Black Friday / Cyber Monday Mayhem!

ow. Black Friday and Cyber Monday completely wiped me out! I told myself that I would NOT go shopping this weekend, especially not at a mall. But I was in New Jersey heading to work and the Boyfriend and I had a lot of time to kill so....long story short we ended up at Garden State Plaza, one of the largest malls in the area. Boy was it chaotic in there! But I did get some amazing deals and pretty much finished all of my Christmas shopping! I always end up buying and returning because things always seem to goes on sale the day after I buy them or I find something else I like better. This season was no exception. I already have boxes from Bloomingdales and Ann Taylor in my house and I'm about to stop by Ann's tomorrow to return some things. I DID, however, make some purchases for myself. I can't resist the sales....they're too good to pass up!

Here are some Holiday Shopping Tips:
1) Always keep your purchases stowed away in a safe spot, and keep ALL of your receipts. Sales keep happening and what you thought was a good deal is likely to become a better one and you may qualify for a price adjustment!
2) Again, keep your receipts! There are always bigger sales happening closer to Christmas so you might find a better and more affordable present.
3) Order online if you can. I say this to help you preserve your sanity. There are a lot of Free Shipping deals, take advantage!
4) If shopping online make sure you first google for any promotion/coupon codes. I always do that and I pretty much always find a coupon of some sort! (I got $10 off my new boots!)
5) If purchasing online make sure you go through "ebates". Ebates is basically an online discount site. You log onto ebates.com, then search for the store you are looking for, and click on the store's site. MAKE SURE you click on the store through ebates so that they can track you. Ebates provides at least a 2%-10% discount on each purchase. Hey...every penny counts and you get $$ for signing up! Leave me a comment if you want to get referred!
6) Buy boxes, gift bags, and tissue paper well in advance. Go to a craft shop like AC Moore to get a better and prettier deal!
7) Buy lots of gifts for people! What I mean is....everyone loves opening multiple gifts. If you can afford to do so, buy everyone at least 3 gifts! Even if they are small things that cost $.50, everyone loves to open lots of gifts!

That's all I got for now. But let me show you my most recent purchase (gift from the Boyfriend):

{Nine West Takedown Boots, 30% off plus $10 off coupon plus free shipping!}