Christmas is the one time when it is all too easy to pay full price for every present you buy. Buy these things after Christmas to save money once the new year begins!
And it’s because you need to give the presents AT Christmas so you can’t wait until after Christmas to grab a bargain.
Or can you?
As a card carrying, money saving, frugalista I dislike the idea that I HAVE to pay full price for presents and Christmas décor because I need them before the day.
If you plan far enough in advance and budget carefully, you can grab all the bargains you need after Christmas.
And save up to 70% on everything you buy.
How To Do Christmas Cheap: Without Feeling Like Scrooge
What Not To Wait For
If you have your eye on particular gifts then you may not want to run the risk of them either being sold out or not in the sale.
If you can grab them on a deal before Christmas then do it.
If you are aiming for more general gifts and Christmas décor then hold your nerve and check out the bargains once Christmas has finished.
Come and follow me on Pinterest for more money saving hints and frugal tips!
Top 9 After Christmas Bargains
1. Christmas Décor
I’m talking tree decorations, table ornaments, lights and themed place mats.
These all last more than a year so don’t get caught out paying full price when you can wait a week or two and get them half price.
They store nicely in their boxes and you can use them next year.
2. Gift Wrap
I literally cannot remember when I last bought full priced Christmas gift wrap. Nor gift bags.
These items last about 5 minutes after the recipient has opened their present and then they are chucked in the bin.
Why pay full price for something that nobody keeps, is ripped apart and chucked away immediately?
You can always find gift wrap at 50% off in the days and weeks following Christmas.
Play your cards right and you can even find it at 90% off.
Frugal tip – I try to buy plain gift wrap (think gold, silver and red) without Christmas motifs.
I then use this for birthday presents throughout the year.
Not only do you get Christmas gift wrap for 50% off, you get birthday wrap too!
Related post: How to have an amazing Christmas on a budget
3. Gift Tags
I’ll be honest, I don’t ever buy gift tags, reduced or not, and haven’t done for a very long time.
Nor do most frugal people.
We use the picture side of Christmas cards received the previous year. One card can be cut up into 2, 3 or even 4 gift tags.
If you really want to buy gift tags then pay 50% of their price buy buying after Christmas.
They get ripped off and chucked in the bin so quickly you don’t want to spend more than a few pennies on them.
4. Christmas Greeting Cards
Cards can be anything from pretty cheap to down right expensive.
I’m not a fan of sending all and sundry a greeting card but I know family members appreciate them.
But I refuse to pay upwards of a £1 a card. And I don’t fall for the charity gift cards packs either.
If you check out the small print they charitable donation is around 40p, on a pack you are paying £4 or so for.
I’d rather give my money to charities direct and buy cheaper cards.
Cards are often quickly reduce to 50% or even 70% immediately after Christmas which is when I snap them up.
5. Christmas Trees
There is a good environmental argument for not buying a plastic tree, and I get it.
But I can’t get my head round paying £30 or more for a real tree only to kill it over the following 2 weeks.
And do the same all over again the following year.
If like me you steer away from real trees then when your tree needs replacing (and they do last a long time) then grab yourself a bargain tree AFTER Christmas.
Our previous fake tree lasted us 15 years. We carried on making do as I never remembered to buy one in the January sales.
Until one year Asda Walmart had prelit trees on sale in my local store for £5. Total bargain!
If your tree needs replacing, buy one in the sales for 70% or more off.
Don’t pay full price!
6. Gift Sets
I love buying gift sets after Christmas. Not just for next Christmas but for people throughout the year as birthday presents.
Most of the time they don’t have any Christmas motifs or themes so you can gift them at any time of the year.
I don’t go out of my way to visit shops for gift sets as I have one date booked into my January calendar every year.
The Boots 70% off sale.
I am there when the doors open with my gift present list and large carrier bags.
And I can almost always buy all the gift sets I need at 70% off.
You don’t even need to purchase them just for being gifts.
A friend of mine buys gifts sets then breaks them up and uses them for her own use. She gets lovely smellies for a fraction of the full price.
7. Christmas Sweets
If chocolate and sweets are something you buy throughout the year then consider buying in the Christmas sales.
Depending on the item you can get them super cheap.
Be wary though, having a stockpile of sweet things is not always a good idea.
Especially if you or your family don’t have great willpower when it comes to eating these things in moderation.
Christmas chocolate is something I don’t buy before OR after Christmas.
Because I have no willpower when it comes to chocolate.
8. Winter Clothing
I’m not sure why but as soon as January comes the stores start filling their shelves with spring stock.
Here in the UK the weather doesn’t become spring like until late March!
But I’m not going to complain too much because I can often pick up winter walking trousers (lovely fleeced lined ones) for 30% of their full price.
You will also be able to pick up some grab bargains for kids.
If you plan ahead you can buy their entire winter wardrobe for next year at less than half price in January.
9. Household Goods
In the UK the 3 weeks after Christmas are a peak for buying expensive, large household goods – in the sales.
I’m talking whole new kitchens, sofas and new TVs.
If these have been on your shopping list AND you know what you want AND you’ve kept an eye on prices in the preceding months, you could grab a bargain.
Just be wary as not all sales are as good a deal as they seem.
Save Money By Buying After Christmas
The after Christmas sales are a great time to grab yourself some great bargains.
As long as they are things you need.
Some of the stores actually start discounting prices before Christmas but the real bargains are afterwards.
Don’t settle for 10% or 20% off when a few days later you can score 50% or more.
Me – I shall have my usual date with the Boots 70% off sale.
I’ve just got to work out between now and then which is the best store to go to, having moved 300 miles from my usual store.
The bigger the better is my tip as the bigger stores stock a wider variety of lines and are more likely to have left over stock.
If saving money is something you want or need to be doing more of, have a read of these posts for help and inspiration:
How To Save $500 A Month When You Stop Buying These Things
Live Cheaply – How You Can Win At Living On Next To Nothing
Last Updated on 3rd April 2023 by Emma
Solid tips and overall very sound frugal advice! I can’t believe how many people will pay full price for almost everything just because they “have to have it in time for christmas.” As the season approaches, I’ll be rethinking some buying decisions now too. Thanks for the content!
Hi MFIM! If you can get away from the mindset of ‘must have before Christmas’ then you will be doing your budget a huge favor. If you can go one step further and be thinking next Christmas straight after this Christmas you will next look back. Good luck with your buying decisions and bargain hunting after 26th Dec. Thanks for stopping by!
I do all the above when I can. Yes I totally agree with the wrapping paper. Also if you get boxes of stuff in the mail and it is stuffed with brown paper instead of bubble wrap- save the paper. I fold it up into big squares and put in a box. I use this paper to wrap extra large Christmas presents. I use stickers from mailers during the year to cover any holes that may be in the brown paper. Also use some crayons and coller on some rough Christmas theam- Trees, candy canes, stars, snow men… It give it the hand made feel.
Hi Terri – we often get a big chunk of that brown paper when we get a boxed delivery. Like you I save it because it just makes sense really doesn’t it? After all, you can buy brown paper for wrapping, but why pay when you get bundles of it for free?! I like the idea of decorating the brown paper too, might just do that this year. Usually my decoration is limited to ribbon tied around and a gift tag (made from last year’s Christmas cards of course). Thanks for stopping by!