Kat’s Money Corner: Post-Christmas prep
It’s that time… The smell of gingerbread cookies is in the air and holiday specials are dominating your favorite sitcoms. Oh yes, Christmastime is almost here. And, before you know it, the holidays will be over! Read on for some handy tips and frugal advice for both re-using your holiday mainstays and stocking up on deeply discounted swag for next year. Trust me, this method will save you loads of money in the long run. http://www.lakeside.com/jma/Stocking-Up-On-Stocking-Stuffers-And-Decorations-After-Christmas-Ends
Re-using Wrapping
Get the image of mending and ironing wrapping paper out of your mind. Think long-term by wrapping gifts with festive fabrics or using Christmas totes to pass on your holiday cheer. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, the possibilities are fairly endless as far as size and design go. These reusable holiday sacks aren’t just clever, they can also gain sentimental value through the years as well.
http://www.reuseit.com/reusable-gift-wrap-and-gift-bags/reusable-gift-wrap-and-gift-bags.htm.
Paper grocery bags also create a fun “vintage” look as wrapping paper!
Stock Up on Stuffers
People tend to forget that a nicely wrapped gift carries its own costs. For this reason, I stock up at crafts stores when they have sales on tissue paper or wrapping paper, and after the holidays is a prime time to hit the crafts stores. There’s usually a ton of great colors and these packs will usually last me through years of holidays, birthdays, baby and wedding showers. Nabbing these post-holiday deals saves an extra $5 per gift!
Another good idea is picking up neat holiday cards after they’ve gone on sale. You can easily use them the following year and if you’re a scrapbooker, discounted Christmas cards are an awesome way to add character to your holiday pages. We do the same with wedding, sympathy or birthday cards (especially for kid’s birthdays). Keeping an eye out for sales or online promo codes is a clever solution and keeps us from having to carve out an extra 15 minutes to run into the store and pick up a card.
Save Time, Too
Lastly, the end of the year is an awesome time to get organized. In my home, we have a closet where we store all our extra gift bags and boxes. They’re nicely organized by theme (birthdays, showers, Christmas, etc.). Don’t think you need to totally re-organize your space to make room – adding a ‘wrapping station’ to your home is as easy as adding some hooks or baskets to the back of a closet door. http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2012/09/uheart-organizing-wrap-it-up.html
Do you want 2015 to be the year you get your savings goals back on track financially? Keep watching, as I’ll have a special guest blogger sharing all you need to know about this in the new year!
Kat's Money Corner is posted on Dollars & Sense every Tuesday. Kat Hnatyshyn, when not blogging or caring for her little one, is a manager with CommunityAmerica Credit Union. For more financial chatter, click http://twitter.com/savinmavens.
This story was originally published December 9, 2014 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Kat’s Money Corner: Post-Christmas prep."