Is Cyber Monday a Good Option for Holiday Shopping

                                                                          

Each year Americans accumulate the largest amount of debt during the holiday season start on Black Friday. If you don't have money to buy holidays gifts be honest with yourself, don’t go into debt to please someone else. Americans accumulate the largest amount of debt during the holiday season.  January and February have the highest number of bankruptcies and divorces filed.

Being in debt is no fun and makes you feel lousy.  If you go into debt every year during the holidays – now is the time to stop.  Repeating the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different result is "insanity".  Don't let the media, advertisements or other make you feel guilty for not buying a gift or for buying an inexpensive gift. 

The holidays are not about how much money you spend or about giving gifts, it is about celebrating the spending time with family and friends.  Most times people buy holiday gifts for someone they don’t like or buy gifts that are returned. Many shoppers wait until Cyber Monday to shop online and find bargains. However, use Cyber Monday with caution. Here are some things to consider when shopping on Cyber Monday.

Cyber Monday Good for Budgets

1. The best bargains are for electronics and large items such as TV’s and computers. 
2. Ability to purchase items online which offers you more time to comparison shop.

Cyber Monday Bad for Budgets

1. The worst bargains are for toys, HDTV’s, jewelry, clothing and luxury items.
2. The online sales use gimmicks, marked up prices and false advertisements.
3. Layaway is debt – 5% of total price, cancellation fee, and 5-10% price markups.

Here are 15 tips to help you when shipping on Cyber Monday.

1. Do research.  Buy your local newspaper, watch your local news to hear about store sales and specials or watch social media websites for deals.
2. Make a list.  Make a list of what you are going to buy and from what store.  You can get overwhelmed by all the sales and end up spending money you don't have.
3. Pay with cash.  Don't buy items with credit cards.  Purchase items with cash, check or debit cards.  Make sure you don't go over your limit with your debit card and end up overdrawing your account.
4. Rain check.  If an item is out of stock ask for a rain check and be sure that you can get the item for the same price.  Find out if an out of stock item will arrive to the store before Christmas.
5. Store gimmicks. If the store says "Limited Supply" it usually means there are 4-6 items in stock. If an item is out of stock be sure to get a rain check and go after the New Year to buy the item at the discounted price.
6. Free shipping.  Many companies offer free shopping starting on Black Friday through the holiday season.
7. Stock.  There are more items in stock online that in the actual stores.
8. Clearance. Shop clearance racks or clearance bins.  Most people will overlook these and focus on buying electronics and big ticket items.
9. Use Credit Card Rewards. Use credit card rewards such as cash back or points to buy holiday gifts. I earn points on my credit card and at the end of every year they expire. I use the points to buy gifts for the holiday.
10. Comparison Shop. Go to at least 3 stores to get price quotes to help you find the best deal. Some stores offer better deals during the Christmas holiday.
11. Online. Shop online to find better deals.
12. Price match. Ask about price match guarantees that honor competitor prices.
13. Returns. Verify the store return policy.
14. Early. Shop early to beat the crowd.
15. Save money. Look for items that have rebates or use coupons to save even more money. Follow companies on social media for alerts about discounts and specials.

Black Friday Shopping Tips

                                                                      
 

 

Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving and officially starts the Christmas holiday shopping season.  It is the day when many companies slash prices to lure customers into stores hoping to boost their sales during the last two months of the year. 

Black Friday has now been modified and some stores are implementing Pre-Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day sales.  Other stores start their sales at midnight on Thanksgiving Day.

According to data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal the best deals occur before or after Black Friday. The best deals can be found before Black Friday through the end of October. The same gifts can be purchased throughout the year for a lower price. 

The best bargains are for electronics and large items such as tv's and computers which can be purchased online.  Some companies are offering pre-black Friday sales and in some cases prices are better than black Friday sales.  Several websites, like Amazon, DealNews, RetailMeNot and DealDump, create online shopping bargains all in one place so shoppers can find them easily. Also look for black Friday sales on Twitter and Facebook.  Here are 15 reasons to shop online on black Friday instead of going to the stores.

1. Do research.  Buy your local Sunday or Wednesday newspaper or watch your local news to hear about store sales and specials.
2. Make a list.  Make a list of what you are going to buy and from what store.  You can get overwhelmed by all the sales and end up spending money you don't have. Don't go into debt just because you see something on sale.
3. Other stores.  Don't shop at stores that don't have black Friday sales or stores that are not on your list.
4. Pay with cash.  Don't buy items with credit cards.  Purchase items with cash, check or debit cards.  Make sure you don't go over your limit with your debit card and end up overdrawing your account.
5. Raincheck.  If an item is out of stock ask for a rain check and be sure that you can get the item for the same price.  Find out if new stock of the item will arrive before Christmas.
6. Store gimmicks. If the store says "Limited Supply" it usually means there are 4-6 items in stock. If an item is out of stock be sure to get a rain check and go after the New Year to buy the item at the discounted price.
7. Save gas.  You can shop in your pajamas instead of waiting in line at 6:00am or in the cold.
8. Free shipping.  Many companies offer free shopping starting on Black Friday through the holiday season.
9. Stock.  There are more items in stock online that in the actual stores.
10. Easier.  You can take your time and in some cases chat with online representatives to answer questions.
11. Stress.  Shopping online is less stressful than running through the stores, fighting for parking spaces, fighting over items on sale and waiting in long lines.
12. Safer.  Shopping online is much safer and you don't have to worry about getting elbowed or trampled over while shopping.
13. Security.  Don’t shop with companies you never heard of or with sites that don't have a https or shttp on the payment page, a mailing address and contact phone number. 
14. Set a budget.  The holidays should be more focused on spending time with family and friends and not about buying a gift.  If you have to buy a gift for a parent and child consider just buying a gift for the child.  Let the parent know you are cutting back this year and really can't afford a gift right now. 
15. Emotions. Don’t let peer pressure or guilt from family, friends or co-workers cause you to go into debt this holiday season.

  

Black Friday shopping has resulted in violence such as: fist fights, trampling, smashed glass doors, shootings, pushing of employees, calling the police, and even death.  If you insist on going to a store, ask yourself, if buying an item that may or may not really be a bargain worth getting injured for.  I will be shopping online. 

20 Ways to Save Money When Traveling During the Holidays

                                                                                     

Many American families are spread out across the country and this makes it difficult and expensive to get together during the holidays.  Everyone loves the holidays because it allows time to relax, see relatives, share stories and update each other about life events.  Americans work between 8-12 hours days, rush to work, rush to get the kids, rush home, rush to eat dinner and then repeat the entire process all over again the next day.  As a result many look forward to the holidays to take a break. 

If you plan on traveling to siblings, parents, in-laws, aunt, uncle, cousin or once removed relatives homes for the holidays plan your trip ahead of time to save money and reduce stress planning last minute travel details. You can still travel during the holidays without going into debt or going broke. 

This year since Thanksgiving is on a Thursday most travelers will leave on Wednesday to their destinations which will be more expensive and more congested.  However, this year Christmas is on a Wednesday so travel days should be less congested because travelers have one extra day to choose from when returning home.

Airfares vary based on the airline, time of day traveling, how far in advance the flight was booked, if the flight was booked during a holiday or other peak time, and passenger flight demands. Here are 20 ways to save money when traveling this holiday season. 

1. Limit. Set a spending limit for traveling and stick to it.
2. Day. Leave the morning of Thanksgiving Day and return on Saturday instead of Sunday to save up to 50% on travel costs.
3. In between. Travel prior to holidays and return prior to holidays. Schedule trip arrival and departure one week prior to Thanksgiving or Christmas to save money.
4. Booking. Book flights leaving on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. Also look for flights earlier in the day or late at night. Consider using non-U.S. airlines for international flights.
5. Alternate. Drive; take the train or bus to destinations to save money.
6. Family. You may be able to save money by booking flights for each person individually.
7. Split. Split airfares by booking two one-way tickets or mix and match airlines to save money.
8. Early. If possible book flights at least one to three months in advance.
9. Huddle. Stay with friends or relatives to save money on hotel costs.
10. Strangers. If traveling alone, stay with strangers by using a service called Couch Surfing www.couchsurfing.com that allows people to open their homes to strangers who are traveling and need a couch to sleep on.
11. Negotiate. Comparison shop and get at least 3 quotes. Contact the hotel directly to negotiate prices or state competitor prices to get bargains.
12. Airports. Consider traveling to smaller nearby airports instead of larger airports.
13. Package. Look for package deals on sites like AAA, Apple Vacations, Priceline, Orbitz or Expedia.
14. Offseason. Travel to warm places in offseason such as during the Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday season to save money. Most people travel to warm places during the summer.
15. Internet. Use social media to find deals.
16. Lodging.  Rental vacation homes or timeshares to save money on hotel costs. Use sites like www.airbnb.com or www.vrbo.com.  Look at hotels in downtown areas that have fewer customers during the holidays.
17. Use coupons. Use coupons of promotional codes to save money on car rentals, airfare, hotels, etc. with sites like www.promotionalcodes.com or www.couponwinner.com.
18. Join clubs. Join travel clubs to save money with sites like tripalertz.com, sniqueaway.com, or jetsetter.com. 
19. Miles. Use earned miles to book flights.
20. Extras. Buy parking or sight-seeing tours with your airfare to save money.

11 Money Savings Tips on Heating Costs

                                                                    

This year's winter season has not seemed like a normal winter season where in some parts of the country temperatures were in the 70's and 80's even until the last week of October.  For utility companies specifically the gas company, the winter season begins October 1 and ends March 31. The warm weather has decreased expected revenue for gas companies.

Approximately 52% of all U.S. homes depend on natural gas as their primary heating fuel and will pay more this winter season.  Approximately 6% of all U.S. homes use propane for heating will pay more than last year.  Approximately 7% of U.S. homes depend on heating oil and may pay more this winter.  

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) consumers will see an increase in heating costs this winter.  In some states consumers have already seen temperatures drop to the 30s in October and November. If heating oil prices keep increasing utility companies will pass the additional costs to consumers by charging higher rates. Here are 11 ways to keep heating costs low this winter season.

1. Check. Schedule annual checks on your heating system such as your furnace before the winter season begins. It is best to get a checkup during the summer months when business is slow. If you haven’t scheduled one due so now to ensure your heating system works at optimal performance.
2. Thermostat. Keep heat between 66 and 68 degrees.  Turn heat on during the normal time you would arrive home from work.
3. Insulate.  Insulate your home, attic, basement, walls, crawl spaces, hot water pipes, ducts, furnace, windows and door to save money on heating and cooling.
4. Solar window film. Switch your plastic window film to solar window film to help keep you home cooler by reducing utility costs.  The film prevents the sun’s rays from entering your home and reduces the need for air conditioning.  This is most effective in areas where winters are mild. 
5. Drafts. Cover drafty winds with plastic insulation.  Cover drafty doors with insulation or a throw rug to keep air out. Consider replacing drafty windows for extra savings. Seal any drafts around chimneys, pipes, light fixtures, doors or electrical outlets which can reduce your heating costs by 30%. Hang curtains to seal drafts from windows.
6. Automate. Install a programmable thermostat. Lower the temperature setting while away from home and during the day.
7. Water Heater. Buy a home water heater insulator to keep the water hot longer and reduce the amount of gas needed to heat the hot water heater.
8. Layers. Wear additional clothes during the day to prevent turning up the thermostat.  Open blinds or curtains to let sunlight in during the day to keep the house warm. 
9. Use fans. Use ceiling fans and run in the opposite direction to circulate heat.
10. Cover floors. Carpet floors to retain heat and keep floors warm.
11. Inspection. Sign up for a free energy audit with your gas or electric company or city energy office to see if there are ways you can save money on heating costs.