Tips for avoiding the mall rush this holiday season

If fighting your way through frantic masses at Target or International Plaza isn't your idea of a fun shopping day, have no fear. We've brainstormed a few ideas that are as chill as they are efficient at clearing your list.

Got a better idea? Suggest it in the comments are @DealDivas on Twitter.

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Traffic, crowded parking lots and long lines? Nope. Part of the beauty of 21st century living means never having to leave your couch. There are dozens of apps for iPhone and Android that not only let you browse retailers' inventory from the comfort of your own home, but also tell you what to buy and when to buy it. Not sure what to buy your hard-to-please coworker or sister? Gift Professor, an app (and companion website), can generate gift ideas based on survey answers about the intended recipient. Keep track of your purchases and your budget via Holiday Gift List ($1.99) or Santa's Little Helper (99 cents). Use TGI Black Friday to browse ads and circulars weeks before they hit newsstands. Both Shop Advisor and BuyVia alert you when the price on millions of products from thousands of retailers is likely to hit its lowest point - perhaps after the holiday rush. And Amazon Price Check lets you compare those prices to its online inventory....

Deal Divas: Avoid the mall with holiday shopping apps and buying local

Head to the malls if you'd like.

There's plenty of selection, of course. It may infuse you with holiday spirit. And you can wait in line for a few hours to sit on Santa's lap if that's your thing.

But those crowds. That parking. The lines. (Deep sigh.)

Looking for some alternatives?

The Tampa Bay Times' Deal Divas have a few ideas.

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Deal Divas: Holiday shopping tips for everyone from the tween to grandma

It's tougher today than ever before to buy gifts for a member of another generation. Older adults struggle with what kind of boop-bop-beep-bop machine to get for the kids. Meanwhile, the younger generations must try to figure out if a $400 iPad for Grandma would change her life or collect dust in the dumbwaiter. The Tampa Bay Times' Deal Divas have a few ideas.

MILLENNIAL

What child of the '90s didn't waste hours every day on a Sega Genesis? Now you can re-create the old days with a Sega Genesis that actually works (Bed, Bath and Beyond, $39.99). Warning: This present, which includes two controllers and several built-in games, may reduce your 20-something to a puddle of nostalgic tears. ...

PunditFact: No, the Koch brothers won't make $100 billion if Keystone XL gets built

Keystone XL pipeline opponents are stoking fear about the $8 billion project by connecting it to two of the biggest bogeymen in politics: Charles and David Koch.

The claim goes that the Koch brothers stand to make $100 billion if Keystone gets built. The figure, which would effectively double the Kochs' net worth, has bounced around liberal circles and was repeated this month by progressive radio talk show host Thom Hartmann....

Coming soon: The Deal Divas guide to holiday shopping

Your Deal Divas have been busy lately coming up with a sweet treat ahead of the holidays.

Coming Sunday to the Tampa Bay Times' business section is our holiday how-to guide, with shopping tips and gift ideas for most everyone in your life.

Our tips will help you avoid the mall and jumpstart your gift hunt, whether you want to stick to your couch or get crafty with Pinterest....

PunditFact: Fact-checking the Nov. 16 news shows

Senate Democrats' decision to hold a vote this week on approval of the Keystone XL pipeline stoked a new round of discussions about the controversial project on the Sunday news shows.

The $8 billion project shuffling a heavy crude oil mixture from western Canada to Steele City, Neb., has long been on hold pending a review by President Barack Obama and the State Department, which must determine if it "serves the national interest" because it crosses an international border. The pipeline would connect with an existing southern leg that opened early this year, delivering more than 800,000 barrels of oil to refineries on the Gulf Coast....

Here are some Veterans Day shopping ideas

Yes, there are many sales to enjoy today, but we hope you take at least a moment to reflect on the sacrifices of American veterans. 

If you are not working today, we hope you enjoy your day off.

Here are some sales to get you started:

* Take 25 percent off sweaters at Urban Outfitters

* DSW's buy 2, get 30 percent off sale, which ends at 3 p.m.

* Up to 50 percent off anything at Express...

My Outfit Monday: Cleaning up at the Dillard's Clearance Center

If only every shopping opportunity were as thrifty as mine last week. 

First, I scored three quality skirts for free thanks to the rebirth of the Tampa Bay Times clothing swap, an easy, great idea you can copy here for your own workplace, book club, what have you. ...

PunditFact: Who spent more on the 2014 midterms, Republicans or Democrats?

Rare was the recent commercial break not dominated by negative TV ads this cycle, a nasty byproduct of record piles of money thrown at competitive races across the country.

The money poured in from candidates, parties, super PACs and "dark money" groups that don't have to report their donors, and also individual donors like you (though your influence is waning, sorry).

On the eve of Election Day, MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough and guest economist Jeffrey Sachs argued about whether the left or the right had more dough in what Sachs called the "billionaire's election."...

Florida Gov. Rick Scott defeats Charlie Crist for re-election

ST. PETERSBURG

Gov. Rick Scott, who came out of nowhere to win the governor's race four years ago with $75 million of his own money and a potent "Let's Get to Work" campaign mantra, on Tuesday became the second Republican since Reconstruction to win two terms as Florida governor.

He narrowly beat former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, who practically moved to South Florida to drive up what is typically anemic Democratic turnout. It wasn't enough for the Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat to pull off what would have been one of the greatest political comebacks of all time....

How to score fall's trendy bucket bag for less

Stylists from Rachel Zoe, Elle and Harper's Bazaar are crowing about the bucket bag as this fall's trendy purse. But as you may expect, their suggestions for capitalizing on the trend favor the takes from high-brow designers with eye-popping price tags (cue "And we'll never be royalllsssssss...")....

PunditFact: Fact-checking the Nov. 2 Sunday shows

The prevailing wisdom among pundits is that Republicans will win enough seats in Tuesday's midterm election to gain control of the U.S. Senate. On Sunday, Nate Silver of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight pegged the likelihood of a GOP takeover at more than 70 percent.

That would be a rare feat, explained Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer, because it would mean the GOP successfully ousted several incumbents....

Impatiently waiting for the Paper Crown, Rifle Paper Co. collection

If you've ever wanted to wrap yourself in Rifle Paper Co.'s whimsical wallpaper designs, there will soon be an option for you that makes a little more sense. Really, why should your walls have all of the fun?

Rifle has teamed with Lauren Conrad's Paper Crown line for a collection of dresses and separates in three Rifle prints (with matching stationery, natch). The line will debut in Februrary....