Totally Legit Reasons to Shop Postseason Sales

By Michelle Mady

In the time leading up to the holidays, shopping becomes as important a task as decorating, family time and food prep. We find the perfect gifts and keep our eyes on sales happening up to the last minute. But post-holiday sales can be just as exciting. Yes, the holiday is over, but there are so many ways that you can save for upcoming events! Like:

Shop for Toys

I don’t know about you, but I am always scrambling on our way to a birthday party to grab a gift. And a lot of the time, I know the birthday child, but in a way that I know exactly what to get for them. I have a few “go-to” birthday gifts, like board games and dolls, so when the retail stores are purging holiday leftover gifts, I grab a few and toss them in a bin in my closet. Then on that frantic morning before the party, I grab a gift from the bin and am ready to go!

It might feel like it is far away, but consider shopping for next year’s holiday season. Hear me out parents. Grab some of those timeless toys and get a head start on the upcoming holiday.  Better yet, grab something for your child’s birthday, a few trinkets for an easter basket, or even a few items to keep in a closet to pull out as a reward for something big! Grab a few super marked-down items and consider donating them to the next toy collection near you.

Shop for Clothing

At the end of each season, clothing that’s no longer “seasonally appropriate” goes on sale at drastic rates. It can be great to start on next year’s gear. 

Take winter, for example. In March, when the weather starts to get warmer, you can get a ton of long sleeve, fleece-lined cozy clothing for the whole family for a fraction of the price. Now, it can be tricky with children, as some years they do not go up any sizes and other years they jump to a whole new clothing department. So err on the side of caution and go big.

In March, when the weather starts to get warmer, you can get a ton of long sleeve, fleece-lined cozy clothing for the whole family for a fraction of the price. 

Grab clothing a size or two above what your child is wearing now. Put it in a bin in storage and set a reminder in your calendar for October: “Check New Clothing.” Then go shopping in your storage space! Keep tags on until your child is ready to wear it, as some stores have very generous return policies. These can also be great gifts for those unexpected birthday parties!

Shop for the Home

I love candles around my home, but I go through them so quickly that it can be quite the financial pitfall. But the best part about post-season candle shopping? They never go bad! The same goes for blankets, sheets, dinnerware or basically anything else for the home. I always grab a few “out of season” scents and save them for next year (or burn them when I’m feeling a festive need).

Think of it like a gift for your future self. Grab a super cute summer welcome mat in September.  Pack it away with your swimsuits and beach gear. Then, next June when you grab your summer stuff, you will find this, likely forgotten, seasonal gift to put you in the best summer mood. 

Shop for Gifts

OK, so I may have already mentioned it, but I can’t understate how having a bin of giftable items has made me a better mom. No more rushing frantically to figure out what her “new best friend” who I had never heard of before would like for their birthday. We just leisurely go to the bin and grab something age appropriate and we are good to go! It might sound unthoughtful, but as long as you are buying gifts that are well loved, like games, dolls and car toys, you are good to go!   Growing up, my grandmother had a present room where she stored all of her great bargains until they were needed. And although a room dedicated to this is a bit out of my skill set, I love my “present bin” in the basement and it comes in for the win pretty often.

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