What You Can Get at the After Christmas Sales

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Retailers and most consumers seem to think that just because Christmas is past we can’t use any item that was packaged for the winter season (even though winter has barely begun).  Outsmart them by purchasing items you can use now because they are winter themed instead of Christmas themed. Items that only have winter/Christmas packaging but can be used any time of year, and items like toys and batteries that are simply overstock are hard to find at good discounts. There have been years that we spent anywhere from $100-$200 the week after Christmas.  But in the process we saved 3 or 4 times that amount on things that we would have purchased throughout the coming year.  Don’t forget to check back a few days later to see what items have been returned or found in the stock room too! Keep your eyes peeled and keep an open mind.  You never know what you’ll find that will save you money!

Starting on December 26th many stores will have all Christmas items as 50% off.  You’ll be able to find:

  • White tissue paper and curling ribbon that you can use for gifts any time of year
  • Personal care gift sets that can be used for gifts any time of year
  • Food gift sets with many priced below regular price of the contents inside the sets (we love getting the summer sausage gift sets) Plus, these sets can be used for gifts any time of year. (you did see that one coming right) You’ll also find Christmas cookie dough and chocolate chips.
  • All sorts of Christmas decor– trees, ornaments, garland, greenery,lights, ribbons – you name it!
  • Candy– I love me some half price M&Ms!  Think ahead to Valentine’s day. Many of the individually wrapped packages of candies will have snowflake packaging or even regular packaging within the snowflake outer packaging- perfect for your kids’ Valentine’s party favors. You can also buy bags of Christmas colored Hershey kisses and eat all the green ones first, leaving you with the silver and red for Valentine’s.  Then you eat the red ones next, leaving you with just silver for after Valentine’s. (In recent years, Target has only put their candy at 30% off right after holidays, but they’ll move to 50% off within a few days and usually move to 70% off the same time as the other holiday merchandise)
  • Toys, Toys, Toys.  We are already seeing toy clearances at many stores, but the prices will get even better.  Think ahead to birthdays for your kids and their friends over the next year.  What gifts can you buy in the next few weeks at as much as 75% off and save hundreds throughout the next year? (not to mention the time saved from last minute shopping trips before parties!)
  • Gadgets, Trinkets and Batteries.  It never ceases to amaze me what sorts of things get clearanced out starting Dec. 26th, simply because the packaging has snowflakes.  All those red boxed gadgets at Target will be clearanced as well as candles, air fresheners, and all the overstock of batteries! You’ll find some items with just a touch of winter like picture frames and winter china, as well as plenty of small items that you can use for Secret Santa gifts at work or church next year.
  • Paper ProductsI’m not a big fan of paper products, but a huge clearance is the time to buy what you’ll need.  You’ll be able to find snowman or snowflake items that you can use for another 2 or 3 months without being out of season (not that it should matter anyway LOL)
  • Cloth Tablecloths and Napkins.  I’ve bought tablecloths (a red one and a white one) that were 75% off after Christmas.  We typically use the red one from Dec. – March, white from April-August, and a fall themed one Sept-Nov.  I’ve also found lots of cloth napkins that could also be used for any number of purposes – although I recommend red for dining.
  • Clothes: Winter PJs, Christmas themed clothes, hats, gloves, ear muffs, socks, hair bows, and ties as well as house shoes.  It’s all got to go.  By the time many of these hit 90% off they’ll be as cheap or cheaper than buying clothes at goodwill!
  • Craft Sets:  Some will be Christmas themed and others won’t.  You can save a Christmas craft set for the next year or pull it out for a Christmas in July activity to help break up the summer boredom streak, or buy crafts for your child’s class for next year’s Christmas party.

Most big box retailers will begin reducing items to 75% the weekend following Christmas. The 90% off sales could happen as soon as 2 days after that. Each individual store reduces their prices according to inventory though, so it’s hard to guess when your store will drop their prices.

This morning when I went “After Christmas Sale” shopping, I found great craft sets, teacher gifts and student favors, plus a couple new sets of tree lights.  What did you find?

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  1. […] written about the every day items you can find at Target during on Easter clearance and Christmas clearance, but never shared any Valentine’s finds before. Just like the other holiday clearances, so […]

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