I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t love to receive a gift of baked goods.  But before you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, consider how your baked gifts will be received through the mail.  Skip those baked goods that are fragile or that may need to be refrigerated.

The date for the second annual Free Shipping Day has been set for Thursday, December 17, 2009. This is when you can sit back in your easy chair, coffee in hand and slippers on feet, and finish your Christmas shopping online with a guaranteed FREE shipping and arrival by Christmas Eve.

Over 150 merchants are participating in this special event. For a complete list of participating stores, go to Free Shipping Day.

And don’t forget to go through Ebates, the online rebates site, for even more of a saving on your shopping. Ebates will give you a rebate, depending on the store you choose, for any purchase. So not only can you get free shipping, but money back on your purchase.

Many of us have family and friends that live in another state. Mailing a package becomes another consideration when gift giving. You have spent your time and money on a nice gift, but now you have to ship it. We all know just how expensive that can be, and if your loved one is out of the country, well that can be even worse. In some cases, you could spend as much or more mailing the package than you spent on the gift.