9 Things Frugal People Always Buy AFTER Christmas

Don’t you just love it when you walk into a store and see CLEARANCE signs everywhere? It’s better than Christmas for frugal shoppers like me!

After-holiday sales are an easy way to save money because it’s the end of the year. Stores need to clear out their holiday-themed items to make room for the new stuff.

You can pick up candy and decorations at half off!

If you haven’t taken advantage of after-Christmas sales before, here are several things to buy and save.

Beware — the day after Christmas is a busy shopping day. You will have a better selection for all the candy, decor and Christmas selection the day after BUT if you wait a couple of days after you will get a better discount.

It’s a gamble. If there is something I absolutely LOVE or had my eye on all season and it’s 50% off I go ahead and grab it. Then I’ll try again when items go 70% off. The selection is slim but there are great deals.

Without further ado, here are the 7 things frugal people always buy after Christmas.

 

9 Things Frugal People Always Buy AFTER Christmas:

Seasonal Decor

Since I’m extremely frugal, I never full price for household decorations. They aren’t essential, and they are troublesome to store, but I love decorating, so I buy them anyway. I’m just careful to find the best prices.

Unless you desperately need them, you should always AVOID buying Christmas decor, and lights BEFORE the actual holiday.

Lately I’ve seen Christmas clearance start BEFORE the actual day. I’ve seen the clearance sales start up to a week before Christmas at my local Target and Walmart. However, the clearance sales start at 10% off.

If you need to update your Christmas decor and want to score the very best deals, you should wait until after Christmas.

Garland, lights, trees, ornaments and everything else is usually marked down to 50% off the day after Christmas, and over the next couple of weeks will be marked down further. Last year I was able to find several things I needed for 90% off two weeks after Christmas.

Some of my favorite things to buy after Christmas:

• Seasonal dishware
• Placemats, table linens and centerpieces
• Ornaments and wall hangings
• Seasonal storage containers

 

Gift wrap

Buying gift-wrap, gift tags, gift bags and bows on sale is a no-brainer. It’s amazing how much wrapping paper can cost, if you aren’t careful. Gift wrap is always just thrown away so who wants to spend a fortune on it?

When you shop after-Christmas sales, you’ll often find both Christmas designs and styles that work for any occasion. I love to use the tartan plaids you always see at Christmas time as birthday gift wrap, especially when they are other than the traditional red/green color palette.

 

Holiday cards

Greeting cards can be expensive! Lately, I primarily send out digital versions, with a family newsletter and photo. But I still like to send snail mail versions to my grandparents and the older generation who really appreciate a paper version.

Last month I stopped at Walgreens and found some beautiful holiday card sets (a dozen in a package) that cost over $15 per set. They were gorgeous and intricate, but there was no way I was paying that.

Well guess what? Yesterday those exact sets were $1 each, and they still had a huge stack of them. I bought 4 packages to use over the next couple of years.

 

Gift Sets

As you peruse the Clearance offerings at your local retailer, be sure to check for gift sets! Last year I found loads of them and was able to pick up a year’s supply of shaving sets (with razors and fancy shaving cream) for only a couple of dollars.

In addition to finding things you can use yourself, grab a couple of gift sets while they are cheap and use them for bridal showers, birthday gifts, neighbor gifts, or teacher gifts. Having a couple of extra gift sets in your closet is a great way to save money throughout the year.

Every retailer who carries these will have these on sale after Christmas. If you can find a few that don’t look Christmas-y, you’ll be able to use them all year.

 

Winter Apparel

Retailers always have extra inventory after the Holidays, which they will deeply discount. It’s a great time to purchase new outerwear and boots, in addition to holiday dressy clothing and kids footy pajamas.

Gym Memberships

How many of you have made fitness or weight loss resolutions? Gyms anticipate all of those resolutions and take advantage of it by offering discounts during January.

The YMCA frequently waives the joining fee, and Planet Fitness, VASA and Gold’s Gym run specials like joining for a $1 or including fantastic perks. If you’re in the market for a gym membership, keep your eye on the local gym’s websites to see what specials they are offering.

 

Baking Supplies

Grocery stores need to clear out all of their extra holiday baking stuff (think holiday-print cupcake liners, red and green sprinkles, and holiday candies) so you can grab it for cheap now and use again all year long or store it away for next year.

Remember that Valentine’s Day is coming, and you’re going to need red sprinkles! Might as well buy it now for half off!

 

Furniture and Vehicles

If you’re in the market for new furniture or a new vehicle, the end of December is a great time to make those purchases!

Car lots try to meet quotas at the end of various sales periods. The end of December is one of their biggest, making salesmen more likely to wheel and deal.

Just like at the car lot, new furniture starts rolling in during January/February.  The old furniture must go. This is when shoppers will see furniture marked down to get it to sell more quickly.

 

Birthday gifts

After-Christmas sales are a great time to shop for birthday gifts because lots of things are on sale, not just holiday items. Be sure to check the clearance area for things like Lego sets, ride-on toys and dolls.

Just don’t forget where you store them! If you store them all together in one closet, you can pull out the gifts as needed and save yourself a ton of money.

 

 

Online vs. in-store sales

In the past, I’ve primarily shopped in-store to find the best clearance deals. But last year I found that online retailers, like Amazon are also offering after-Christmas deals. I actually purchased 4 huge boxes of Christmas chocolates for under a dollar a pound on Amazon.

My family won’t care that the box looks a little Christmasy. If you’re shopping online, don’t forget to use cashback sites to get some money back on your shopping.

When you shop your favorite stores through Ebates, you get a percentage of your purchase back. The percentage often increases during peak shopping times like during after-Christmas sales. I saved $200 during December by purchasing through Ebates.

I’m talking about free cash back! Without any extra work! You’ll wonder why you didn’t use it sooner!

 

No matter where you shop and what you buy, I hope you’ll buy what you like, use what you buy and save a ton of money all year long!

 

 

What are some items you always find yourself buying after Christmas? Where are your favorite places to shop for good deals?

 

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