The presents have been opened. The relatives have gone home. The refrigerator is full of leftovers. It’s that post-holiday time of the year.
Retailers are feeling the same post-holiday blues as you. They have a bunch of items still in stock that were selling for a nice price before Christmas, but in the week or so after the holiday, those items need to be cleared off the shelves. As a result, many retailers have a lot of sales during the week between Christmas and the new year.
Here are 10 items you’ll often find on sale during this period.
Wrapping paper with holiday themes isn’t exactly a hot seller after all the holiday packages have been opened, so stores put it on deep discount. Of course, that means it’s a perfect time to pick up rolls for next year. Stow them away with your other holiday decorations, and use them next December.
Holiday cards also receive a steep discount this time of the year because, again, they’re printed with seasonal themes that can’t be used year-round. As with the wrapping paper, it makes a lot of sense to buy these on sale now, and stow them away until next year.
Tape is often available in jumbo packs during the week before Christmas and then discounted the week after Christmas. After all, people aren’t taping up packages nearly as much once the holidays are over, so those jumbo packs sell for cheap. Buy a jumbo pack, put a roll in your supplies drawer in the kitchen, and put aside the rest for the holidays next year.
Christmas lights can often be found at a good price right now. (People are often taking down the twinkling lights, not rushing out and buying them.) If you need another strand or two, either for more decorating next year or to replace a problematic strand, now’s your chance to get a great price.
Artificial trees are another item stores are looking to close out this time of the year simply because of their seasonal nature. If you need a new tree or want the convenience of an artificial one, now is the time to purchase it.
Winter clothing starts going on sale right after Christmas, partly because of the big lead time retailers use for seasonal clothing but also because winter apparel is a popular holiday gift that becomes less popular after the end of the gift-giving season. Winter clothes can be stowed away for next year or worn during the remaining months of winter, depending on your needs.
Tech devices are a holiday gift-giving staple, and many go on sale the week after Christmas, as retailers try to move out their overstocked items. This is a great time to replace a television, pick up a Blu-ray player, check out a wearable fitness device or look at video game consoles, as all those items can be found on sale.
Gift sets that people often give as holiday gifts — collections of beauty products, for instance — tend to be deeply discounted right after the holidays. Pick up the boxes for your own use or to give as gifts in the coming year.
Gift cards aren’t always discounted at local brick-and-mortar stores, but this is the right time of year to find secondhand verified gift cards on websites such as Cardpool.com and GiftCards.com. People often unload unwanted gift cards they received as gifts, and that gives you a great opportunity to pick up a few at a nice discount.
Food items, both in terms of seasonal foods like pies and chestnuts as well as food gift sets, are quite cheap after the holidays. The food is still delicious, and the prices make those items a bargain. Remember, you can always freeze food items for later if you can’t use an on-sale item right now.
The post-holiday sales at stores offer a great opportunity to stock up on items for the coming year at a great price. While it’s never a good idea to indulge in things you wouldn’t normally buy anyway, most of the items on this list you’ll likely eventually need to purchase. So why not take advantage of the sales and save yourself a few dollars?
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10 Smart Things to Buy During After-Christmas Sales originally appeared on usnews.com
