Christmas in Texas

Days
'Til
Christmas!

Holiday Hints Index

Save Holiday Dollars Online

Makin' a List...

• Building Christmas Memories
• Save Holiday Dollars Online
• Keeping Santa's List Manageable

The year my daughter started grad school, her car broke so badly that it was beyond resuscitation. I couldn't let her opportunity slip away because of mechanical failure so I gave her my car. It was the best I could do at the time to help her out, but with my husband driving into the city each day in our only remaining vehicle, it left me facing the holidays without transportation. Here I was way out in the country, miles from any stores or malls, and the holiday season was barrelling down on me fast.

That was the year I truly fell in love with online shopping. By necessity, I did all my shopping online that Christmas and what a surprise I had! Not only did I get all my shopping done on time, I also managed to achieve all my ambitions for holiday decorating and cooking that I'd never been able to do in previous years

Online shopping has always been touted as a big time saver, but with gas so high, online shopping can also leave you with quite a bit more cash in your pocket than the traditional race through department stores and shopping malls. With the price of gasoline hovering around $3.00 a gallon, the internet provides one of the greatest values available for holiday shopping.

Nowadays, you can find almost everything online that you can find in stores. Most large department stores offer their products online nowadays. Even large items like furniture, cars, and appliances are available online. No longer must you sit in congested holiday traffic burning gas and your good disposition to visit a half dozen stores for a size 12 burgundy sweater for Aunt Mary. Now, a simple Google search will turn up a dozen stores that will cater to Aunt Mary's size and color preferences.

To encourage higher sales, many online stores offer free shipping with a minimum order, saving you even more money. Often online stores, including major retailers will send follow up mailings and catalogs including special offers and coupons to encourage repeat online business.

The convenience of online shopping has always had the alternative beat. But now it can save you big bucks too. If you plan to do your shopping online, be sure to follow common sense safety guidelines for online consumers. Once you experience the convenience and savings on online shopping, you'll be hooked like me.