Frugal Living Tip #16 - Buy Generic Holiday & Seasonal Items

Buy Generic Holiday and Seasonal Items

My All Occasion Gift Bags

If you read tip #15, you may think I am referring to store brand items again. That is not at all what I mean.

What I mean is buying items that can work for more than one occasion. This can mean buying things like wrapping paper and gift bags in solid colors or patterns that can work for more than just birthdays or showers. Buying decorations that can extend past the holiday and represent the season, like pumpkins and fallen leaves in the fall, and snowmen in the winter as opposed to more specific Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorations like black cats, turkeys and Santa Claus.

You can even use this idea for party or shower decorations. Instead of buying everything within a theme, focus on a color that coordinates with it and just get a few of the themed items - or better yet use what you have available. Items like teddy bears, trucks, trains, dolls, books, or blocks for a baby shower or candles and flowers for a bridal shower. Let the food be part of the decorations. Curly lettuce can make a plain serving platter look more colorful and attractive.

You may even want to look for notecards that you can add to a gift instead of buying a specific card. You can also use these for thank you notes, or just a note to let someone know you are thinking about them.

When you have generic items available it can save you money and a trip to the store.

Do you have any ways that you use generic themed items?

 

Frugal Living Tip #7 - Buy Now For Next Year

Buy Now For Next Year

Costumes for Halloween 2013

This past week has been a great time to look for items like gift tags, ribbons, and wrapping paper to use for next Christmas.

In the next few weeks stores will start bringing out clothes for Spring and Summer. That means they need to start clearing floor space and reducing fall and winter items. I have been able to get some great deals on kids clothes this way. It also helps that my kids aren't growing as fast now.

This concept can work for anything - I buy Valentine's plates and napkins after Valentine's Day and then I have them the next year for school parties. I bought all of my kids Halloween 2013 costumes at Target for 50-75% off after Halloween 2012.

Buying ahead is a great way to save money, but like I mentioned in frugal living tip #1, you have to be organized. If you don't remember that you bought it, or where you stored it, it isn't a savings. I keep items like Valentine's Day plates, napkins, and stickers to make this year's valentines in a tub. I keep the Halloween costumes hanging in a closet in the guest room. I pack any holiday items up with the holiday decorations and they go to the attic.

I want to leave you with this final thought - you aren't saving money if it is something that you don't have a real use for or a place to store it neatly until you can use it. That makes it a waste of valuable space and a future garage sale/donation item.

Do you have any items that you always wait for the end of the season? Do you have a special way of keeping them straight and remembering what you bought?

 

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