How to save money when mailing gifts out of town

I've been mailing holiday gifts to my neices and nephews who live hundreds of miles away for several years now. I've decided the cheapest route is the simplest:

1) Buy small, lightweight gifts: clothing, books, art supplies, CDs, DVDs, box of candy.

2) Pack them yourself: reuse boxes you have around the house, if possible. Use crumpled up plastic grocery bags you have on hand as a lightweight packing material.

3) Take them to the Post Office and splurge on a couple dollars of insurance. If you do that, the Post Office is obligated to keep better track of the gifts. (The post office once filed a package sent to me under the name of the sender rather than under my name. Since the package was insured, the entire staff spent a day trying to find the thing for me.)

I really believe this option saves a lot of money. I've done the online thing and found I ended up paying a lot extra in shipping and wrapping fees. Another time, the recipient never got what I sent and I ended up in the awkward position of needing their help to try to track down what happened.

If you have any tips that have worked for you, please share them in the comments below!

Where to find Cyber Monday deals

Get ready. Get set. Shop for deals online!

Tomorrow is CyberMonday -- the day to start holiday shopping online. Many deals will be offered. But you can do yourself one better by getting prepared. There are a number of websites out there that have been collecting and organizing the CyberMonday deals. Check these sites before you shop online to get the most bang for your buck:

http://www.cybermonday.com/

http://www.gottadeal.com/

http://www.kmart.com/

http://www.bestcybermondaysales.com/

http://www.cybermonday.fm/

http://www.dealtaker.com/

Some deals will be rolled out hour by hour. The Boston Herald provided a timeline of where to find deals:
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view/2008_11_30_Cybermonday_com_deals_by_the_hour/

Here are some tips from Shop.org on how to shop safely online:
http://blog.shop.org/2008/11/29/safe-online-shopping-tips/

And no matter where you shop, don't forget to check for coupons. You can try these sites:

http://www.smarter.com/

http://www.fatwallet.com/

http://www.dealio.com/

http://www.shop.com/ccn_offers.shtml

http://www.retailmenot.com

http://www.wow-coupons.com/


promotionalcode.com

couponcabin.com


Or, simply Google the name of the retailer + coupons and see what you can find. Good luck!

Where to find those Black Friday ads online

Ok, Black Friday is now just days away and it's time to start lining up the deals you'll find. I've been collecting the money-saving websites all week and I offer them here for your pre-Black Friday prep:

tgiblackfriday.com

bfads.net

blackfriday.gottadeal.com

dealcatcher.com

dealtaker.com/blackfriday

black-friday.net

blackfriday.info

blackfridayads.com

This site can help you find deals on electronics:

techbargains.com

www.retrevo.com

Check these sites for money-saving coupons:

retailmenot.com

promotionalcode.com

couponcabin.com

www.wow-coupons.com

Layaway is back

Sears and Kmart are promoting their resurrected recession-chic layaway plans. And they're selling it with an added advantage: Layaway is the perfect hiding spot for those gifts you don't want family members to find. Instead of loading up your credit card and storing the loot in a closet, Sears says let them hold it for you where your kids will never think to look. Not a bad idea. Check it out here.

The bad economy opens holiday travel options

A New York Times story today reports that there are some good travel deals out there for people who've always dreamt of spending Christmas at a vacation resort or exotic locale. With regular customers bowing out this year, people who couldn't afford to spend that much on travel at holiday time may find deals that make it worth it this year:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/travel/26holiday.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Off beat holiday gift ideas

Leslie at Leading Edge Gifts just sent me an email with some off-beat holiday gift ideas that might put a fun twist on your gift giving. One of her ideas -- www.GiveAurl.com -- is something I gave one of my best friends last year. She had just about everything, except her own domain name. GiveAurl.com was the only company I could find that was offering a way to give a domain name as a gift. Leslie's other ideas included giving a gift of stock in a company -- a rather interesting twist on gift giving in the current economic climate -- and giving someone an icon in their image for them to use on the web and in e-mails. Here's the rest of her ideas:

"www.GiveAshare.com - A share of real stock in a world famous company

The declining stock market has resulted in drastically reduced prices for
our framed shares of world famous companies. It is also your last chance
to get Merrill Lynch, Anheuser-Busch, and ImClone Systems before each of
their mergers. It is interesting to note that beginning 1/1/2009,
stockbrokers will no longer issue physical stock certificates as the
industry tries to move to electronic ownership. We will still be able to
get physical stock certificates but their days are numbered. Our new "I'm
A Shareholder" book is is a great way to supplement a share for kids 8 &
up. Prices from $41. Take advantage of today's ultra-low prices and an
additional discount of $10 on stock orders placed before 11/15 (use coupon
code Early10Dollars).

www.GiveAcaricature.com - A one-of-a kind-caricature from a photo in ANY
scene you describe.

There is no gift idea that is more personal than this one! If you are
having a tough time finding a gift for someone who has everything, you
should consider this one. The ability of our artists to capture the
essence, likeness, and quirks of people in a comical way makes for a
holiday gift that will be a hit. Prices from $99. Get a 10% discount on
orders with 2 or more subjects placed before 11/15 (use coupon code
Early10Percent).

www.MyFaceIcons.com - Personal icons that look just like them for email
and web use.

These are simpler caricatures that are less expensive and perfect to use
as an email signature, and icon for social websites like MySpace.com, or
can even be printed. These icons are fun and they definitely draw
attention. Prices from $39. Get a 10% discount through 11/15 (use coupon
code Early10Percent).

www.GiveAurl.com - Personal domain names packaged as a gift.

This is the only place to easily register a domain name and package it as
a gift. A domain name is simply a unique address on the web like
google.com or oprahwinfrey.com. A registered domain name is exclusive so
it is not available to anyone else in the world. People are rushing to
get the perfect name before someone else grabs it. Use a name, nickname,
occupation, and interests to think of a clever domain that has a nice ring
to it like 4Johnsons.com, IbleedDodgerBlue.com, PoodlesRock.com,
AnthonyParker.com. Priced from $19. Get a 10% discount on orders through
11/15 (use coupon code Early10Percent).

Happy holidays!"

TGI Black Friday website helps you get a jump on Black Friday deals

Black Friday may still be 35 days away, but the website TGI Black Friday is already gathering information on where the deals will be. Instead of waiting a month for the ads to arrive in newspaper circulars, you can keep an eye on the www.tgiblackfriday.com website, where news of some stores' Black Friday deals sneaks out early. The website makes it easy to share deals you like with friends and offers a way save items to an online shopping list so you can plan your mad dash through the stores. Right now three stores have revealed their Black Friday deals on the site: Ace Hardware , Harbor Freight and the ToysRUs Big Book. And some stores allow you to purchase items at the Black Friday price early.

Here are some more Black Friday ad sites that have come to my attention:

http://www.blackfriday.info/
http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com
www.BFADS.NET


Thanks to my friend Gail Gedan who alerted me to www.tgiblackfriday.com on her blog The Laid Off Gourmet .