Most people start January trying to think about ways to stop them spending money but for me, January is one of my most expensive months. The reason for this is my obsession with the January sales.
We have a huge family on both sides with lots of nieces and nephews and a whole host of school friends party invitations cluttering up the diary so being able to grab a suitable present quickly and easily (as well as having not spent much money) makes my year so much easier.
However, you don’t want to just buy things for the sake of it and getting the most out of the sales means a little bit of preparation.
Plan which gifts you will be giving
When shopping in the January Sales I always look for toiletry sets that are not festively themed. These can be perfect for adult gifts and a selection of male and female gifts mean that we can give to family and friends and if I manage to get them at 50% off or less then that makes a huge saving. The other thing I look for is everyday toys, things like playdoh, lego and craft sets. Grabbing these things in the January sales mean that you always have something suitable to give to a child for a birthday present.
Plan where you are going to shop
Knowing which shops have the best January sales is the key to saving you money throughout the year. The Boots 70% off sale is always worth checking out whether online or in store and I find shops such as House of Fraser and Debenhams do a great clear out of toys and gifts at this time of year too. If you have lots of girls in the family then visiting Claire’s 5 for £5 sale can save you an absolute fortune and if you have stationery addicts then the Smiggle sale is another one to watch.
Research discounts and vouchers
Before I spend any money online or in store (and even in restaurants) I will always see if I can find some money off somewhere. The Promo Vouchers Website is good for this if you know the shop you want to buy from as you can type that into the search box. If I can’t find a promotional code or coupon then I tend to look to see if I can gain cashback via Quidco or Topcashback. If that fails me then I look to see if the store has its own app as usually, these have extra discounts included. It is amazing how little I pay the full bill when eating out as I always have some sort of discount code or free item voucher to use.
Plan how much you can spend
I actually save money for the January sales but if you don’t have much to spare then you need to plan accordingly. Look at your budget and decide where you want to focus your spending. Would you be better off getting lots of adult gift sets and then just buying stuff for the kids from discount stores such as B&M as and when you need it or would you be better focusing on getting presents for kids? This all depends on your family and the age of your children as if they are only young they might not get many last minute birthday invites.
Plan where you are going to store it all
After you have bought all of these fabulous bargains you need to have somewhere to store it out of reach of the children and yet make sure they are easy to get to when you need them.