Now it’s time for me to seriously get to work. Yes, work writing blog posts is a part of that, but every mother knows that preparing for Thanksgiving, and then the incredible job of buying gifts (without breaking the bank) for a family is a huge job.

Oh, how I love to save money, especially around the holidays. The money I save means my kids get more gifts and more gifts for them means I get more smiles and hugs on Christmas morning. And that, in itself, is the perfect gift for me!

Speaking of the holidays, Thanksgiving is almost here.  So, we do it every year. We run around and wear ourselves out planning, shopping for, and cooking a ridiculously amazing Thanksgiving dinner… only to overeat and become slugs (once cleanup is done, ladies!) in front of the TV and computer to let ourselves digest. I tend to clean, wash, dry and store leftovers late into the night…but I suppose some get a chance to relax! I cook the entire meal every single year from appetizers to dessert and I enjoy every minute of it until the belly bloat and backache start. But a chorus of eight “Yummy, mommy!” makes it totally worth it.

Once Thanksgiving is all over, it truly hits me: The holiday season is upon me and this mom of eight kids had better get shopping…and fast! In the past, I have been known to shop year round, which I will still do if something special for someone on my list catches my eye. I’ve watched and noticed, though, that the deals on Black Friday, whether you are using printable coupons from CouponCabin.com or shopping online with coupon codes, the deals truly are best online around the holidays.

I discovered this wonderful world of Internet shopping way back when I was stranded at home with eight kids under the age of four years old. Even now, that sounds nearly impossible. Let’s be clear though: Even though my kids may be more mobile now, I am still NOT known to fight the Black Friday crowds in the stores as soon as my last bite of turkey is swallowed. There are those who are willing to risk indigestion and sleep deprivation in order to catch a great bargain, but I am not one of them.

Over the years, I have noticed that if you watch online in the days and weeks prior to Thanksgiving and especially on Thanksgiving afternoon, the great bargains begin! CouponCabin.com has most of their coupon codes (many exclusive to just them!) posted on the site by 4pm on Thanksgiving Day. So, while my friends have scarfed down their meal to get to the mall, I prefer to sit amongst my chaos and children at home and shop from my laptop. I can find all the best deals on everything on my very long list and even have it delivered to me with just the click of a few keys!

Here are a few of my favorite deals that my friends at CouponCabin.com have come across already for Black Friday:

Don’t forget to pay attention because sales on Cyber Monday (the Monday after Thanksgiving) are many times even better than the online sales on Black Friday. Stay tuned for my Cyber Monday blog. And then, of course, stay tuned for how the Las Vegas marathon turns out for me (time to work off all that turkey)!