by Michelle Jones
I first learned about this great money-saving last summer while having a
chat with another t-ball mom, and we were just talking about family camping,
of all things. The tip she gave me was about purchasing inexpensive holiday
tablecloths, after the holidays. You see, after each of the major holidays,
theme decorated tablecloths are marked down drastically to make room for the
next holiday's items. As you can imagine, this bargain shopping idea will
pay off year after year.
By the way, she said those cheap tablecloths are also great for camping
because if they get messed up you haven't really lost any money, and you can
even use them for a mat on the ground as well as their intended use - to
brighten up dinner tables (or in this case, picnic tables). I thought her
tip was just brilliant because many of us don't invest in holiday
decorations but would love to if we could get them for a good bargain.
We probably talked about those cheap tablecloths for 20 minutes, discussing
back and forth which holidays would be best to get them. I hope to see her
again soon so I can tell her what other great holiday bargains I've found
since our little chat.
Like many of you, I've always shopped after Christmas sales for bargain
decorations and gifts, but I have to admit, I was often overlooking the
other holidays such as Thanksgiving and Valentine's Day. Not to mention St.
Patrick's Day, Easter, 4th of July and others.
At the time of this writing, Valentine's Day has just passed and my oldest
daughter and I recently made a trip to Target (a discount chain store), to
exchange a pair of shoes for my two year old that didn't fit properly.
(Never put off taking something back if it doesn't fit!) And, not only did
we find shoes that were a perfect fit and should hopefully last throughout
the summer, we also stumbled upon another great after-holiday bargain, one
completely unexpected.
As we entered the store and headed straight for the shoe section, we walked
right past the older girls clothing section, just by chance. Something with
red hearts caught my attention. I stopped to see what the items were, but
first noticed that there was a big sign above the rack that read "70% Off!"
Then our eyes scanned downward and we saw what was for sale at such a great
bargain... adorable heart pajamas, with two pairs being her exact size.
I had just been thinking earlier this month that I would like to buy my
daughter some new pajamas, since her last ones no longer fit (unless Capri
pants are in fashion for pjs). But, since they only fit her for a year or
two anyway, I really hate to 'waste' money like that. After all, she does
have several extra large t-shirts she's had for years that make great sleep
shirts, so it's not like she really needs them.
Yet, they were so pretty, and practically being given away for free! So I
bought her both sets and told her "Happy Birthday!" Even though, at 70% off,
this after-holiday bargain fit into our family budget just fine and I'm sure
we'll be able to come up with something new for her birthday in August, I
always mention the next gift-giving holiday just in case.
Now I'm getting anxious to see what will be on sale after Easter,
but I think I'll go shopping alone this time!
Copyright 2003 by Michelle Jones
Michelle Jones is a mother of 4 and the author of Dealing with Debt. She is
also the founder and editor of http://www.betterbudgeting.com , a web site
devoted to saving you money.