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Holiday Clearance Shopping: Spreading the Joy Throughout the Year

by San Diego Bargain Mama

The key to successful post-holiday shopping (vs. creating clutter) is thinking ahead and considering which purchases will be smart buys to store for the months to come for upcoming kiddie events.  Some of these strategies can be implemented in preparation for the holidays, and some during the days and weeks following.  The following items are purposefully not bulky items, and can easily be stored in tubs and labeled for upcoming events and seasons.

Wrapper’s Delight – Grab holiday décor and wrapping for 50% to 90% off, depending how long you are willing to wait.  Holiday cards are a must-have in many a household; many families are going the route of photo greeting cards, but why not glue stick a nice picture on each card and pay pennies to the dollar?  You can stock up on all variations of religions and traditions, and do so guilt-free!  Share some with a friend and your deal will become a steal.  Now you are thinkin’ ahead!

Buy solid color (no designs) wrapping paper or cellophane after the holidays.  Green paper is perfect with pastel colored ribbon and a nice homemade card (very Spring-like) for a nice gift for another occasion.  Red paper is well embellished with pink or white curly ribbon to wrap a nice Valentine’s Day gift.  Blue (Hanukkah paper) works for wrapping boys’ birthday gifts.  Silver and gold paper and (even tissue paper when appropriate) work for lining homemade gift baskets, wrapping wine or jars, and for wrapping wedding gifts!  Gorgeous bows, ornaments, and ribbons are steals during the sales and add a classy accent.

Some wrapped candy, such as Hershey’s kisses, is fine to store for Valentine’s Day.  Some candy freezes well, but most will last a few months without any issue.  Also, boxed sets and red lollipops sometimes sold as holiday candy goes on clearance and isn’t even wrapped with holiday words or decorations. Stock up on Pez inserts and chocolate covered cherry cordials.  The four- pack of Tic-Tacs and other candy can merely be stripped of the outer holiday wrap and stashed in the car or saved for Valentine’s Day.

Stock Up – Other examples of solid color items to stock up on are napkins, plates, and plasticware.  Consider the thematic birthday parties to come. You don’t need to get thirty Spiderman paper cups, napkins, tablecloth, decorations, lunch plates and cake plates.  Once again, think solid colors, and perhaps reserve the thematic element to the invitations, decorations, loot bags, and perhaps cake plates.  Spiderman, Superman, Strawberry Shortcake (red) will be represented enough that the partygoers won’t mind that their cups, napkins, lunch plates, plastic ware, and balloons are a complimentary red.  You are bound to be safe supplementing with primary colors, as the colors are likely to be dominant in the majority of the thematic party colors.  Wal-Mart has the best prices on basic party favors, and the dollar stores are right up there as well.  Also, Party City several times a year has a blow out clearance sales on their party favors.  Some moms think out of the box and buy a variety of thematic favors, and have, for example, a "Superheroes" party, rather than devote it to only one buff idol.

Stocking Stuffers/Valentine’s Goodies/ Easter Basket Trinkets - There is something for kids from one to ninety two on all the clearance racks that will save you up to 90% depending on how long you wait and how long other shoppers don’t!  After the 50% sales have sat a few days, diehards will call the stores daily to see if the priced have graduated to 75% off.  Some ideal places to shop for real deals are: Wal-Mart, Target, Cost Plus World Market, Hallmark, Kohl’s, Michael’s, Mervyns, and Rite Aide.  Wal-Mart is an ideal place to stock up on party favors for loot bags, Bingo prizes, Easter basket toys, soap, lipgloss (galore) and bath sets; and for 20 cents during the tail end of the clearance period, you can’t go wrong!!!!  Many folks stock up on gift baskets, then turn around and right on ebay!  Large gift baskets with soaps and lotions for $2-$6 make great gifts to teachers and friends.  Some dismantle them and make their own, noting that the price alone might not even buy a basket!  You would be smart to grab a few before the 75% sale or if you choose to wait, be prepared with a cart or two at the store opening time.  It’s a crafter’s haven, so don’t wait too long!  Target is great for their dollar bins (50% off after as soon as Christmas Eve, then 75% off soon after) sweets and quality kid-themed holiday ornaments, T-shirts, and stockings.  Cost Plus is great for quality treats, snacks, kitchenware, and small decorations.  Hallmark stores have great holiday music CD’s at blow out prices and their 50% off after-holiday sale is fantastic, too.  Kohl’s and Mervyns have great toys for kids that go on sale, perfect for any upcoming kiddie parties.  Michael’s also offers 50% to 75% off their dollar bin gift items; you’ll need to grab a basket for this one.  They are also great for candles, Christmas crafts and kids’ project kits.  Don’t forget to grab your 40% off one item coupon from the Sunday paper (not every week); you’ll be bound to find a regular-priced item that you wished you had clipped it for.  Barnes and Noble has great blow-out book clearances ($1 books) a couple times a year, so be sure to call them and mark that on your calendar.  Dollar stores are notorious for having great treats, small toys, cosmetics, baby items and beauty items at a steal.

Buy Larger Sizes for the Kids - You’ll find sales all over town, but might not have the greatest selection if you wait more than a day or so.  Keep in mind that experts advise grabbing apparel two or more sizes larger than your kids wear this season.   It is easy to forget, too!  Be ready for the race as early as December 26 if you want the best selection.  The typical pattern in 50% for up to a few days after Christmas, 75% for about a week, then into January the 90% sales conclude the season.  So ,for those bargain hunters who get the basics after the holidays and plan ahead for events, parties, and gift-giving opportunities….applause!  Just remember to wake up early and wear your comfortable walking shoes!

One last huge tip: Make extra sure that you check that each clearance item rings up at the clearance price posted and watch the register diligently.   A very, very common problem and inconvenience is that stores are very often ill-equipped at managing this transition, and end up overcharging customers.   Also, remember that the toys that are the it thing this year, while 50%-75% off might not be the best items to stock up on, however you can't go wrong stocking up this time of the year on heavily discounted art supplies, sports gear, etc.  Happy hunting!