Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
It’s one of my favorite times of the year. The aisles are packed with Christmas Clearance. It can be your best opportunity to pick up items, both necessary and fun, at a very low cost. However, it’s also an extremely tempting time of the year that can distract you from greater financial goals. Remember those $0.19 Placemats that threw my world into orbit?
I thought it would be fun to share with you what I’m on the prowl for this post-Christmas season and what I always look for in the clearance bin.
Personal Care Items
Lotions, soaps, toothpaste, and more can be used any day of the year, no matter if the package comes with a cutely wound red and white bow. So many gift-y personal care products have their prices slashed by more than half the week after Christmas. And bonus, some allow you to use coupons, too. Whether it’s bubble bath for the kids or an extra toothbrush to put back in the months to come, be looking for great health and beauty products.
Consumable Goods
Again, it matters not if your soap, paper towel, napkins, or paper plates bear the marks of the holiday season. And once again there might be coupons that you can pair with these great Christmas clearance deals. High on my list are red items that can be repurposed for other holidays (hello Valentine’s Day). But in the end paper towels, napkins, and paper plates end up in the trash anyway. Why not pick them up at a fraction of the price and use them all year long or if space allows, save them for next December. Under consumable goods, I’d also add that you should be on the look out for tape.
Christmas Cards
Our local Meijer had an entire center aisle of Christmas cards on shelves that towered over my head (I am a little short, though). This week is a great time to pick up next year’s cards (we’re still functioning off some that I bought for $0.10 – you read that right – from Target years ago). If there’s a large supply of cards, WAIT. The price will drop further.
Solid Reusable Red Decor
Every holiday, I’m seeing red. Valentine’s Day? Red. Memorial Day? Red. Fourth of July? Red. Labor Day? Red. And even during the Thanksgiving or fall seasons red can be a great accent color. Most major Children’s characters utilize red. Many sports teams or school colors feature red. This is precisely why my eyes are acutely tuned to anything solid red and reusable after Christmas. Bowls, ribbon, fabric, baskets, and more. You should definitely see red and check the price.
Candy and Baking Mixes
I know what you’re thinking. No one wants to eat any more Christmas cookies. We’re all trying to lose weight now that it’s January (we’ll circle back around someday and talk about why that’s a poor strategy) but for now I’d agree. However, enthusiasm will wear off and you’ll find yourself snacky or responsible for bringing a treat to a gathering. I promise you, as long as it tastes yummy no one will care what the wrapper looks like or if the chocolate chips are red and green. Again, if you can find candy that is covered in solid red wrappers, you’ll be able to use these for Valentine’s Day. More than one year I’ve hit the candy clearance to pick up non-melty items for soldiers and shipped them overseas.
Yes, it’s a good time of the year to buy a new tree or lights – if you need them. You can also pick up decor, wrapping paper, bows, craft kits, Christmas books and CDs, and clothing for a song. But be sure you truly do need said items (this is our year to actually buy our first Christmas tree after using a hand-me-down for 16 years) and you have a place to store them where you can find those purchases next Christmas. Otherwise, skip it. It’s very easy to get carried away and buy a bunch of stuff you truly don’t need.
I can’t stress that if there’s a high volume of product in your store (typical for clothing), to WAIT. Some of the best deals come after the new year when stores desperately want to clear the shelves for new products. If it’s not there when you come back, it was never meant to be and you have a few dollars more in your pocket.
What’s your favorite Christmas clearance find? I want to know what you got and how little you paid! Leave it in the comments.
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
