Asking me if I shop on Cyber Monday is a silly question, I’ll take any excuse, or holiday to shop my heart out, but Cyber Monday, I would never miss that.

To prepare for Cyber Monday, there are a few things I like to do beforehand:

  1. Budget

Make a budget; break it down for what you want to purchase and how much you are willing to spend on each item on your wish list. Stick to this budget! You’ll be happy you did once you start getting the bills.

  1. Make a List

This list should include all the items that you want to purchase and where you want to purchase them.

  1. Check Shipping & Handling guidelines, as well as the Return Policy

I always make sure I know what it’s going to cost me to get the items I want, as well as the return policy. Knowing these two things will make the actual shopping part ten times easier since you already know all the facts.

  1. Check and Compare Prices

Always check the regular prices of the item before Cyber Monday, as well as compare prices on different sites. You never know, the item may already be marked down or for a lower price somewhere else.

  1. Subscribe to Newsletters

By subscribing to your favorite stores newsletters, you are guaranteed to receive emails about items and discounts available on the big day. Insert shameless plug here: Don’t forget to subscribe to Lovable Labels newsletter as you will be the first to receive information about sales, discounts and new products. 🙂

The above five tips can all be done prior to Cyber Monday, and will insure that you are ready to go first thing Monday morning. There are a couple things that I like to do the day of, to insure my shopping goes as smoothly as possible.

  1. Wi-Fi

Insure that you are in a location, where a steady Wi-Fi connection is not going to be an issue (so maybe not at the local Starbucks, where the Wi-Fi cuts in and out ). Nobody wants their cart to be emptied in the middle of their check out.

  1. Save the Shipping

In order to save you the most money, consider buying multiple items from one online store. By buying multiple items from one store you will pay for one shipping option instead of multiple.

  1. Final Sale No-No

Don’t buy final sale items, unless you are ABSOLUTELY sure. If there is any doubt in your mind that the item won’t fit right or your daughter or son might change their mind don’t buy it, it will save you money in the long run!

  1. Be Patient

With Cyber Monday Sales, comes a crazy amount of people all wanting to get on the same website. Make sure you give yourself enough time to get on the site and checkout, as sites are bound to be a little slower than normal.  So on your 10 minute coffee break at work may not be the best time to do it; it may be safer to wait until you get home.

Lastly, not only do these tips help me prepare before the big day but they also help me make conscious decisions that I am spending my hard earned money on.

Here are a few more tips and questions to ask yourself before buying items this Cyber Monday!

  • Only buy it if you can’t live without! (Ask yourself, is this what I really want, or do I just want it cause it’s a good deal)
  • Is it worth is? (Is it made with quality or will I only get minimal use out of it?)
  • Is it in my budget?
  • Have fun and smile! You are skipping the lines and can wear your P’J’s – whats not to love about that?!