Shopping Tips & Social Media

Buy one get one free, 50 % off, and door buster sales are just some of the bargains that shoppers will be seeing this Holiday season. For many of us shopping on a budget is a must this year. So before you start out the door with your shopping list, here’s a quick check list for you.

Black Friday! The day after Thanksgiving is a typical huge day for shopping. Stores open early and stay open late. Special deals are offered to the first 50 to 100 in line waiting to go into the store. One store gave huge discounts on the popular video game Guitar Hero. However you had to be in line the night before. Many determined parents chose to fight the cold temps and get that special gift.

One friend of mine was determined to get her daughter a laptop. One specialty store had laptops for sale for fewer than 300 dollars. So her plan, early to bed and early to rise, there she was in line this morning. Only to find that her effort was going to cost more than what she intended. The specialty store had only a “limited” amount of those laptops in stock. However for one hundred dollars more she could have this other laptop. She strolled out of the store with a new laptop minus 400 dollars.

Any financial advisor will give you the same advice. Pay with cash only and stay away from the credit cards. These two rules to follow will keep you out of cash flow trouble. Houston financial advisor, Richard Rosso, suggest you make a shopping list with who you are buying for but also what gift you are buying for each person. Rosso also suggest you put your budget on your cell phone. Have a constant reminder and track your money on your iphone or blackberry.

Cyber Monday is only days away. Here’s a new way to look for deals. Use facebook and twitter as your online shopping tools. Look up your favorite stores and "friend" or "follow" them. Stores have vested more into their Social Media platform. This will give you a position to be the first to know about sales or deals that are being offered.

Web sites are the place to get online coupons. Shoppers, make sure to look for those specialty items that will be hard to find in a store. For example, that pink colored digital camera, that camo color bed comforter or that size jacket will be easy to find first on a Web site rather than walking miles of a shopping mall.

So be sure to check your list twice once online and then with your budget. Here’s to a safe holiday and a healthy checkbook.