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Cyber Monday – the biggest online shopping day of the year – saw UK shoppers spend an incredible £19 million an hour, with an increasing number of shoppers purchasing goods using mobile phones.

There's some confusion as to when Cyber Monday is exactly. Some say it's the first Monday after Thanksgiving, following Black Friday (the other busiest shopping day of the year), but others are pointing to the first Monday in December.

Some retailers labelled one Cyber Monday and the other Mega Monday, but quite frankly they might as well just come out with it and call them both 'We want your money Monday'.

There's no denying shopping online isÌýa greatÌýway to get a bargain, but at this time of year, consumers are particularly susceptible to the online big banner spending frenzy. It's a busy and stressful time for most and often being instructed on what to buy can be a relief – especially when it's labelled a special offer.

Websites say "spend" and all we can muster the energy for is to say "how much?"

But the sales, if you haven't noticed, are constant. Even though we're told we 'must buy now' or risk missing a bargain, in many cases we actually have a good month's worth of offers. One week there's a Black Friday week, the next a Cyber Monday week, then an Advent calendar discount offer.

Selling with a sense of urgency is the oldest trick in the book and for busy consumers, sometimes just the retailer's assurance of a bargain is enough to make us dig deeper into our pockets.

But resisting the pressure of the 'must buy now' culture and taking time to think about what to purchase can mean you not only get a bargain but also avoid those awkward conversations in January about receipts.

Jenny Keefe of advises consumers not to get swept up into buying something they don't want.

"It's easy to assume that because these retailers are listing heavy discounts that the products will automatically be a bargain. That's wrong. It simply means the company is selling it cheaper than it had done. The item may've been cheaper before – or could currently be cheaper elsewhere."

Regarding big advertised discounts for Black Friday, Keefe is somewhat sceptical, citing one example of a TV selling for £400 less than the next best price disappearing within 2 minutes of the sale.

"Even if there is a fantastic bargain, it will disappear in minutes, so you effectively would need to sit at your screen refreshing your browser."

If you make the delivery deadline (usually a week before Christmas), online shopping can be a real stress saver, but if you're feeling the pinch, it's worth taking your time and using web resources to make it a money saver too.
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This , or shopping robot, helps compare online prices for you by scanning major retailers. Other similar sites include Ìýand Google's product search or Ìýarea.

Don't forget to shop safely with the ´óÏó´«Ã½ WebWise guide to shopping with credit cards.

Also, Sandra Vogel's blog offers some helpful Christmas shopping tips.

Hajar is a regular contributor to the WebWise blog and has also made award-winning programmes for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio. In her spare time she loves reading, writing and singing.