Saving Money on Christmas Decorations

We weren’t married, had no home, and yet had a stockpile of Christmas decorations. Why? Because we are planners…and maybe a little crazy. We knew the following year we would be married, have a home, and would need some Christmas decorations.

As many of you know, all too well, full price Christmas decorations are VERY expensive. We didn’t want to get caught in that situation, so a week or two after Christmas we went to Target. We got lights, ornaments, stockings, garland, wrapping paper, a rug, and probably some other stuff I am forgetting. Shopping for Christmas clearance sales can be a science. If you buy too soon, you will only get 30% off. If you buy too late, nothing good will be left. I have found that the sweet-spot is 75% off. Last year, however, we scored three big boxes of lights at 90% off. It was like winning the jackpot! The boxes of lights were normally $15.99 each, but we paid just $1.59 a box.

If you call your local store, they can tell you at what percentage the holiday items are selling. However, they cannot tell you when prices will go down further. Please do not get upset with them for this; they honestly do not know. I know; I worked at Target for six years.

I’m already getting ideas for how I might want to decorate differently next year so I can be on the lookout for when they go on sale soon. We live in a townhouse so we don’t have much to decorate outside, but I would like to get some lights to put around the perimeter of our fenced patio. Indoor lights are also a good thing to stock up on since you never know when they are going to burn out and leave the bottom 1/3 of your tree dark. Mike’s favorite part of the after-Christmas sale is the candy aisle. Whatever you may be looking for to spruce up your house for the holiday season, make sure that you take a swing through your favorite department store to score some fantastic deals. Hopefully next year, my house will be a bit more festive, but for now, we love our tree!