Room to Grow You
“$832 is the average amount Americans planned to spend on gifts and holiday items during the 2021 holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation.”
Since you’re reading this, I am guessing this figure isn’t as appealing if you’re working on a tighter budget.
If you can wait it out, and dependent on when you will be presenting the gifts, it’s always more frugal to wait until the day after Christmas, the days following up to the New Year, and in some cases, for certain items, even a couple of days before Christmas Day to purchase your gifts.
So let’s see what it is that you can save money on if you’re patient enough and circumstances allow it.
Now naturally if you’re shopping for your kids and closest friends and family whom you will see on Christmas or Boxing Day, you’ll probably be looking for good deals before Christmas.
Perhaps you’ve already purchased that longed-for console or make-up for the upcoming festivities around Back Friday or even Cyber Monday but there are always the gifts for your cousins, nephews, nieces, colleagues…people you won’t get to see until days or weeks after but you know you have to gift them something.
If that’s the case, then I suggest you wait until after Christmas has passed, or for online stores even the day off if the discounts have commenced.
You know what I mean, that additional cash you need to spend but don’t want to go overboard, just find something symbolic.
So these are the most common items you can hold out for:
Toys and Small Gifts
Assuming there are still some gifts to purchase for kids you won’t be seeing come boxing day or even after, save some cash and buy these items just after the holidays as they are guaranteed to be reduced in price. Discounts can go down to 60-70% so if it’s not urgent, wait for them to pop up. This especially includes any Christmas-themed toys like plush penguins, and Santa Clauses, then Christmas coloring and audiobooks, etc.
Winter Clothing
I’m talking hats, gloves, slippers, sweaters, jumpers, and anything with a Christmas motif is bound to be on sale just after the holidays. There are usually 2 or 3 packs of items so you can buy for multiple colleagues for instance without breaking the bank. The gifts will be appreciated whenever they are presented don’t you think? Comfy winter clothing like pajamas, and sweatpants, not sold during the Christmas period will also be on sale so take advantage of those deals.
Decorations
You’re probably thinking, why would I buy decorations after Christmas?
Well if you like to wait until the last minute, prices on ornaments go down with the arrival of Christmas, so you might get them at 70% off just before Christmas.
The most frugal thing for your family budget is to, of course, buy ornaments and decorations after Christmas as they will be the cheapest then, and use them next year.
You might also be buying them as gifts for people you won’t see on Christmas day or earlier so take my advice, that’s when you should shop for them.
Consumer electronics
To continue with the previously mentioned console, you might want to wait for the end-of-year sales on Steam or HumbleBundle, you can often see discounts of up to as much as 90% on certain games!
Wow!
Now if only it was the same for women’s clothing 🙂
Alternatively, you can head on over to Target, they have clearances on games post-Christmas to make room for new items.
Smaller appliances will also be on sale.
Makeup
If you’re looking to splurge on makeup running up till the holidays it’s always better to purchase it around the end-of-year sales as prices will most likely go down.
This is especially true around New Year’s eve, as people prepare for the “big night”.
Beauty stores will be looking to clear their aisles for fresh releases and spring makeup so be sure to check with your favorite makeup brand online or in-store.
You can also subscribe to their newsletters to be in the know if your favorite items are discounted.
Pet Accessories
How can we forget the diverse Christmas-themed jackets and sweaters coupled with their favorite toys all come down after the holiday season to make room for the next seasonal collections?
So if there’s a special pet out there for you to treat, I doubt they’ll mind the Santa Jacket even if gifted just before New Year’s Eve, or better yet, get two, because they’ll probably be cheaper as soon as Christmas passes.
It’s usually a good idea to check the desired store or online store for promoted sales that can start even a couple of days before Christmas day.
Even though this is a good idea in itself, to hold off your spending, you should know that you’ll be left with whatever is left over so there are no guarantees that what you saw in the shops will still be there when they open again after Christmas or be out of stock off online.
So just be aware.
Options will be fewer but less pricey, as with any final clearance.
It’s risky if you have your heart set on an item, only to find it sold out when it’s discounted.
So here are some ideas where you can find these end-of-year sales:
- Target’s Clearance Run with up to 50% off
- These Fitbits are on sale for the friend or family with fitness-themed New Years resolutions
- For clothes and accessories look to Mango for up to 50% off on selected items, Zappos, or even Calpak for travel accessories (as those flight prices will also be reduced just after Christmas)
- Beauty Gift Sets: Always needed for rough wintery hands, these Burt’s Bees hand care set or Walmart’s reduced prices for this Coconut Body Set
- Pet Accessories: How about this swanky doggy outfit for 50% off
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