I used to hate it when Erin bought me gifts online. I couldn't understand why he would choose to pay shipping on something he could purchase right down the road. We lived minutes away from many stores and even the mall. What I didn't understand was that once again my husband was ahead of me in figuring out the beauties of the internet.
While Erin was unemployed we found it necessary to get internet service so he could job hunt while I worked. We had dropped such luxuries when we started paying a mortgage. At first he used the free internet at the library but it was becoming increasingly inconvenient. Also, I was substitute teaching. Now days getting subbing jobs is mostly done online. It was the following Christmas season that Erin introduced me to Cyber-Monday. I haven't looked back.
Now I love to use the internet to shop. It is so much more convenient to compare prices without packing up a kid and hauling them from one store to the other. It is so nice to have my purchases arrive at my door. Sometimes I save shipping by picking my item up at the store but at least it's ready and waiting for me. We love to buy books and electronics on Amazon because they have a great selection and it's so easy.
But, what about those pesky shipping costs? Sometimes I can come across free shipping or pick up the item from the store but other times I must pay the shipping. I can justify the cost sometimes in the gas not spent and time not spent and also in the extra items that are not put in my cart. I can also often shop through my Upromise account or use a coupon code. Sometimes even with shipping I am getting a better deal then I would at the store.
That brings me to today. My little two are in need of socks and I can not seem to do laundry often enough for my littlest to have clean pants. She is just growing too fast. So, I logged into Upromise and from there went to Walmart.com. I spent a few minutes, ordered my items, and they will be here next week.
I spent $3.88 in shipping but...
-I did not use gas to get to the store. I know it would have only been a little. Walmart is a whole 5 minutes away. It is still gas not used.
-Had I gone to the store I would have spent more time wandering around than I spent on-line. I would have probably put at least $5 worth of extra items, that I did not go in for, in my cart.
-I got 5% of my purchase (In this case about $1.60) put into a college fund for my kids because I went through Upromise.
So, today I can justify that shipping cost. I did all this before I even got dressed today. I feel productive.
Yes, I know, I'm a little behind the times. People have been doing a lot of online shopping for a long time and I'm just really getting into it. Well, I've jumped on the bandwagon. If you think I'm a spendthrift, if you think I'm lazy, I don't care. My kid just got new jeans and I got to stay home.
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