Like any adventure prior to stepping out, setting sail, or boarding you need to do your legwork or in this case, your fingers need to do the walking. Cyber Monday deals are no joke if you start early and plan accordingly! Like anything in life, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.
Determine your budget and STICK TO IT!
This is where many consumers go wrong! They have a budget but do not stick with it, they go slightly over at one retailer, a smidge over at another, and before they know it they are hundreds of dollars over their budget. Keep track of your spending and error on the side of caution, for example, prior to shopping I automatically remove at least $30 from my budget for unforeseen fees.
Make Your Gift List Early
Make your list of who you need to shop for, how much you’re budgeting per person, and what retailers you have in mind. For example, my teenagers are obsessed with hoodies, sweatshirts, and sweatsuits, doesn’t matter the season or the occasion, that is pretty much the extent of their wardrobes these days. I have budgeted at least enough to purchase two outfits for each and have even saved the hyperlinks in a Google Sheets document. For example, if you go across, I have my child’s name, then my budgeted amount to spend, followed by a description of each of their items with a link and amount, for example, my youngest wants a Blue Cozy Sweatshirt (-$60).
Bookmark Favorite Retailers
Make certain you have bookmarked all your favorite retailers for easy access to all the deals come Monday morning.
Sign up for Retailer’s Newsletters and follow them on Social Media
There are additional deals included in newsletters and on social media outlets so be sure to double-check both prior to shopping. For example, just by signing up for the adidas newsletter, I am receiving 15% off.
Research ALL the deals, coupons, gift cards, etc.
Retailers will have specific codes for promotions, offer additional discounts to cardholders, and options to even stack coupons. Do your due diligence and research retailers’ policies with stacking discounts, promo codes, etc. before Cyber Monday. Do the math, will you save more if you divide that order into separate smaller transactions or is it beneficial to have one large transaction to save the most?
Research Shipping Policies and Fees
This is where Cyber Monday can get pricy if you are not cognizant of the fine print. There is nothing worse than doing all the recon work, being on a budget then seeing that initial screen and the shipping is astronomical!
Early Bird Gets the Worm and Night Owls Prosper!
Some retailers run specials throughout the day on Cyber Monday, and some appliances, tech, and gaming retailers will run hourly specials on specific products, so start early and stay up late for the best deals.
Do you have any Cyber Monday tips to add? Please feel free to share this post with friends and drop comments below…
Mom on the go in Holy Toledo 