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Who isn't looking to stretch their money a little further? When it comes to buying a television or a complete home theater, you want to get a good deal. Listed below are some good practices that may help you save some of your hard earned paycheck when buying your next television or home theater system.

This article is not about choosing a television, for that read about HDTV Television or HD Programming. This article is simply trying to suggest good practices when shopping for TVs and home theater systems.

First, decide what fits in your budget. The last thing you want to do is let a salesperson talk you into more than you can afford. You don't want to wake up the next morning and feel sick that you spent too much money.

Second, do your homework at home! Take some time to sit down and do some research online. Take a look at consumer reviews. These can be found on several websites such as Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart, and Target. I have found that people are either very happy or really disappointed with their purchase when they submit their reviews. Both opinions are helpful when making a decision. While visiting these websites do some price comparisons. Why waste gas going from store to store just to hear a salesperson who may or may not know what they are selling? There are other third party review sites, but often they do not have the current models that are being sold.

Third, look for coupons online. You will find that most electronic stores will offer incentives to get you to buy from them. Most of the big retail web sites will have a "coupon and specials" section. Some stores, such as Circuit City, have a buy online and pick up in store service for the same day. They sometimes will even give you a better price when using this online service.

Fourth, decide if you are going to buy the extended warranty. This is important to decide before you get to the store. You will be asked by a very persuasive salesperson to buy a warranty in which you will have to make a quick decision, which is never good. I personally never get the extended warranty for two reasons. The main reason is that all electronic manufacturers will warranty their products for a year. I figure if it is a "lemon," then it will go bad before the normal warranty expires. The second reason is if you never buy the extended warranty than you are basically insuring yourself for the one time you get something that goes bad after the normal warranty expires. So far it has worked well for me.

Fifth, make sure you always check the "open box" and "returned" items before buying. You may get lucky and find a great deal. These items have the same guarantee and often will be reduced by 15-20% of the normal price.

Buying a new television or home theater system can be exciting and fun if you budget for it, price shop, and look for sales and coupons. You will enjoy it much more knowing that you did the research to get the best price and at the same time making sure you can afford it. Even a cheap TV can still cause a restless night if bought from a quick and rash decision.