After Christmas Sales Tips!

 

Hello again, savvy savers! The holidays are almost over, and you know what that means, After-Christmas sales!

For anyone on a budget, after-Christmas sales are a perfect opportunity to get all the gifts that Santa forgot to bring, staples for next years get-togethers, school functions, and the like, often at 50 to 70% off. Unlike Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales which seek to mark the beginning of holiday shopping, the real savvy savers know that the true sales come after  Old St. Nick!

However, not all bargains are made equally, and when your budget is tight and every penny counts.

Use these tips to spend as little as possible while getting the best and final bang for your buck this holiday season:

1. Look for luxury. The day after Christmas will find luxury home good, small appliances, linens, and coats drastically reduced; be sure to not return policies for these sales!
2. Plan A Strategy. After-Christmas sales are a great time to buy basics, especially for work. Stores are trying to clear out darker colors to make way for spring pastels. Before heading out to the store, look online for coupons, deals, apps, and try to match these deals with holiday gift cards. 
3. Think Big. This is a good time to buy big ticket items, if that is what you really need, but it also a good time to go shopping at bigger stores. End-of-year deals on TVs, stereos, and tablets will be at low, low prices starting today for the next week!
4. Be Realistic. A bargain is only a bargain if you really needed it. Otherwise, it is just money you spent unnecessarily, and coupled with long lines and grumpy gooses abound, being realistic will be your lifesaver today! Keep this motto in mind!
5. Check online. Many stores, such as Overstock and Amazon, have started offering after-Christmas deals on Christmas Day itself. Check online to get an idea how the price will drop in your neck of the woods.
6. The Have-To-Have Items. Stores want to entice shoppers to come in to their shops in the hopes that you will see something you just “have to have” and spend more than you intended. Allow yourself one splurge item, and then go about your jolly way!
7. Newspapers. You will find significantly better coupons in your local sales circulars the day after Christmas than online for items such as holiday-themed paper products, ornaments, and the like. Be sure to buy the Friday edition that precedes Christmas, as well as the one for the day after Christmas.

As well, there will be numerous deals at local retailers, especially discount and drugstores, for everyday goods. Be sure to price match, coupon shop, and throw as many app deals as possible into the mix. While looking for these end of season deals, he sure to look for the following:

• Winter Clothing; coats, robes, slippers, and pajamas will go as low at 90% off at many retailers, such as Sears!
• Toys and Small Gifts; consider stocking up for gift closet staples for Easter and Mothers Day, especially on spa and gift sets. 
• Decorations; Christmas trees, lights, decor, wrapping paper and more will all be 50 to 75% off within a few weeks after Christmas. 
• Fitness Products; retailers will start capitalizing on the public’s needs for weight loss resolutions, and online retailers will capitalize on these items! Look for hot deals on yoga balls, yoga mats, treadmills, kettle bells, and the like!
• Food; After Christmas is prime time to scoop up some serious deals in the grocery aisles. Baking supplies, wine, cheese and seasonal flavors of products are all on the way out, for as such as 90% off at discount stores such as Dollar General, Family Dollar, Big Lots, and even the Dollar Tree.
• Consumer Electronics;  Retailers want to stock store shelves with new 2015 models on the way, so they want to unload last year’s models and free up shelf space. Look out for great deals on washer and dryer sets, TV’s, gaming equipment, headphones, ear buds, and vacuums! 

So, there are a few tips for after Christmas sales, shopping, and strategies!

Here’s to saving,