Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday

Sleep in. Or be surrounded by these lovely people...

I love a good deal, but I do draw the line somewhere. Honestly, I would rather pay $5 more and not have to wake up at 3am on Black Friday only to try and outrun others who have been prepping for this day the entire year (think the lady from those Target commercials). Now, for some, I get that this is your Everest - a challenge to train for and your blood, sweat and tears go into the gifts you buy (no, really, literally).

I'm not totally knocking Black Friday. Last year my cousins and I, once we realized we were still up at 1AM, decided it would be cool to go to Best Buy at 3AM to get the new Rock Band. Well, 3AM rolled aound and once we realized that there was not a sober driver among us (hey, it was Thanksgiving) we put our lofty Black Friday dreams to rest. But really, unless you're looking to buy some big ticket electronic items, I'd say skip the madness of the early morning rush.

For those of you who like to sleep, Cyber Monday is a growng trend among retailers and consumers. Cyber Monday is the Monday immediately following Black Friday, when hundreds of online stores slash their prices to kick off the holiday season. In most cases, some of these discounts are just as good, or even better than the stores. Most also offer free shipping so you're looking to spend the same amount had you gone to the store. Remember, if you're making a big purchase this time of year (i.e. a laptop, blu-ray player, TV) it's crucial to do some price comparisons. Spending 30 min to an hour doing a little bit of research could save you as much as $100.

Go to CyberMonday to compare the best deals at your favorite stores. And online deals aren't just for Monday the 29th! Lots of retailers will be matching many of their Black Friday store deals online, too. So keep an eye open! What's at the top of your shopping list this year?