The holiday shopping marathon is off to a great start with stores offering discounts to entice shoppers with some great bargains and deals on holiday gifts for the season.

Traditionally the big shopping day was Black Friday – known as the day after Thanksgiving – but this year, the entire month of November turned into a competition, with stores offering good deals for early shoppers. And you know that as the holiday gets closer, other specials will be popping up as well.

But many moms are skipping the stores, the crowds and the potential bad weather, and shopping in their pajamas at home with a laptop. More and more moms are handling their holiday shopping online, with coupon codes, free shipping discounts and even mail-in rebates, which give them similar incentives to those offered in the stores. For moms with kids, shopping online is much more convenient because they don’t have to take the children to the stores with them.

In addition to convenience, shopping online also gives you more options. Many retailers have more products available online than they stock in their stores. And with a few clicks of the mouse button, it’s easier to compare prices among retailers online, eliminating the need to drive across town searching for the best price.

If you are still browsing for good gift ideas, consider downloading free catalogs and magazines from Mommy Saves Big, a site with coupon codes, deals and in-store coupons for popular stores a mom needs to keep her budget and family happy at the same time. These catalogs are posted daily, providing you with the latest holiday gift ideas available.

MommySavesBig was started as a blog by Anna Teoli, a mom herself, who posted a couple of printable coupons on her blog and then began receiving more and more coupon information from other moms. It has more than 3 million visitors who help to keep the special promotions current.

For example, you can find Michaels coupons, Walgreens, Target and other retailers in their printable coupons category. You can also view their coupon codes category which has exclusive Vista Print coupons, and great savings for Overstock, Kohls and many more.

Another great feature on the site is the “Help me find a deal” blog where you can post a question about finding coupons for a product you are interested in purchasing; other moms can help you locate a coupon or discount available for it.

As you join the holiday shopping marathon this season, make sure you find everything on your shopping list from the comfort of home, and for the best prices by researching the items online.

Vanessa Ruesch, a Senior music major, practices the marimba Monday for a recital preview at the Doudna Fine Arts Center. If approved, a performance will be held on Sunday, Dec. 5. (Kim Foster

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