Plan ahead and shop around your house first.
Christmas shopping can take place throughout the year, rather than just after Thanksgiving or (gasp) on December 24th. Keep an eye out for items on clearance or at the season's end to get awesome gifts on the cheap. Here are some examples.
- Buy bathing suits and summer clothes for next year when they are on clearance at the end of the summer. Also, think about yard toys, inflatable pools, t-ball sets and the like. Give these items as Christmas gifts.
- Pick up candles, picture frames, and other multi-purpose gifts when you see them marked-down. Use these items as gifts for friends, teachers, hair-stylists or anyone else who makes your world turn.
- Pick up team apparel on clearance after the sports' season is over. I found a really cute Colt's shirt for my mother-in-law on clearance after they played in the Super Bowl. Come to think of it, there will probably be an abundance of Colt's gear on clearance after the awful season they've had this year.
- Pick up children's craft items for pennies during back-to-school sales. I have assembled a Christmas gift for my 3 year old Goddaughter that consists of construction paper, glue, colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, crayons, a ruler and a few more little things that cost less than $3. Craft items are nice because they are sort of 'consumable gifts' in that the artwork can eventually be recycled and the writing utensils get used up, thus reducing clutter of toys.
- Watch Menard's ads for home-improvement items which are free or inexpensive after rebate for the handy-person on your list. My husband got a free handsaw, $2 set of 20 bungee cords, free paintbrushes, free rugs and much more.
- Look for toys on clearance tables. I've see more cute toys come through the clearance table at my Kroger store. Also look on Meijer endcaps for orange-sticker items. Watch for a Kohl's 30% off code to buy cheap toys.
- Don't forget about yard and garage sales. Just because you buy an item when it is 90 degrees out, doesn't mean you can't wait to gift it until it is 9 degrees.
Place these items that you find year-round into a cardboard box or plastic bin. Shop from this bin first before hitting the stores. The only caveat to shopping year-round is that it is important to be mindful of what you already have and to know when to stop. Snatching up every item on the clearance racks might make you spend more money than you normally would. It might be helpful to keep a master list of the items in your gift bin in your purse, so you can refer to it when you are out and about.
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