The Chronic Consumer

My son has mentioned that he would like to try camping, so my husband and I are thinking about taking him somewhere next summer. We’d definitely want to make the experience as authentic as possible, so we’re actually going to sleep in a canvas tent, cook our dinner over a campfire, and leave all electronic devices at home. In other words, we’re not going to rent a fully-equipped cabin at a nice resort and call it “camping”!

So right now we’re looking at camping supplies and trying to determine what we need. We want to buy the bare minimum at first because we’re not even sure if our boy will like camping or not, and we obviously don’t want to spend any more money than we have to, just in case he hates it.

I’ve found a couple of websites that offer discount camping gear and have seen some really great deals on tents, sleeping bags, cookware, and other necessities. I think we can get pretty well outfitted for a couple hundred bucks, which would be perfect!

I came across this great offer while browsing through Overstock.com on this CyberMonday. Apparently, PayPal is working in conjunction with several online merchants for this special holiday promo. From November 26 until no later than December 10, you can get 20% cash back on purchases that you make using your PayPal account.

I went to the PayPal site to read the fine print, and it says that for Overstock.com, you have to spend at least $100 (which can include taxes and shipping), but it didn’t specify a minimum amount for other merchants. Multiple purchases are acceptable; however, you will receive a maximum of $50 cash back per PayPal account. Also, the offer is only valid for U.S. residents with PayPal accounts in good standing.

The list of participating merchants includes Barnes & Noble, Blue Nile, Dell, EastBay Sports, ebags.com, Electronic Arts, eToys, Guess, GbyGuess, HP, Newegg.com, Overstock.com, Ralph Lauren, Ritz Camera, Wolf Camera, Boaters World, eAngler, OuterBank Outfitters, Camera World, Photo Alley, ShopAtShark, InsanitySauce, Sharper Image, Sierra Trading Post, Skymall, Smartbargains, and Toys R Us.

Each merchant can decide to end the promotion before December 10, so be sure to read the details at whichever site you’re planning to buy from.

This sounds like a great offer, so you better believe I’m going to take advantage of it one way or another!