He Who Hesitates Loses Stuff

When you see something at a great price (and I mean a price that you know is awesome and that you know won't get any lower), buy it.  Don't go get coffee, don't come back to the store over the weekend, don't wait.

Even online items go quick when the prices are low.  Amazon has had lightening deals that literally sold old in under one minute.

So all things being equal (free shipping, etc.), don't hesitate and make the purchase when you have the confidence that the price isn't going to get any better.

The Blackest of Fridays

To say that Black Friday ain't what it used to be is an understatement (SmartMoney outlines 10 Things Stores Won't Say About Black Friday).  BF used to be for an intrepid few willing to get up in the wee hours of the morning to go shopping, like 7 a.m.  BF now has extended to (grey) Thursday - and that's not even the main problem.  Way too crowded, if you want to get that specific item, you have to get in line hours before the store opens, and at by the time it's all over, it's just not worth it.  Remember that your time has value, and if you're spending five hours to save 20 bucks, it may not be worth it.  Plus, many stores have the same items online as they do in the store (Best Buy has free shipping on all their items).

Keep this in mind - it's more fun to stay up late until midnight, buy the stuff you can find online, and then sleep late on BF.

Gettin' Gizzy With It

There are a lot of deal sites out there, but Gizmodo's Deal of the Day is pretty unique.  It focuses on tech and gadgets, but you also get a random selection of other items, such as toys, TVs, DVDs, and free and discounted apps.

If You Gotta Get That New Videogame

Gears of War III just came out.  If you were salivating for it and had to have it launch day, you had a lot of options for pre-order.  But the best option?  Probably Amazon.

While GameStop, one of the worst videogame retailers, will give you a fairly lame download, with Amazon you generally get some form of money or credit (in the case of GOWIII, it was a $20 videogame credit plus some other cheesy download.  What do you get elsewhere?  Cheesy download.

Recommendation - at least check Amazon for what extras they'll be giving you on the big game titles.

Avoid Sales Tax (Sort Of)

If you have a Discover Card, after logging onto your online account, you can then access ShopDiscover.  And what pray tell will ShopDiscover get you?  Anywhere between 5% to 20% cash back from select retailers.  Here's how it works:  Let's say you want a Nano from Apple.  Log onto Discover and go to ShopDiscover.  Select Apple (they are one of the dozens of retailers).  Shipping is free, and because you are going through ShopDiscover, you are going to get 5% back.  So if you have to pay sales tax, it's kinda like getting a rebate on your sales tax...