Once upon a time, in the days before online shopping became the preferred practice, the holiday shopping rush started in the early hours of Black Friday, mere hours after Thanksgiving had ended.

And while Black Friday still proves popular, Cyber Monday sales continue to rise in popularity.

Cyber Monday: The New Black Friday?

Even though Cyber Monday does offer an incredible amount of purchasing opportunities, consider these simple steps to get the most out of your Cyber Monday experience.

The Cyber Monday advertisements started in late October, roughly about the same time all the holiday decorations went on sale in the physical big box stores. So depending on which online vendor you’re dealing with, you’ll have plenty of preparation time between now and the actual Cyber Monday.

Online shopping presents some big challenges for sales negotiations, so rather than focus on haggling with a salesperson, the trick to getting a good Cyber Monday deal rests with researching specific products across multiple sales sites. In addition to prices, initial research can also provide you with information on item warranties, delivery fees, and any refund/exchange requirements.

If you’re looking for specific brands that feature heavily with specific online vendors, research should be a relatively straightforward affair.

And speaking of research…

There will be sales. So many sales, on everything from electronics to mattresses. And because the Black Friday/Cyber Monday event takes place right after (and even sometimes on) Thanksgiving, the excitement of shopping and deals on Cyber Monday will be particularly strong.

So how to handle the sheer avalanche of temptation? Start by prioritizing the specific items you’re shopping for. If you don’t need a 70-inch flat screen, you can focus your attention elsewhere. Granted, looking elsewhere on Cyber Monday can be problem for prioritization. Because online commerce includes such a vast variety of items, it can be very easy to fall down a shopping rabbit hole and end up with a ton of stuff you didn’t want in your digital shopping cart.

That’s why prioritization plays such an important role in a successful Cyber Monday experience. Do your research beforehand, plan your purchases, and get what you want without any hassle.

Again, the sheer volume of Cyber Monday sales offerings can seem as vast and deep as an ocean, and the temptation to start buying anything and everything that appears on your screen will be very strong. That can present some very big problems to your bank account, so after you’re done your research and decided which items to focus on for Cyber Monday, create a budget and stick to it.

For clarification, the budget red line serves to protect you and your family from financial challenges. So don’t think of your Cyber Monday budget as an unwanted limitation; think of it more as the line in the sand to protect yourself.

4. The Reason for the Season

Cyber Monday sales obviously don’t have to focus on gifts for others; it’s quite common to purchase something for yourself with the intent of immediate use. But if you’re gift shopping on Cyber Monday, remember not to stress out about finding the exact item.

Holiday gifts should be offered freely and for the joy of others, so don’t freak out if you can’t find a specific gift item on sale this Cyber Monday.