Skip the Black Friday Lines, But Still Snag the Savings

After Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, rack up the savings without  waking up at 2 a.m., fighting for a parking space or waiting in long checkout lines. Cyber Monday is the online marketplace's day to shine, with virtual retailers offering serious discounts and promotions like free shipping. This year's biggest online shoping day of the year is Nov 26.

Score major savings by shopping online on Cyber Monday while you're at work - ahem - on your lunch break.

For starters, many of Ebates' 1,500 online retailers will offer double cash back on Cyber Monday, in addition to other sales and promotions.

CyberMonday.com is a good resource for planning your Cyber Monday shopping, with highlights of the best deals from more than 800 online retailers, from Kohl's and The Body Shop to HPdirect and Bloomingdale's. Check deals by category, find coupons and special offers, including free shipping.

Of course, many of the big box stores you lined up in front of for Black Friday are also participating in Cyber Monday, like Best Buy, Target and Walmart. Walmart's Cyber Monday kicks off Cyber Week, with specials and values all week. And don't forget online giant retailers Amazon and Overstock. Most of them are keeping mum on what the big Cyber Monday deals will be, so you'll have to sign up for their e-mail alerts, or check back later for Cyber Monday news.

A few pieces of helpful advice for Cyber Monday shoppers:

• Only shop with websites you know and trust.
• Make a list, and check it twice. Knowing what you want to buy will save you time and it will help you avoid buying things you don't really need.
• Have your credit card number and billing information handy.
• Check in on Sunday or before, to find out what the big deals will be. Bookmark items you're interested in, because you can be sure quantities will be limited and the really good deals will go live and go quickly. Make note of special times and offers, if certain items will only be going on sale at certain times during the day. Set an alarm or reminder on your phone if you don't want to miss something in particular.

Do you plan to shop online this Cyber Monday? What items are you hoping to score savings on?