Clever Uses for all that Christmas Clearance

Are you guys in the school of people who go to buy things from Christmas clearance or not? If you are following our series on how to plan for Christmas all through the year, this is a perfect time to get on board because...

I know that this girl sure is!

If you are not, I'd love to share with you reasons that Christmas Clearance can be your favorite thing ever!

As I write this, it is the end of January. People have done and moved on from Christmas. But it seems that each store has this little pile of clearance just hanging around...by now it's jammed at the back of a shelf and is 90% off...at least.

Talk about saving some moola!

I know that clearance can often look like a hot-mess at first glance but have no fear! When you go in and face the mess with determination, you can usually find something great. If you look at that mess though and wince, I get it! I used to be that way too and would just pass it by. However, there are so many reasons to face the mess.

Case in point, Nick and I went to Michael's last weekend to look around. They had the usual Christmas clearance areas but as we looked around (total honesty I was trying to buy MORE Happy Planner stickers) we noticed Christmas clearance sprinkled throughout the store. We found candles, floral stems, and more in different departments and all for 90% off!

Here are some pink stems I found for $0.79 cents each. I have four of them on the mantel in our master suite and it cost me less than $3.50. They offer up a cheery pop of valentine's color and yet still feel wintry and cozy.

If you are new to clearance combing, here are 7 uses for things to think of when you look through. It is so easy to think just "Christmas" and skip the items, thinking you have enough holiday!

Decor

Don't just think of Christmas, but think of ANY decor. Red things can be used for 4th of July, Memorial Day, Valentine's Day. Pink decor could be used for Mother's Day or Valentine's Day or Easter. The list goes on and on of what you could use things for. Keep an open mind and try to see each item on its own rather than in the big mess of clearance chaos that you see before you.

Here is my Valentine's mantel. I bought the heart garland last year on clearance from the Target Dollar Spot, I think for $1.50. The burlap garland was from Hobby Lobby. The beads are 2 garlands from this years Christmas clearance at Michaels. They were originally $14.99 so I paid $1.49 for each, for a total less than $3! I love how it looks. It's farmhousey with just a hint of valentinesy thrown in.

Gifts

There are some items that are left on the shelves that you could use for gifts. Perhaps as Christmas gifts next year, but also, what about Easter Basket items or as birthday gifts for throughout the year? If I find items I think would make great gift ideas but I can't think of anyone specific I usually still buy one (or more!) and keep them in our gift closet. It's nice to have a small stash for when an unexpected birthday comes up. I can refer to the gift closet rather than go out and bombard our budget with an unexpected expense for a gift.

Stocking Stuffers

This is where small items come in handy. You can pick up little things for cheap to put in stocking next year. There have been years I've neglected to look for these things and the next Christmas I found myself buying things for $4-5 EACH at Target simply because I didn't have anything for their stockings. Never again!

Operation Christmas Child

Perhaps no one in your family needs that box of Christmas themed crayons in your hand that's now $0.19 but what about putting it in a box for Operation Christmas Child?

Each year our family makes boxes for kids our own children's ages, as well as donating more items to our church that also fills boxes. Picking up these items allows our money to go further, thereby allowing us to bless more children.

Partyware

Often times in clearance you can find items that may seem odd but you could find a use for them. Case in point, I found bags and bags of silver and white sprinkles in the Hanukah clearance. I used these to top cupcakes at my sister's "pearls of wisdom" bridal shower. There are so many things you can use out of the context of the holidays that will make them work really well. Red plastic silverware? Use that for your next picnic this summer! Red striped paper straws? Hello to Valentine's Day! Cheap plastic tablecloths? Save those for pumpkin carving at Halloween to contain the mess!

Advent

If you are like us and do an advent countdown (you can get directions on how to make one like us here) then you might need gift ideas for each day. Clearance is a perfect way to pick things like puzzles, pens, stamps, stickers up for about 19 cents each. Score!

Gift Toppers

There always seems to be a hoard of ornaments that are on WAY clearance and no one wants. Look through those and see if you can find some items that would make great gift toppers. A simply wrapped gift with a neat ornament on top always looks amazing!

There are so many ways to use things differently than what they are packaged for and intended for. Sometimes all it takes is a little creativity and “thinking outside of the box” to come up with uses for things.

And like we talked about in my first post in this series, make sure you write down what you purchase as the year goes on. This will prevent you from losing purchases, over buying, and shooting your budget from forgetting what you've bought.

I'm so excited to be posting about year round Christmas planning with you. Be sure to check back for more!

You can store your Christmas decorations this easy and organized way.