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This post brought to you by Sears. All opinions are 100% mine.

One of the first lessons learned in building a custom home is to shop online whenever possible. A home has tens of thousands of working parts and running around from home store to department store to specialty store trying to gather them all is mind-numbingly futile.

How many times do you have the perfect item in mind, only to find the brand, model, finish, or color you want—no, need—is not in stock?

Internet shopping to the rescue. In most cases you order it, they locate it, they ship it to your home or building site. Done.

You may be surprised to know that we even ordered our appliances online. But why not? If you buy them in a big box or appliance store, they get shipped from the manufacturing plant to the store and then shipped to your home. Why shouldn't it be cost effective to order without the middleman?

Historically, some of our favorite appliances come from Sears. Consumer Reports ranks them highly a great deal of the time, so they are always on my list. Honestly, I've never loved the store in general, but there are specific products I'll go out of my way to get there. (Snow blower, tools, car batteries, and featured marketplace offers.)

If you're in the market, check out their appliances or other high quality brand name items. They've recently updated and upgraded their offerings. (Ray Bans, anyone?) Their website has new items every day as they are adding more colors, sizes, and styles to meet customer need. The goal is to satisfy every customer. If you like what you see, pass on a tweet about it. I always like to encourage companies that listen to their customers and respond.

With spring upon us, it's a good time to check out their newest arrivals. At this time of year, you can count on some serious yard maintenance tools and equipment!

Don't be afraid to shop online. It's easy to compare features and prices and get just what you need without spending a penny on gas.

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.