Five Helpful Tips for Holiday Tech Shopping

I love Christmas! It reminds me of when I was a little girl. I was so excited as the big day approached. I loved to shake my presents and try to guess or really dream about what could be in there. I didn't actually peek because that would have spoiled the surprise. On Christmas Eve I could barely get to sleep because I couldn't wait for Santa Claus to come.

As I decorate the house and bake cookies, I love to watch Christmas movies and listen to Christmas songs. That really gets me in the Christmas spirit. Now that I have children, I get to see their excitement as Christmas approaches. I think I have one child that "sneaks a peek" of the presents under the tree. So I can't wrap them until close to Christmas. I keep them at my parents' house until then.

My kids want a lot of tech items such as an ipod nano and a small laptop computer. They also love games for the Wii and Nintendo DS. My son started his Christmas list last January!

Five Helpful Tips for Holiday Tech Shopping
1. Shop around for the best price! There are a lot of great sales this time of the year. Places like staples frequently have sales on all the great tech items you want. Check the sales ads for brick and mortar stores and check online for cyber sales.

2. Read about the item online. Several places have consumer reviews of the product. You can search the name of the item and reviews. Ex "ipod nano, reviews".

3. Decide what you need the item to have verses things you might like. For example, when I bought a very basic cellular telephone, I wanted just the phone. Things like a camera would be nice but not necessary. Because I knew what I needed the phone to have, I bought one for $9.00!

4. Don't be brand specific unless you have a good reason. My kids have basic mp3 players, but I can't get them to work with itunes. So they want an ipod so they can download itunes. Be open to various brands or store brands if they have good reviews.

5. Look for free shipping if buying online. Staples has free shipping over $50. That is a great way to send a gift if it has to be mailed to someone out of town.

I hope these tips were helpful as you shop for all the tech items on your list. Try not to get too caught up in consumerism. Slow down and enjoy the holidays. You are making memories. Don't forget the "Reason for the Season"- the birth of Jesus Christ.


About Staples:
"Staples, the world's largest office products company, is committed to making it easy for customers to buy a wide range of office products and services. Our broad selection of office supplies, electronics, technology and office furniture as well as business services, including computer repair and copying and printing, helps our customers run their offices efficiently. With 2009 sales of $24 billion and 91,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia serving businesses of all sizes and consumers. Staples invented the office superstore concept in 1986 and today ranks second worldwide in e-commerce sales. The company is headquartered outside Boston."

More info: www.staples.com
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I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Staples blogging program, making me eligible for a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.