You’ll get some of the best deals of the year right after Christmas. While we are still focused on winter, retail stores are preparing for spring. They want to clear out their seasonal merchandise and you can take advantage of their need to make room for new stuff.
Here are 5 things you can do this year to get the most out of your after-Christmas shopping budget:
Stock up on gifts for the future
If you often give small gifts and you can stock up on a few things at a deep discount, do so and put them away for the future. Buy next year’s Christmas cards, wrapping paper, and gift-giving supplies now and pack them with your Christmas decorations. Replace broken ornaments or burned out lights now, when prices are lowest.
Use resale websites to buy gift cards
You can get a discount on almost anything if you use a website like Gift Card Granny to find deeply discounted gift cards for retailers you shop often. For example, if you know your kids will need new tennis shoes in a few months, buy a gift card on a resale site now and use it later. You’ll get the best discounts when websites that resell gift cards have the biggest supply since lots of people have gift cards to sell after Christmas.
Shop for open-box items at retail stores
Returns are plentiful at the end of December and throughout January. Retail stores need to clear out this inventory quickly, so you can often get discounts on almost brand-new big-ticket items like televisions, sound systems, and computers.
Watch for deep discounts on winter clothing
Even in areas of the country where winter is mild, warm clothing is a necessity January through March. Luckily, you may not need to pull out the serious heavy coats in December. Retailers put out these warm-weather items in the fall, but if you wait until after the holidays, you’ll get the best deals.
Buy holiday-themed foods
The package may be adorned with Christmas trees and snowmen, but the food inside is just as delicious on December 26th and beyond. Now is the time to get the best deals on foods that may have been too expensive to splurge on before December 25th.
After Christmas sales present the opportunity to save money on things you would have purchased at a higher price at some point in the future. As you look for the best sales after the holidays, keep your budget in mind. If you aren’t already participating in a Christmas Club account or saving money out of each paycheck for the holidays, now is a great time to start putting away funds for next year’s festivities.
Learning to manage a budget becomes a fairly simple task with a bit of practice. Take a look at The Basics of Budgeting to get started.
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