Black Friday

What do you think of when you hear Black Friday?

Is it something like this? Tons of people packed in a store just to get a Tickle Me Elmo? Does the thought of Black Friday make you want to sleep in and snuggle up with a blanket and cup of hot cocoa?

Well, there is a better way to do Black Friday, I promise.

It's no secret that the economy is in bad shape this year. This means people are going to be spending less on their Christmas, and will be extremely choosy about how they spend their hard-earned money.  Stores are beginning earlier than ever to start their deals. As I've been scanning the leaked Black Friday ads, I've noticed that there just isn't anything that I'm dying to stand in line for this year.  It's mostly mediocre deals on stuff I'm not really interested in. Plus, I'm 6 months pregnant, I can't stand in a line for hours.

But, you'd be crazy not to cash in on the deals going on online this year. Amazon.com just released on their website that they will be lowering their prices to match many of the Black Friday and pre-Black Friday ads of other retailers. There are a few reasons why this is awesome. Go to the link Deals Week

• You don't have to stand in a line. Period.
• Amazon.com has an excellent consumer rating system. So, when you're wondering if that camcorder, TV, or Blu-Ray player is a piece of junk, the ratings from real people will tell you.
• Free shipping on orders over $25. Also, if you sign up for their free trial of Amazon Prime, you get free 2-day shipping on everything for a month. Sign up for Black Friday, and you get fast free shipping for the entire holiday season.
• Great return policy.

Follow Amazon.com on Twitter at @amazondeals. They will be tweeting some of their best deals throughout the week.

Amazon.com isn't the only store that is having their Black Friday deals online. Here are a few of the others that will be worth checking out.

• Kohls.com
• JCPenny.com 
• ToysRUs.com 

So, my strategy this year is to stay up late on Thursday evening and spend some quality time on Pinching Your Pennies' Online Deals thread. Many of the deals will go into effect online at midnight EST, which is 9 pm MST where I live.  If there is still something I have left to get after my online shopping, I'll mozy on over to a few stores at about 8-9 am in the morning. The lines will be shorter. Yes, some things will be picked through, and you may not get the HOT deals, but you will be warm and not tired. Trust me, last year I did the 9 am method and it worked out great. I got everything I wanted.

Here's a couple quick pointers about shopping online:

• It doesn't take much time to comparison shop online, so do it.
• Always check for additional coupon codes/promotional codes before you check out
• Retailmenot.com is the most comprehensive I've seen
• Pinchingyourpennies has a database as well
• It's easy to go over budget on online purchases, so make sure you have a clear idea in mind of what you want before you begin.

Happy Black Friday shopping! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask questions in the comments, or email me.