Holiday Savings

Clearance Items

Most people know this and kick themselves every year for not taking full advantage of it, but the best way to save on holiday items is to purchase just AFTER the holidays the year before. 

We all know that Christmas items are slashed first to 50% and then up to as much as 90% as the days pass after Christmas. This is a no brainer and it goes for all the holidays and Halloween.  I know that it's difficult to justify buying all the new Christmas decor you want when you may have holiday bills rolling in, but if you know you're going to need new tree lights next year or a new tree skirt, this is the time to do it! 

The main thing here, too, is to not limit yourself to holiday items. Think about gifts for next year. Look at those pretty little gift sets of candles or beautiful ornaments and remember those people such as your mail courier or the kids' teachers. You can look all the more generous when they receive a $20 gift without the knowledge you paid as little as $3.00 or less for it. 

Also, if you enjoy giving to charities such as Toys for Tots, this is a time when many toys are clearanced and you can  same amount of money you normally would, but make a lot more children happy.

Do you envy people that can afford those beautiful lined Christmas cards with personalized text.  Do it yourself! It's easy!  The most cost effective way starts with those after Christmas sales again. Stock up on the most beautiful card you can find at 75-90% off. The following November, take them out and run them through your printer to personalize, also saving an incredible amount of time.  I like using a nice script or handwriting font. You'll also want to practice on plain typing paper cut to size to get the spacing just right. Once you get that, though, you're good to go and at a fraction of the cost.

Buy Group Gifts

When purchasing gifts for relatives, it's often a nicer gift and much more cost effective to give one large gift for the  entire family than to give a gift to each member. Let's say you have a sister, her husband and their three kids. You could easily be looking at $100 if you limit yourself to $20 each. 

The solution? Find something the entire family would enjoy and give it as a group gift.  Think of things such as a croquet sets, volleyball games,  an air hockey table or dart board. These are things the entire family can enjoy.