Buy Smart, Store Wisely and Avoid Clutter

The Post-Christmas Sales can be a great time to get ahead with your preparation for next Christmas.

In this episode, Hannah, from Jolly Festive, and I discuss ideas for savvy shopping during the Post-Christmas sales, how to store your purchases well and avoid creating clutter.

We explore the items worth buying in the sales, consider sustainable shopping practices and touch on the essential bargains. And finally, we cover effective organisation and storage solutions, as well as strategies to avoid impulse buying, giving you a comprehensive guide to post-Christmas shopping.

Episode #4: Savvy January Sales Shopping – Chapters

• 00:03 Introducing Hannah from Jolly Festive
• 00:53 Post-Christmas Sales Shopping
• 09:34 Strategies for Storing Purchases
• 14:08 Tips for Avoiding the Clutter
• 20:06 Some Great Post-Christmas Sales Ideas
• 20:50 How to Find Out More About Jolly Festive

Episode #4 Transcript

00:03 Introducing Hannah from Jolly Festive

Hi, this is Laura at OrganisedWell and today’s podcast is a little different to my usual episodes. Today I’m joined by the lovely Hannah of Jolly Festive. Hannah is a year-round Christmas writer, creator, and trend forecaster, and the creative force behind Jolly Festive. She delivers tips, hacks, recipes, and family-friendly DIY projects to a global audience.

And she’s been recognised for her extensive knowledge of Christmas activities as well as her festive trend analysis. Hannah has featured on Channel 4’s Kirsty’s Handmade Christmas and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and national media outlets. Hi Hannah, thanks for joining me.

00:53 Post-Christmas Sales Shopping

It’s great and in this episode, we’re going to be discussing post-Christmas sales, aren’t we? We’re going to be helping people think about getting the most out of the January sales, the sorts of things they could buy for decorations and gifts to get ready for next Christmas. We can get real satisfaction, I think, from grabbing some bargains, can’t we? I just love a sale myself. And getting ahead means that we can think about gifts and decorations and sort of getting the advantage on next year. As someone who tries to be organised, I like to feel like I’m getting prepared. Although January does for me feel like a long time out from the next Christmas. The buzz, the hype from the marketing does kind of encourage me to think about it though. And I hate the idea of having stuff lying around the house or getting in the way. So that’s why I don’t really shop in the January sales.

But Hannah, you’ve got lots of ideas, haven’t you? Things that could be really useful to get. So we thought we’d talk about that.

Hannah (01:54)
Yes, definitely. I think it’s all about trying to make your next December you proud of yourself. You start with an organised plan of action and that you have the right things in the home. But then it’s the balance, isn’t it? As you say Laura, about they’re not going too crazy and actually and they’re ending up with more than you need and clutter that you really could have avoided. So it’s getting that balance as with everything.

Laura (02:18)
Yeah, definitely. And I have been known to kind of get Christmas presents, stash them away, and then actually forget that I’ve got them. So that’s the sort of thing that we like to avoid, whilst also, you know, making the most of getting bargains.

Hannah (02:33)
Yes, guilty as charged on that one as well and it’s so frustrating when you think I must have bought this with someone in mind.

Laura (02:42)
Yeah, or you know you bought somebody something, but you can’t find it.

Hannah (02:45)
Yes, that one as well.

Laura (02:49)
So what sort of things are really great to look out for?

Hannah (02:53)
Right, okay so yes well I’ve got five to share with you Laura. Five things that I think are worth looking out for in the January sales, well I mean we say January sales, they start before Christmas these days don’t they? The January sales. So number one is for me, and I imagine this is very common for lots of people, they’re wrapping paper, they’re wrapping accessories. So I always buy my gift bags in the January sales because they’re cheaper, they’re so much cheaper and gift bags are beautiful but so expensive for essentially some wrapping. So a definitely wrapping paper paper tape gift bows gift tags anything that you’re not making at home and would like to use for wrapping then definitely recommend the January sells for that one and actually one tip for that for me is to try and go as generic as you can because a lot of the sort of, you know, like starry wrapping paper, that’s just as good for birthdays as it is for Christmas. And then it doesn’t mean you’re limiting yourself to just one time of year. So.

Laura (03:57)
Yeah, I love that because a bit of sparkle, that works for any occasion, doesn’t it?

Hannah (04:02)
Exactly, exactly that. So I think it’s that just trying to think sort of slightly broader and keep things as versatile as possible. So that’s number one. Number two, Christmas cards. I appreciate we’re sending fewer of them. But if you are a Christmas card person, then we all know that’s a great time to pick up bargain. So definitely look for those. Number three. Now, this was an interesting one. A Christmas tree. It may go against the grain a little bit.

Hannah (04:30)
But actually January and the January sales can be a great time to refresh your Christmas tree if you are an artificial Christmas tree user.

Laura (04:38)
Yes, because you get them out and it’s sort of too late to really go out and buy something when you’re literally putting the tree up ready for Christmas and they’re so expensive. That sounds like a great idea. So because you could look out for what you’re interested in, couldn’t you? And then.

Hannah (04:48)
Exactly. Yes, I think we’ve all got it fresh in our minds at this time. That’s another reason why it’s really great to shop for Christmas in January is because you know what you’ve got. You’re not sort of remembering it and you haven’t actually opened the boxes yet and so on. You know what you’ve got. You know what decor needs refreshing. So it’s before you put it away, think about what you want to update. And with the tree, I mean, there’s fabulous companies

I can work lyrical forever about Christmas trees. But fabulous companies, Balsan Hill is my absolute favourite for an artificial Christmas tree. And they do great sales. And you know whether you want the slimmer kind or flocked kind, go for it and get the tree that you want and get it at the price that you like too.

But also, don’t be afraid of looking on places like Facebook Marketplace, because in January, people who have decided they’ve outgrown their tree or they want a different vibe, they’re selling off theirs.

Often you can pick up some fantastic bargains on really good quality trees secondhand and give them a new home which is really lovely as well.

Laura (05:55)
Yeah, absolutely. We’re talking about January sales or thinking typically about the shops, but you’re right. There are people who are thinking about moving on their decorations, moving on their trees, moving on anything that they have perhaps had use out of and don’t want anymore. Maybe they want to change the color schemes or whatever it is. It’s the perfect time to get those items, isn’t it?

Hannah (06:17)
Definitely, absolutely. And it’s much nicer obviously from a sustainable point of view if we are recycling and finding new homes for the things that we no longer want or that other people are finished with rather than buying new all the time. So it not only saves for our pocket, it’s good for the planet as well. So it’s a double win. Right, so was number three.

Hannah (06:35)
Number four. So heirloom items. So those ornaments, those pieces of Christmas crockery that you saw and fell in love with but just could not justify the price tag on those I think are definite January sale. Come back, check if they’ve come down in price and have a think whether it’s something that you would feel comfortable investing in at the price that they are after Christmas. Because if it’s an heirloom item, it’s one for your Christmas that you’re going to enjoy it, but it’s still something that’s going to be a wonderful addition to the collection.

I picked up some gorgeous mugs in the past that I couldn’t justify at full price but they came with a sale. The other thing of course is if you are buying them in January you’ve been hunkering after them for a month or two by then so you know it’s something that you really do love, it’s not an impulse purchase. So you’ve got a kind of added feeling of satisfaction that it is something you’re really going to love and enjoy and cherish.

Laura (07:28)
Yeah, I love that when you can really pick up something you’ve been wanting for a while. It’s a good test, isn’t it? If you still want it after waiting, maybe it’s, you know, and if you’ve got, you make space for it if it’s something that feels special.

Hannah (07:43)
Definitely, definitely. And then the last one that I wanted to share today of specific Christmas items is Advent calendar fillers. So I appreciate there’s lots of beautiful full Advent calendars that people enjoy and picture Advent calendars. But if you’re like me and you fill Advent calendars, then which I imagine Laura’s probably bringing you out a cold sweat, the idea of 24 little things. But if you are an Advent calendar filler, then it’s a great time to pick up the start of next year’s Advent calendar because you can get the little Christmassy bits at a really nice discounted price. And with Advent calendars, of course, you’ve to be ready to go by the 1st of December. So it’s really, really useful to have that kind of head start going into your collection of the items because you’ve got that essentially month less to fill the calendar when it comes around to next Christmas.

Laura (08:37)
And is this a good time to buy the advent calendar itself, whether it’s a fabric or a wooden one or whatever it is? Do you generally find those in the January sales or not so much?

Hannah (08:48)
That’s a brilliant question, Do you know what? I don’t know. I’m sure that there are discounts on those as well, although they are kind of heirloomy products. So I actually wonder whether that might be something that will be really good to look at again on something like Facebook Marketplace, because if someone had been treated to, say, one of the beautiful Molton Brown or Liberty advent calendars, those boxes, they’re are stunning, and they would work more than just one year and if someone’s savvy enough they might be passing it on rather than just throwing it in the bin. So if you have got in mind the idea of doing an advent calendar filling next year it would be great to pick one up then at a cheap rate and save it from landfill or save it from the recycle bin.

09:34 Strategies for Storing Purchases

Obviously as an organiser, I’m interested in storing everything. So we want to avoid having all these bargains that we’ve bought lying around the house and getting in the way. So some of the things that I thought would be useful to think about is actually having a permanent place for these items. So whether it be a large box on top of the wardrobe or a drawer or cupboard somewhere out of the way, then it’s really good to create a permanent home because you can be adding throughout the year, can’t you, when there are other sales coming up. You can be adding those items, but it means that they’re put away, they’re out of sight, no one’s going to get to them. And also they’re not in your day to day, you know, in your way day to day. So you’re not having to move boxes out of the way or, you know, try and work around these things that are stacked up.

And of course we want to keep them out of the way of daylight and we want to keep them out of the way of heat so they’re not melting or know kind of getting damaged and faded and things.

Hannah (10:35)
Definitely. And if you’ve got smelly things as well, I think that there’s always that danger that you picked up something really, really fragrant and festive and then you open the box and everything is fragrant and festive. So making sure you package that properly so that it doesn’t give away its scent for free over the year.

Laura (10:48)
Yes and that’s where maybe plastic bags or kind of making sure things are wrapped really well when we’re storing them away is really important isn’t it? Yeah excuse me, in terms of decorations you can buy some fabulous storage containers for decorations and when we’re packing away our tree and all of that sort of thing. Is it a good time to buy that kind of storage? I’m thinking really that

Hannah (11:04)
Mmm, really good idea.

Laura (11:19)
It’s probably when the shops think we’re going to buy those sorts of things, so probably they’re not on sale.

Hannah (11:25)
No, but I think you’re probably right Laura that they’re not on sale necessarily, but that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong time to buy them because if you can store these things properly then they’re going to last longer. actually the net cost might still end up being the same just because you protected your items. I am, I love the boxes that you can get the kind of cubes with compartmentalised cubes where you can put your Christmas decorations in. I appreciate that.

They don’t fit every Christmas decoration, but a lot of them have adjustable compartment sizes and they stack really well and they’re see-through, so you can kind of see roughly what you’ve got inside, which is really useful too. I use a lot of those.

Laura (11:58)
Yes, I did invest in some really useful boxes that actually have specific bauble sections and they’re layered so you can stack them and you just know that, you know, the glass baubles and things aren’t going to get crushed. And you’re right, it doesn’t fit everything, but it’s a really good base for storing the vast majority of decorations for sure. And if you’re buying them ahead, you want them to come out perfect, don’t you, for the following Christmas so the storage is really important to just protect things.

Laura (12:35)
In terms of locations for keeping our purchases, it’s got to be places out the way. So I’d recommend something like on top of the wardrobe, under the bed, in a cupboard, high on a shelf where we don’t go very often. The loft or the garage maybe if the conditions are dry and it’s not going to be interfered with or have little visitors.

They’re really good spots because we don’t want people getting into these things and we don’t want to have to get to them very often but we need them to be safe and secure. And I guess when we’re stowing these things away they’re out of sight so it’s easy to forget them. It’s really useful to either make a list, keep an inventory somewhere rather than forgetting what you’ve bought people or items that you know that you’ve bought ready for next year, it’s really easy just to pop a note on your phone or keep a list together with other Christmas items just to remind you of your location.

Hannah (13:38)
Actually Laura, that’s something that, that’s something I do as well. I have a note on my phone for each of the kind of key members of the family that I buy for and then I just add in items and sort of put them under roughly birthday and Christmas. So I keep rough track of ideas and then things I’ve actually purchased and I just keep that going all year round and I find those really, really useful and it’s so handy because then you’ve got it with you wherever you are.

14:08 Tips for Avoiding the Clutter

Yeah, that’s right, because actually I’ve been there before where you’re out in the shops thinking, right, it’s Christmas shopping time. I’ve got like not long to go. I know I bought some people some things last year, but I can’t actually remember what I bought or who I bought it for. Then you end up duplicating, which of course we don’t want to waste our time. We don’t want to waste our money. And if you duplicate, then you end up holding onto stuff and thinking, who am going to give this to?

Hannah (14:21)
Yes, and actually just before we started recording you were making a really good point Laura about the other side of that where we buy a gift because we think we will know someone. This is such a lovely thing. I can’t resist buying it. Surely someone will like it. And then you get to Christmas and you still haven’t identified who you’re going to give it to. And so it’s really trying to think of actual specific items for specific people rather than the kind of the generic buy because it will be useful, which is all too tempting.

Laura (15:01)
Yeah, absolutely. And we do get seduced, don’t we, by the sales. It’s that hype around, you know, it’s not going to be on for long and you’re going to get loads of bargains and save lots of money or you know, you won’t get these things again. And that’s a lot of that’s my about marketing, obviously.

It’s not true. There are so many sales throughout the year. We’ve got Black Friday. They’ll always be like a summer sale, a spring sale, an autumn sale. So it’s very rare that it’s the last chance we’ll ever get something ever again. So it’s, I think what you said about, you know, making a list is really important, isn’t it? Knowing what you’re going out to do so that you don’t just kind of get swept up in the excitement of getting a bargain. That we actually buy for specific people or for specific purposes.

Hannah (15:58)
Yes, absolutely. No, 100%. I completely agree with you on that. There is so much propaganda by the stores, of course, naturally, because, well, in January they’re trying to clear stock and then later in the year, well, they’re trying to encourage us to buy ready for Christmas. And you have to be really strong-willed to keep your focus on what it is that you actually want rather than what it is the shops want you to do.

Laura (16:26)
Yeah, that’s it. Yeah, I was reading the other day actually that something like 20 % of sales are made in just one month. Yeah, it’s in the run up to Christmas. So it’s a big, big time for selling. But and of course, the January sales are part of that as well. It’s a big time when shops know that we want to go out and shop. And some of that’s because, you know, we’ve been in for a while, have taken a break, maybe we’re ready to go out and do something different. Perhaps we’ve had money for Christmas and we want to go and buy something. And perhaps, you know, we want to make our money go further. Of course, we all want to do that for next Christmas. So, you know, sorry.

Hannah (17:11)
And we also, haven’t had the January credit card bill come through yet, which is the other thing. You get that painful reminder towards the end of Jan by the time the sales are finished. So it’s definitely worth and depressing as it sounds, it’s definitely worth trying to do a little bit of accounting, just have a rough idea of where you are before you go crazy in the January sales. And in fact, some of the products, of course,

Hannah (17:38)
January is the peak selling time. So I always say things like skiing equipment or fitness and exercise equipment, they’re at full price because that is the the push, isn’t it? New season, new year, new you. And and so they’re at a premium in January. So those kind of products actually are much better to look at one of the other sales in the year to try and get a discount. And they’re probably much cheaper before Christmas when everyone’s sort of ignoring that side of things and going to parties.

So it’s definitely really about sort of thinking when the peaks and troughs for a particular product are and trying to match your sales with that as much as you possibly can.

Laura (18:16)
Yes, yeah definitely. And one thing we did talk about was food. Obviously buying food ahead, unless it’s got a very long best before date, which is unlikely. If you’re wanting to buy food items that are particularly nice and you that you want to kind of nibble on for January and February, then the January sales are a good time. You get some real good bargains on little treats.

Hannah (18:39)
Yes, for sure. I think if you can be creative with sort of Christmas leftovers and you’re not fed up with Christmas pudding in 27 different ways, then definitely you can pick up some great deals on some of the discounts. Actually, my mum used to make the Christmas puddings when we were kids, but whether you make or buy the Christmas pudding, quite often they’re used for Easter. Did you have this or is it just…

It’s just our family. We used to have roast turkey and Christmas pudding at Easter as well and I swear it was because my parents were trying to use what they made and bought in January.

Laura (19:03)
No. That’s great, yes a good Christmas dinner and Christmas pudding, I could enjoy that at Easter.

Hannah (19:17)
Absolutely, but you’re absolutely right. We do. Food, we need to be mindful of. The other one is beauty gifts and they have a longer lifespan, of course. But again, it’s sort of thinking about are we really going to use them? Is it really our brand? Is it really the whole set going to be useful to us or is it just one item in the set that we’re after?

But if there is a particular brand that you’re passionate about, then it can be a great time to pick up good bargains on updating the toiletry cabinet because all those beautiful gift sets that get put together for Christmas often get sold off at cheaper prices in the new year.

Laura (19:55)
Yeah, I know I’ve certainly done that in the past, but I’ve bought the brand that I do use and made the most of it from a good part of the year actually.

20:06 Some Great Post-Christmas Sales Ideas

My gosh, thank you so much for sharing all those ideas. It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of the January sales and post-Christmas bargains, but actually there’s some real opportunities to get some things that we do genuinely want that we are going to use and get them at a much better price.

And of course, you know, if we can make a home for those, store them away, then they won’t be getting in our way, cluttering up our home, but actually they’ll be available and just ready to go for next Christmas.

Thank you so much for sharing your ideas, Hannah.

Hannah (20:42)
It’s been such fun, Laura, and I’ve got some great tips on where to store my goodies that I find at the sales now. So thank you so much.

20:50 How to Find Out More About Jolly Festive

Well thank you. And if people want to find out lots more about preparing for Christmas or post Christmas ideas I know that you’ve got a wealth of information on your website. Can you share with us the best place for people to find you?

Hannah (21:05)
Yes, absolutely. Yes, the website jollyfestive.com is a massive resource growing and I have so many ideas still to share for, as you say Laura, planning for Christmas throughout the year, little things that we can do each month just to try and de-stress December and actually enjoy it. And also then activities, recipes, hacks, homemade gifts, homemade decorations.

And ideas for ways to refresh your decor rather than having to get new decor every year. And we’ve got all sorts of inspiration on the website for you. So please do head over and have a look. And I’m also on Instagram @ Jolly Festive. In fact, on most places at Jolly Festive. And if you’re particularly excited and want to keep a little bit of North Pole Magic flowing to your inbox, then you can sign up for our Merry Mail newsletter, which builds up with Inspiration Direct here inbox.

Laura (21:57)
Thanks so much, Hannah. It’s been lovely catching up with you. And thanks so much for listening, everyone.

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