Hello Everyone!

Holiday Clearance finds are nothing short of amazing in my book – plus they can end up saving you a ton of money for the following year.  I always get excited for after Christmas Clearance – it’s just as exciting as Christmas in my book!

I am one of those people who will show up at the store on the 26th of December right when they open.  Even this year – when I was pretty much ready do deliver any day – I was lumbering around the isles determined not to miss the good deals!

Obviously you don’t want to get sucked into the hype too much (trust me – it’s easy) however there is something to be said about paying half price (or less) for Holiday decorations and items you know you will use the following year.

So what are the items I Always buy After Christmas? Well here they are…

1. Christmas Lights: Ok I know this blog is mostly focused on saving money – that’s because I honestly think I end up with some sort of ‘savings high’ when I am able to find a good deal (I call it the coupon high when I am couponing) – but in all honesty Christmas Lights are expensive at full price!! Seriously! I would NEVER pay full price for a strand of lights.  These have been on my list to get the last couple years while my Husband and I made the switch to the more efficient light strands.  Plus this year we decided to buy enough to completely deck out the house for our Baby Girls first Christmas next year.  If you need new lights – this is something to put on your after Christmas list for next year!

2. Wrapping Paper (or Christmas Bags):  You know you will need wrapping paper or some sort of bag every year to put your presents in.  It is never a surprise that you will need these items.  This is why every year – after Christmas – I go to the store and grab wrapping paper for the next year.  This year was especially fun for me because I was able to pick out little girl wrapping paper for next year (which consisted mostly of the crew from Frozen as well as some adorably over sized penguins).

3. Ribbons:  This goes hand in hand with wrapping paper and bags – if you want to decorate your presents you will need some ribbons!

4. Stockings:  I was on a mission to find a “My First Christmas” Stocking this year – and I did – and I only paid half price! If you are a family who has a tradition of getting new stockings every year – after Christmas is the perfect time to buy them – they are flat and easy to store so you won’t have to worry about it taking up too much room.

5. Baking Molds, Cake Pans, & Cookie Cutters:  This was on my list this year simply because I do not have any Christmas themed items like this and with our family growing I thought it was time to step up my ‘Mom Game’ and get some of these items!

6. Ornaments:  This is perfect if you literally have no ornaments – or you know you will want to get some – or you want to change the look of your tree next year.  Ornaments can be expensive – I know the year before I was married I made sure to pick up ornaments and a Christmas Tree After Christmas for when I was married (we didn’t move in together before we were married so neither of us had any Christmas decorations aside from a few little random items from College).

I also have this thing – I’ve slowly been collecting random little ornaments once the sales hit 90% off.  This is because when my sister and I were little my mom had a little tree that we both were able to decorate – and we always had these random ornaments to do it with.  So when the 90% off signs roll around I pick up the ornaments (that I like) that are left and end up only paying about $0.10 -$0.50 a piece for them.  Once my kids are old enough – these will be the ornaments they get to use to decorate their little tree just like my sister and I did.

7.  Decorations:  I am a sucker for Christmas decorations . . . I just am.  I’ve slowly been accumulating decorations over the years and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.  A couple years ago I was able to get an adorable light up bird house with two little chubby birds in it.  This year I picked up a Holiday moose – I know it sounds silly but I saw it in the store and fell in love.  Last year – for some unknown reason – Meijer ended up with a TON of lighted garland that somehow (I still have no idea how) lasted until it was only $1.50 a piece.  I mean a ton of it! My sister and I were at the store and we called our mom to let her know because we both planned on getting a lot of it and wanted to know if she wanted some as well (of course she did).  So we started picking it up by the piles and now all of us have enough to decorate our stair banisters and then some!

A photo posted by Come Save Away (@comesaveaway) on Jan 4, 2015 at 10:09am PST

8. Items that have coupons: So I’m sure many of you are like – what kind of Christmas items have coupons? Well basically food and household items.  For instance Glade and Febreeze often times have holiday themed scents – that you can buy after Christmas at 50% off – and use with a current coupon that is floating around (sometimes the apps that pay you even have rebates back – only upping the savings you can get.  Food items – like Betty Crocker candycane twist cookies, or cake mixes, or M&M’s with a Christmas theme – you get the idea.  These items often times have coupons that you can pair with them to drop the price even more!

Obviously anything you think you may need for the next year is what you would want to pick up but those are my top items.  I know this year I was on the lookout for “my first Christmas” outfits and bibs and basically anything baby in preparation for next year (because why pay full price?!).  I did this for Halloween and Thanksgiving as well.  Remember that the Holiday Clearance is after every holiday – I know I happened to feature Christmas in this post but in all honesty it can be Valentines Day, Easter, basically any Holiday (except New years – it doesn’t really work to well for new years for obvious reasons!)

I would highly recommend this tactic for any new moms & dads to be out there because let’s be honest baby items and clothes are expensive to begin with – and you know your going to splurge and buy them for their first Holidays!

What are some of your after holiday Must Buys?