Top 10 Items Moms Should Stock Up on During Holiday Sales
The holiday season isn’t just about festive cheer and family gatherings—it’s also prime time to snag some incredible deals! Whether you’re shopping for your family or planning ahead for the year, holiday sales can be a lifesaver for busy moms. Let’s dive into the top 10 types of items you should stock up on during the holiday season to help you save big money during the rest of the year.
Kid Essentials: Clothes, Shoes, and Backpacks
Small kids grow like weeds, and before you know it, you’ll need to upsize their entire wardrobe. Instead of waiting until halfway into the second semester and having to scrounge for the extra cash to buy longer uniform pants and school-appropriate tops, take advantage of deep discounts during holiday sales! Now is the time to buy school clothes in larger sizes for the upcoming school year. It’s also the best time to grab things like next year’s winter coats or school shoes in a size or two up because buying them during Black Friday and Christmas sales will help you get everything in advance and at a fraction of the cost you’d pay during spring and summer months.
Bonus tip: look for neutral backpacks that can work for future school years!
Toys and Games for Birthdays and Beyond
We all know that holiday season sales are great for grabbing the toys and games that your children have been pestering you for throughout the year. But, if it’s in your budget, you’d be amiss not to stock up on board games, puzzles, and craft kits to have on hand for other events and celebrations throughout the year. Having just a few extra items tucked away for children’s birthday parties, rainy days, or for rewarding special events and milestones can keep you from digging into your monthly budget. Grab age-appropriate toys and games during the big seasonal holiday sales to save time and stress as you move into the new year.
Kitchen Gadgets and Cookware
Most of us moms spend way too much time in the kitchen cooking for our families. As you would expect, essentials like pots and pans wear down from age, kitchen gadgets break and sometimes we just need some new dang spices to keep things interesting. From air fryers to Dutch ovens, retailers love slashing prices on kitchen gear during the holidays. So, if your blender is on its last leg or you’ve been dreaming of a stand mixer, now’s the time to invest. These deals make it easier to cook all those kid-friendly recipes we moms need year-round.
Pro-Tip: If your new gadget will break the budget, avoid racking up the interest on your standard credit card. Try using various payment programs like Affirm, Klarna, and Sezzle to break the payment down into smaller bitesize pieces while still saving a ton of money by getting it at the holiday season price. These services do charge a nominal fee but it comes out to be far less than the interest on the credit card balance.
Non-Perishable Groceries
While you are shopping for everything you need for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, make sure to take a look at the circulars from your local grocery markets and discount stores like Dollar General. This time of year, stores are looking to of fput a lot of overstock they have in things like broths, baking essentials, canned goods and various types of pantry staples and will put them on a steep sale hoping people need them for their large holiday meals. Take advantage of these sales to stock up for the next 6 months where you can. No, you don’t need to go crazy, but a few bags of things like brown sugar, cornstarch and baking powder can easily stock you up for the year. Double down on these savings where you can by using coupons in addition to the already steep sales.
Pro Tip: If you don’t do a lot of baking – go a different route. Holiday Season food sales are the BEST time to stock up on things like pasta, rice and…. broths. Chicken stock, beef stock and vegetable stock will often come down as low as 2/$1 for cans and $1 each for tetra packs. These items, if stored in a cool dry cabinet can last many months. A few years ago, Walgreens ran a special on Swanson broth cans 2/$1 and had a store coupon that gave you $1 for every 4 cans. I cleaned out the shelf and walked away feeling rich because I used store points to pay for it. My whole family had broth for the year and I looked like a hero.
Home Organization Tools
New Year’s resolutions often include decluttering, so retailers discount storage bins, shelving, and closet organizers during holiday sales. Get your home ready for a fresh start and tackle the chaos of toys, school supplies, and seasonal decorations. Hit up Black Friday sales on Amazon and places like Home Depot, Lowes, and the container store to score low prices on organization necessities. Need a new clothing hamper set for the laundry room? Dividers and containers for your fridge? Now’s the time to grab them.
Beauty and Skincare Products
Most Mom’s are typically the last in line to have their needs met – but the holiday season sales are a perfect opportunity to get things that you use everyday that you don’t like running out on during the year. Treat yourself, mama! Holiday bundles and discounts on skincare, makeup, and hair tools are abundant this time of year. Grab a few extra cans of your favorite hairspray or the Clinique skincare set that you know you’re almost out of. This also applies if you have teens and tweens in the house. Use the seasonal sales to stock up on hygiene and beauty essentials to avoid extra expenses during the year.
ProTip: Don’t overlook the drug stores! While on the surface, places like Walgreens and CVS seem to have sky-high prices – they are usually almost always cheaper than places like Walmart – but you have to know what you are doing. Sign up for those free store memberships and check out the store’s app – you will almost always find amazing exclusive coupons that will get you those basic necessities like deodorant and razors for a fraction of the price on the shelf. Not sure how to effectively shop in a drug store – do a little search on Youtube for things like “Walgreens Deals of the Week” and let the seasoned pros tell you what sales are the best and what you should be grabbing that week. I promise, you’ll thank me later.
Electronics and Gadgets
Yes, we are all on the hunt for those expensive electronics and gadgets that the kids want for Christmas – but if your family has a need for something like a new television or a desktop computer, Black Friday sales are typically the best time to grab these at the lowest prices. Retailers almost always keep a focus on electronic sales during this kind of year, so keep an eye out for deals on headphones, smart home devices, and even kitchen gadgets like smart thermometers.
ProTip: Just because something seems like a great deal, doesn’t always mean that it is. If you are going to hunt for seasonal deals in electronics, make sure you have checked a few places to get an idea of what the standard, non-sale price is on what you are looking for. This will prevent you from getting suckered into a sale that was never really a sale to begin with. Shoot for saving at LEAST 30% on big-ticket items to make it worth your while.
Stock Up on Gift Wrap, Cards, and Holiday Décor During Holiday Sales
I’m not one to promote last-minute shopping…. but – for this category, it’s an absolute must. In the short days leading up to Christmas and the week after, Christmas essentials like wrapping paper, bags, and gift tags will quickly go on sale. I’ve seen them go as low as 50% off the day before Christmas and as low as 90% off a day or two after. This is the best time to stock up for next year.
It’s easy to forget how expensive wrapping paper and gift bags can be until you’re mid-holiday rush. So avoid having to buy $12 rolls of Hallmark wrapping paper by stocking up at the end of the season. Stores do not want to hang on to this stock because they are getting ready to bring in new January inventory. This concept also applies to various types of holiday decor – especially lights and ornaments. Get up early the day after Christmas and you can fill your cart with leftover Christmas products on the cheap.
Pro Tip: When Christmas decor and holiday essentials go on clearance – so do all holiday-related items – roam through your store’s health and beauty department, toy section, and food isles and check prices on anything labeled holiday, limited edition or that has clear indications of being a holiday-related item on the packaging. Additionally, save HUGE by checking out the left-over beauty gift sets first. Razor sets, shampoo and conditioner sets, perfume/body spray gift boxes, makeup kits, etc. You know the stuff I’m talking about – when everything else goes half-off those do too. So, check prices, even if they aren’t marked.
Fitness Gear for Your New Year Goals
If you have a resolution to work on your fitness and physical health this year… and plan to actually go through with it this time… keep an eye out for deals on gym, fitness and health essentials. Late December, January, and February are the year’s most profitable month for brands that focus on health and wellness. Stock up on gear to support your post-holiday health goals or to replace worn-out sneakers or yoga mats.
ProTip: If you aren’t big into working out – there are still sales you can take advantage of in this department. If you or any of your family members need vitamins, supplements or various OTC health and wellness items – late December/ January is THE time to stock up on the wellness consumables that you use year-round. You can often find special BOGO deals on vitamins and drink mixes at places like Walgreens, CVS, and your local GNC.
Purchase Subscription Services and Membership Deals During Holiday Sales
Last but not least, save some money in your monthly entertainment budget by seeking out sales on your subscription services and various memberships during the holiday sales season. Keep an eye out for emails from streaming services like Peacock, Hulu, and Discovery Plus for special multi-month promotional deals. Spotify and Sirius XM are also known for promoting personalized discounts as well.
Remember it’s not just entertainment subscriptions! If you have memberships, like say to your local gym, Sam’s Club or even pay-per-month software you might use – be sure to check your incoming emails and their websites to see if they are promoting any holiday sales or New Year’s promotional deals — and you can really rack up the savings. Just as an example – Last year, through an email from Hulu, I scored 6 months of Hulu at $3 per month paid monthly. Regularly Hulu monthly prices average about $20 so I saved more than 50% on what I would have paid for the entire year, just because I checked my email.
Holiday sales are a golden opportunity to prepare for the year ahead while keeping your budget in check. With a little planning, you can set yourself up for a stress-free (and savings-filled!) 2025.
What’s your favorite thing to stock up on during holiday sales? Let’s share tips in the comments below!
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If you enjoyed this post, check out more money-saving tips on Mommy Needs Advice! Happy Holiday shopping!
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