The Monday following Thanksgiving and Black Friday has been known for a while as "Cyber Monday." That's the day when people who are sick of the story crowds, or, like my friend Tom Barlow, never ventured into them, go shopping online. But now that so many of us have high-speed internet at home, will the trend materialize?

The term, coined in 2005 by shop.org, has always been somewhat dubious. It is really busy, but not the busiest day. Last year, according to comScore, online shoppers spent $700 million on Cyber Monday; that's about as much spent on Thanksgiving and Black Friday combined. So there is a definite bump.

The premise of Cyber Monday is that people go shopping online once they get back to their fancy work computer with high-speed internet access. But are we really the technologically behind that we need to go into an office to have a fast computer? The Pew Internet and American Life Project says more than half--55%--of Americans now have high speed internet at home.

So it's refreshing to see an airport take control of its own destiny. In Orlando, a city that stands to lose a great deal from the coming slowdown in tourism and convention business, the airport (coded MCO) wants to help passengers save money flying there. So it has uploaded page of the latest airfare specials flying there.

It makes sense, and it's so simple you have to wonder why your airport isn't doing it to stimulate business. Many smaller American airports are floundering as the major airlines yank service. But if airport authorities do all they can to help keep the planes full, the airlines will be less likely to suspend service. If they go, the airports, which depend on landing fees that are built into the cost of every ticket, will go into the budget hole.

Despite the grim reality facing the consumer electronics industry, which saw a decrease in spending of close to 14%, the largest drop since the category has been tracked; video games continue to rake in the cash!

In fact back in June, when people thought we were well into a recession, my colleague Zac Bissonnette took the stance that things couldn't be all that bad since we spent 37% more on games than the previous year.

Personally I feel that strong home entertainment sales such as video games or movie rentals signal a shift in consumer spending, which reflects the current financial situation: Consumers are looking for high value diversions.

There are some things it doesn't pay to open your wallet for; cars, boats, and children's clothes. But sometimes it pays to cough up the extra bucks because it makes a big difference. Here's five things worth spending your money on:

• House. For most folks, this is one of your most important assets and an important investment. Present market aside, it is an appreciating asset; that is, it acquires more value over time. The present market actually makes it a great time to buy. Don't over buy your budget and be "house poor," but buy the most house you can comfortably afford.


• Bed. Several years ago we invested in a high quality pillow top bed. This is one of the best investments we ever made. Not only do you spend about one-third of your life in bed, a good night's rest makes all the difference the other two-thirds of the time.
  

Black Friday has traditionally been one of the busiest and most frantic shopping days of the year but with Christmas sales down in 2007 and the economy looking like a leftover fruitcake, many people are wondering if Black Friday can live up to past performances.

To better grasp the severity of the situation I enlisted the help of Dan de Grandpre, the current CEO of Dealnews.com. Dan is one of the most qualified individuals I know to assist in this as he has over 12 years of deal hunting experience as well as the ability to keenly identify industry trends. The Dealnews.com CEO backs up his team's experience surrounding retail sales and promotions by boasting that Dealnews.com has saved visitors hundreds of millions of dollars.

Black Friday needs only three things to be successful: retailers with amazing deals, willing consumers and money. Without any one of these items Black Friday ceases to be the spectacle that retailers and shoppers have come to know and love. In order to understand how the economy affects any of these three elements it is important to understand the relationship between retailers and consumers.

During times of financial turmoil, consumer spending tends to drop across the board, with a few exceptions for the things that are simply necessary, like household groceries. But surprising new data from froggybank.co.uk, the UK's leading cash-back shopping network, indicates that lingerie might just be recession-proof.

Underwear sales in Britian are up by 2% in the last three months, while markets for just about everything else have plunged. While the idea of a recession is demoralizing for most, small personal luxuries and treats are important. While Americans generally turn to cheap ice cream to get through the rough times, Brits value their intimate apparel to keep spirits high.

Froggybank.co.uk marketing manager Nadeem Azam stated, "We found the statistics surprising but the figures prove internet shopping still offers good value no matter what's happening to the economy."

Buying bras may not do much to fix the economy's problems, but hey, when the sky is falling all around you, it is some consolation to know that you're going to look good [nearly] naked.

Black Friday, for those of you who have yet to be initiated, is the day after Thanksgiving here in the U.S. and it is marked by huge sales at retailers and lines that stretch around the store. During these sales prices often hit rock bottom and this year, thanks to many of the major retailers eschewing rebates for instant savings, retailers will be setting records for low prices. Dan de Grandpre, CEO of dealnews, is an admitted techie who with his team of experienced bargain hunters has compiled their predictions for Black Friday 2008!

There are too many categories and deals to list here but here are a few that tempt me to do something I detest: wait in line!

• Small portable laptops starting at $199.
• 42" and up plasma and LCD TVs starting at $499!
• Blu-ray players from $149.
  
• Flash drives, routers and more free after rebate.
  

These are just a few of the deals the dealnews team is predicting. If you are in the market for any kind of electronics this year you should definitely check out the full breakdown of Black Friday items that made the list.

Normally you won't find WalletPop bloggers pushing a large purchase but it's evident to me that those of us who are frugalists still need to purchase big ticket items from time to time and the thing we love most about it is getting the best price. If a good deal isn't enough to convince you to head out on Black Friday then maybe you should check out Buy Nothing Day which takes place the same day and advocates 24 hours of consumer abstinence!

There's no telling how many companies are cracking down on abuse of employee discount policies, but one company that recently announced doing so is GM. The logic is simple: Passing the employee discount to a non-employee costs the company money. GM says that the employee purchase program can save a buyer from $1,000 to $9,000.

Imagine an employee buying a car for her uncle using the employee discount. There was clearly a significant savings (the reason why the employee and family member did this in the first place) and GM loses a sale of a car to a legitimate customer which might have been profitable. Multiply this situation by hundreds or thousands, and it's easy to see that GM has lost a lot of money.

Certainly GM is not the only company that struggles with this issue. I'd venture to guess that it has a firm policy about the discount, but hasn't strictly enforced it in the past, when the economics of the car business were better.

According to his website, Tom Hopkins is one of the top sales gurus in the world: "His first book, How to Master the Art of Selling, has sold over 1.6 million copies and been translated into ten languages." He is known as "the builder of sales champions."

So it's fair to say that the techniques he suggests are probably employed by a good number of successful real estate agents. Here's a sample of his "advice" for real estate agents looking to increase sales, from his book Mastering the Art of Selling Real Estate:

"If there is a charge to refinance the property prior to the maturity date, don't call it the prepayment penalty. Who wants to be penalized? No one. Call it the prepayment privilege."

I understand the it's the real estate agent's job to put his best foot forward but, to me, that language is incredibly misleading. The truth is that everyone who buys a house has the privilege of prepaying; a prepayment penalty just adds a special cost for doing so. This tricky euphemism has no basis in reality.

Okay, it's not really a scam... but it does involve a bit of psychology used against the shopper... How often have you gone to the store for a much-needed item only to be faced with a sign that says "Two for $5"? The first thing I always wonder is whether I can get one for $2.50, or if I have to buy two of them to get that sale price.

That's what the store is hoping you wonder, and that you'll buy two just to be on the safe side of the sale. It's all marketing and psychology, and quite often, the sale price is valid whether you buy one or two. The store is trying to move volume. So instead of telling you that your personal care item is on sale for $2.50, they are going to offer you a "two for" deal. The hope is that you'll buy two instead of the one you were planning on buying.

It seems to me that I see these signs more and more often, so I'm suspecting that the psychology works in favor of the stores. Here's the thing: If you're going to use up one pretty quickly and then go to the store to buy another, it probably makes sense to scoop up two right away since they're on sale.

But if it's an item that you use sparingly, don't bother to get two. You've got your money tied up in a second item that you won't need for a long time, so it just doesn't make sense. It's actually more budget friendly to wait and buy the second one closer to when you actually need it. Besides, there's a good chance it will be on sale again before you'll need that second one. So keep your money in your pocket a little bit longer and don't end up spending more than you planned by buying that second one when you don't really need it.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

The daily deal for Saturday, April 19 2008 is $9 to $15 kids swimsuits at CWDKids.com, which carries casual children's clothing from well-known manufacturers. The swimsuits and wet suits are available in infant and children's sizes. The maholo print tankini (shown) comes in sizes 4 to 14 and is reduced from $34 to $15.

It wasn't clear from an email from the company showing a handful of bathing suits that there are dozens of other swimsuits and loads of cute, quality summer attire on sale. On the home page, click on "Our Biggest Summer Sale" and dozens of sale items will appear.

Daily deal for Tuesday, April 15: This 65 piece collection from Ulta is beyond a great deal! It's Ulta's own brand, which is normally a great value and has tons of colors to choose from. I don't know if the $175 value assigned to this set is real or not, but at the regular price of $18.74, you know it's impossible to go wrong. Add to that the current coupon which gives you 20% off any one item at Ulta.com, and the cost of this set is only $14.99

What you get: 36 Eyeshadows, 4 Cheek Colors, 1 Bronzer, 11 Lip Colors, 6 Lip Glosses, 3 Lip Plumpers, 1 Eye Shadow Base, 1 Lip Pencil, 1 Eye Pencil, 8 Double Sided Shadow Applicators 1 Blush Brush, and 2 Lip Brushes.

Extra 20% off is available by using code 92366 at checkout.

Whimsical children's' retailer Land Of Nod is holding its Spring Cleaning Sale, with up to 80% discounts on kids' bedding, furniture, decor, toys and more.

It's a great time to stock up on seasonal items: the Ain't No Mountain High Enough toboggan is marked down to $49 from $129. It would look great under next year's Christmas tree.

Easter baskets, winter holiday crafts and Valentines are also on sale. Heads up to those who read my post on Budget Birthday Party Going for Kids: these designer duds piggy banks (phthalate-free) make a novel birthday gift or party favor for children age 3 to ten, especially accompanied by a roll of nickels, dimes or quarters for their opening day deposit!

So I'm depositing some money in a bank. It's not my bank. It's my brother's. I've borrowed a little money the day before, and now I'm paying him back. And the teller asks if I'd like to play the bank's scratch-off contest and possibly win a ton of money.

I tell her that I'm not a customer, that I'm depositing money in my--

She interrupts, tells me that's not a problem. So do I want to play or not?

"Sure," I say, shrugging, figuring I'll kill ten seconds while I learn that I'm not a winner of a quarter of a million dollars or whatever the pay-off was.

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

Would the men kindly avert their eyes for a moment? Or just focus closely on the model to the right. Thanks.

OK, ladies. Don't deny it. Victoria's Secret has us right where it wants us. A sexy-but-accessible brand name, it lures us with the one-two punch of retail: It is both practical AND frivolous. We all need new undies and bras from time to time. And we all want to wear pretty little lacy things under our clothes.

It's no wonder we all wait patiently for its vaunted semi-annual sale. Held each year in January and May, just as we're getting a little bored with the bras in the drawer, the store brings out its signature pink bins, and fills them with cute underthings at up to 70% off.

Quality lingerie is pricey, and Victoria's Secret is no bargain for its mid-range quality. All the more reason to shop the sales, during which underwear is $3.99 and bras are marked down to start at $12.99.

Watch for announcements and listen for buzz as the sale approaches. Keep in mind that they start almost a full month online before hitting the bricks & mortar store.

We now return to our regular posting. You can tune in again, men. Guys? Hello...