Pick Now, Pay Later

The busiest shopping day of the year is upon us! The day after Thanksgiving, known as "Black Friday," kicks off the holiday shopping season with major sales, deals, and steals. This year, stores are opening earlier than ever, with retailers like Best Buy unlocking their doors at midnight to get a jump on holiday transactions. Kohls, Macy's, Sears, and Target are also expected to open at 12 a.m. on Friday.

With holiday sales expected to rise this season to about $450 billion, according to the National Retail Federation, shoppers can count on discounts at stores open morning, noon, and night leading up to Christmas. In addition to extended hours to suit consumers' schedules, retailers are once again offering layaway to allow shoppers to reserve their purchases and make payments leading up to December 25. Here are just some of the holiday offers you can expect to see to make this year's shopping spree a little easier on your wallet:

• Best Buy introduced layaway this holiday season, whether your purchase is for business, home, or school.
  
• Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, has brought back layaway for the first time in five years, and is available for items purchased in the toys, electronics, and fine jewelry departments.
  
• Sears will offer free holiday shipping when customers spend at least $99 on its website.
  
• Kmart will offer free holiday shipping when customers spend at least $49 on its website.
  
• Toys "R" Us is offering loyalty program members 10 percent back on purchases from October 30 to Christmas Eve.

Are you planning to take advantage of the return of layaway, as well as this season's best sales? Tell me how you plan to attack holiday spending this year while staying on budget, and happy shopping!