Shop 'Til You Drop

The holidays are for gifting! When you're on the shopping hunt, remember the key to keeping things affordable is to get organized, know where the deals are, stay safe when shopping online, and keep calm so you can shop on.

Skip the Crowds With Online Deals

Here's the thing: Shopping in stores can be overwhelming during the holidays. Sometimes, of course, you simply must go to a brick-and-mortar store, but it's always a good idea to check your buying options online first.

Plus, plenty of places offer great discounts online and free shipping when specific parameters are met, so you could very well wind up with a better deal just chilling at home and hitting the Buy button instead of venturing out among the crowds.

The key here is to stay safe as you use a website: Protect your personal and financial information. Don't, for example, store your credit card information on any site; do shop only from a private Wi-Fi source. Small actions can make a big impact when you're shopping online.

You can even shop online using your favorite social media app. Facebook, for instance, has a Marketplace, and Instagram offers a shopping option, too.

Digital Money Madness: Stay Safe and Secure While Shopping Online

When you shop online, consider using payment options that allow you to keep your finances safe and secure. You can always use one of your credit cards, of course, but we've found that using newer payment options is safe, too.

Venmo, for example, is a cousin of Paypal that has rapidly been gaining acceptance not just for payments between friends but for online stores, too.

If you do use your own debit or credit card, follow appropriate online safety tips. Those include setting strong privacy settings, using strong passwords, never posting your location, and keeping an eye out for scams and bogus internet sites.

The biggest no-no? Don't ever click a link that a pop-up message wants to take you to; you don't really know where you will end up, and those types of messages are filled with bogus links that could end up stealing your private information.

How to Find the Best Deals

Once you have the online shopping basics nailed down, the biggest question left is, 'How do I find the best deals for the gift items I'm looking for?'

The answer lies in doing your research and resisting impulse buys. Just because, for instance, the latest PC is being advertised on one retail site as a great deal doesn't mean that another retail site isn't actually selling it for less.

When it comes to other kinds of electronics (and all kinds of other items), there are also a variety of factors to consider beyond a quick glance at price.

For example, a laptop deal might sound great, but not if you find out the model you're looking at actually has far less memory or storage than another, more expensive yet seemingly similar model. If your needs mean you need more memory or storage, then that first deal might not be a good one.

For tech deals, part of your research might involve thinking about basics like the following:

• Laptops: Will the person using it be able to carry and store it easily? Will the screen size be big enough for them?
• Televisions: Will the size fit the space the person has available? Can it hang on a wall if needed?
• Desktop computers: What does the person need to do with the computer? Will it offer the right size hard drive to store their work or a video card capable of playing games with 3D graphics?
• Speakers: Will the speaker type work for the person or room? (Will the person need mobility, for example, or do they have the capacity and ability to wire the speakers?)

Electronics can be tricky to purchase, but when you do your research before you buy instead of just grabbing what looks like a 'deal', you'll be able to determine when the right product for you or your giftee is on sale at a price you can afford.