Worst holiday season in decades means big price cuts now

If you do decide that shopping is the answer, you'll be set to save a lot in the coming weeks of post-holiday markdowns. Due to an unusually bad holiday season for retailers -- with sales down 19% to 21% for apparel, and 26% for electronics -- stores are making huge markdowns and coming up with creative ways to rid shelves of merchandise. Retailers are bundling goods, offering a free wingchair with a couch, for instance, and every incarnation of buy one-get one free imaginable.

With analysts worrying about whether it's possible to "retrain the consumer to pay full price," it's certain that consumers are in a good place. Don't be retrained, people! Embrace your obstinacy in this post-holiday please-let-it-be-a-recovery markdown period.