Did you know that there are a few things that you would be better off waiting until after Christmas to purchase? Even if you plan to give the items as gifts, the sale prices on these items after the holidays are likely to make you think twice before choosing to grab the item now instead of giving a gift card. For example, if you plan to give someone a television this year and you were unable to score one of the super amazing deals that happened on Black Friday, you can give a gift card in the approximate amount that it would take to purchase the television and it is likely that the happy recipient will not only walk out of the store after Christmas with his or her new TV, but a few extras that they were able to buy with the money that they saved on the price of the television.
It is also important to understand that the sales are not always the same after Christmas from year to year. We learned that on Black Friday – the items that had great prices last year were different than the super deals of 2011. This year, it has been rather warm (in case anyone has not noticed). I realized that today, when it got really, really cold and as I was about to complain I realized that it is always this cold long before now most years. If you want to give cozy fleece, sweaters, and other cold weather essentials you may want to give a gift card for these as well. The lucky recipient could wrap themselves in more warm items than just the one piece that you would wrap up for the same price.
If you are thinking of surprising someone special with something sparkly, you may want to get creative about finding a way to delay that jewelry purchase until after the holidays (but soon after, unless you want to postpone it until after Valentine’s day). Around Christmas and Valentine’s Day, the pressure is on shoppers to dazzle them with diamonds, pearls, gold, and just about every other kind of jewelry. Heart warming ad campaigns and artful displays add momentum to the message that a gift of jewelry makes the recipient feel special. You could choose a more modest gift for Christmas and include a mysterious message with it about things to come in the future, or you could choose a thoughtful yet inexpensive gift and say nothing – and completely knock their socks off when you present them with a lovely piece of jewelry at a random time.
Photo by clarita on morguefile.com.