Buy Now and Save Later
December 28, 2007 by Karen Weideman
Filed under sale, saving money, shopping
Some of you are probably thrilled that Christmas is over and you certainly don’t want to think about next year. However, now is the perfect time to start thinking ahead.
My dad and I have an informal tradition. For the past few years, the day after Christmas we have gotten up early and gone shopping together. He pushes my shopping cart while I squeeze in and out of the busy aisles of clearanced Christmas merchandise. In between our shopping, he takes me out for breakfast. It’s one time that we get to spend quality time together.
I buy bows, wrapping paper, tissue paper, ornaments, and bath and body products. I buy hair brush and hairbow sets, chapstick/lipgloss, and other little things for the shoeboxes that I’ll be making the following year. Ornaments make great gifts for Sunday School teachers and nursery workers. I also pick up soap and bath toy kits for my children. I use them later in the year for Easter, birthdays, or for the next Christmas. It’s soap, it doesn’t go bad right away. In fact, this year I gave Cuddlebug a Winnie the Pooh soap paint set. He had a blast with it in the tub today.
So, take advantage of the clearance sales right now and stock up for later. It’s nice when you pull out the gifts later and know that you saved big.
Pictures from CrateandBarrel.com.
What about you? Do you like to shop for Christmas things after Christmas?
I went to Cost Plus World Market (like a less expensive Pier 1 if you’re unfamiliar) twice already. I got lots of ornaments and decorations, some for me and some for gifts. Great deals are always appreciated.
I used to go overboard and into debt on the week after Christmas sales–really. I had to cut back BIG TIME. Now I only buy enough wrapping paper, gift bags, etc. to last through the year and only buy birthday presents for the coming month–keeping in mind how much I would spend on other presents if I found them at the thrift shop new or gently used. I think I only spent $10 on after Christmas sales this year and $3 of that was 6 40ft tubes of wrapping paper plus two bags of tissue paper that was plain enough to use for any gift year round.