany my quest for the perfect gift. Unfortunately, the holiday cheer that is supposed to usher in the yuletide seems to fall short of the local shopping center doors. So this year, I took a different approach to my Christmas purchases - I did it all online. 

Although some people would think that takes the fun out of looking for the deal of the century, I would have to disagree. Hunting for a great sale online can be just as rewarding as searching the sale racks at your local discount store. And the best part is being able to do it from the comfort of your own home, with your feet propped up while watching Grey’s Anatomy.  

Shopping online doesn’t have to consist of searching Nextag.com, Dealtime.com and Pricegrabber.com for a great price. With a few quick tips you too can become a pro at cruising the web. 

The easiest and quickest way to find out the current promotions or discounts for your favorite store is to do an online search containing the store name plus the words “coupon codes”. For example, if you want to know what promotions Eddie Bauer is offering type “Eddie Bauer Coupon Codes” in your favorite search engine. The results of the search will include a list of coupon codes for the Eddie Bauer and a description of the promotion discount. After you shop the store, enter the coupon code during the check-out process and presto, instant savings.

• If you don’t want to do a general search, you can use a website that is designed to find coupon codes. Here are a few sites to check out: www.couponcraze.com, www.couponcabin.com, and www.freelancebyu.com. It is worth checking out multiple sites to make sure you find all the available promotions.

• Restaurant.com is another site where you can find discounted gift certificates. Enter the area code or state of the restaurant you’re looking for and a listing of area restaurants will appear. You can easily purchase a $25 gift certificate for $10.

• One of my favorite places to search for online promotions is Upromise.com. The website allows users to save money for their children’s college buy shopping online. In addition to online discounts for members, users of the site also receive a percentage of each of their purchases back. For example, Land’s End is currently giving 5% of your purchase back to your Upromise account. So if you spend $100, you receive $5 back plus any other promotions they maybe offering – such as free shipping. You can also receive money back on your grocery purchases by simply registering your shopping card. I earn money each time I visit Harris Teeter.

• And when all else fails, type in the word “HOLIDAY” under promotion codes during the checkout process and you may get lucky. Many online retailers using the code to offer free shipping on your purchase.

So far this year, I’ve saved $150 on my purchases, earned $25 in rewards, and had everything shipped for free. It took me about three hours to do my holiday shopping without spending any money on gas or waiting in long lines. Who knows, maybe I can use the money I’ve saved for a day of pampering to keep my holidays stress free.