Shop. Wait. BUY!!!

As the days roll by and Black Friday and Cyber Monday near, I always have a little bit of a panic attack. I know the websites I use to buy my vitamins, minerals and supplements from have some of their biggest sales this time of year. I have to carefully take inventory of my medicines and calculate how much I will need to get me through the next 6-12 months. (I used to always buy enough for the next year to come; however, I found this to be too financially draining. Moreover, there are always other holidays in which the websites often offer deep discounts.)

I reluctantly begin my shopping on Wednesday evening. GNC has a HUGE sale which includes free shipping on any order. From previous orders during the last year, I have banked a significant amount of rewards points. I only need to purchase a few dollars worth of drugs to earn enough reward points to allow me to take $5 off my next order. I order two items and hope the reward points are added to my account before the sale ends on Cyber Monday.

There are not too many other sales for the rest of the week. The bulk of the sales begin on Cyber Monday.

I spend many hours on Monday trying to figure out which website will offer the best price for the items I need. Every website has different prices for my supplements and also offer different discounts. Some offer 10% off while others might offer 12% off. I grow very tired and very confused price comparing all my various items. I finally decide to login to one company's website and start filling my cart with the items which have the best price for that website. At the end of the day, I only buy $33 worth of things from two websites. I am very fatigued and am scared if I attempt to buy anything else, I will make mistakes when ordering. I decide to let the sales go.

I check my GNC account. My order has been uploaded to my account. However, the reward points have not been updated. I am very sad. The website never has free shipping on any size order. If I want to use the $5 reward in the future, I will have to buy $49 worth of goods to receive free shipping. I can use the coupon at any GNC store. Unfortunately, the nearest store is about 45 minutes away and has a very limited stock of supplements. I rarely find what I need in the store. I sorrowfully logout of the website and know my $5 reward will expire before I will probably have a chance to use it.

On Tuesday morning, I receive an email from the company in which I loaded up my shopping cart but ended up not buying anything from. I was chosen to receive a VIP exclusive for 22% off my order! I was dumfounded. The day before, the GIANT sale of the year was for 12% off my purchase. Since my items were saved to my account, all I had to do was click the link in the email for the discount to be credited to my total. By waiting a day, I saved an extra 10%!

Late on Tuesday afternoon, I receive a notice my GNC order has shipped. I also receive a notice the GNC sale has been extended one more day. I login to my GNC account, and my reward points have been updated! I have a $5 credit on my account. I quickly make a purchase. With all my discounts, I pay $1.98 for $10 worth of supplements and also receive free shipping! As I finalize my purchase, I am singing praises to God and thanking Him for this incredible blessing.

On Wednesday morning, I receive a valued customer email from another supplement company. Their "Sale of the Year" on Cyber Monday was 25% off site wide. But since I am a highly valued customer (and may I add I did not buy anything from them on Cyber Monday), I now was receiving an invitation for 33% off my next purchase! I gleefully spend some time surfing their site and make a sizable investment in the company.

Well, that is my Cyber "Monday" shopping experience. As each discount came into my life, I could not help but send up praises to God. My health has been greatly challenging me, and it seems God keeps putting roadblocks in front of me to prevent me from receiving medical treatment. But with each incredible discount, it felt as though God was saying, "I know your troubles. Here is a gift from Me to you. Enjoy the savings. I know you have been very stressed about your health. I know you have been trying to find ways to save money to have enough to buy your supplements and give to your church and other charities. With the discounts I gave you, you now have money leftover. I hope you use the extra cash to glorify Me."