What to Buy in January for Christmas

Trying to save money? These are the things you should buy in January to save money. Start your year off on a good foot and stay under budget!

I know, I know it was just Christmas why am I already talking about saving money for Christmas again? Because if you save a little bit all year you can have a wonderful Christmas without any strain on your budget.

I recommend getting a least a rough draft of your Christmas budget done now while you are still thinking of this last Christmas. Your future self will thank you!

If you didn’t get one last year, be sure to pick up my Christmas planner so you can make notes from this past Christmas and have a bit of a plan for this year’s Christmas. Trust me, this early prep will make a huge difference for how much you are able to enjoy the holiday season.

What to Buy in January

Super Bowl Snacks

Snacks, dip mixes, soda, and largely junk food will be on sale. We don’t need a lot of these things but go ahead and stock up if you are having a Super Bowl party or if you are having any parties in the next couple of months.

Frozen foods will also likely see sales. It is a good time to get some frozen pizzas and snacks to have on hand for future quick meals or parties.

Health Food

It’s the month for resolutions and trying to get some of those holiday pounds off. You can get protein powders, meal replacer bars, and other health food on sale in January. 

You may also find deals on healthy cereals and basically anything high in protein will likely be on sale while protein is the big trend in dieting. 

National Oatmeal Month

January is national oatmeal month so no is the time to stock up on all the kinds of oatmeal your family enjoys. Oatmeal lasts a long time so you can stock up a lot of these.

Christmas Items

If you can find any remaining Christmas decor, wrapping, or gift sets they will be marked way down, likely 50%-75% off. If there were higher priced decor items you really wanted now is the time. It’s also a good time to restock your wrapping station, don’t forget to stock up on neutral items for wrapping all year.

Cold & Flu Medicine

Cold and flu medicine and vitamins will be on sale this month. Stock up on the things you may need the rest of winter and if the dates are good long enough you can even stock up for next winter.

Check for deals on tissues and other virus supplies as well. No one wants to go out for these things when there is an illness in the home so having a good stockpile is nice.

Winter Clothing

Keep an eye out for sales on winter clothing items you need. If you have kids you may want to buy a size bigger in some coats to have for next year.

If you have room in your budget consider picking up a few winter clothing items to donate to those in need. Winter is a hard season for those in need and some gloves and hats can make all the difference.

Linens

January is the traditional month for “white sales” and it’s a great time to buy some new sheets or towels. If you have a kid going to college soon be sure to think about things they will need.

Also, look to see if you have upcoming weddings. This could be a good time to buy some wedding gifts. You may be able to get a much nicer gift than you otherwise could have gotten.

Furniture

If you have any big furniture purchases to make be sure to watch for sales. February and March often are times that furniture stores bring in new styles so they will be trying to get rid of current stock.

Don’t get too wrapped up in the sales though. Make sure it is an item you love and buy the best quality you can, even if that means waiting if it’s not essential. Quality furniture will save you money in the long run.

Save Even More in January

I love to use cashback apps all year and save up that money to use during the holiday season. Some people can even pay for all of Christmas by doing this!

For groceries, I have two apps I use regularly.  Ibotta is a popular app and simple to use. You scan receipts and for select products you earn cashback.

My other favorite is Fetch Rewards. It works like Ibotta but you don’t have to find the offers and you get some points for every receipt, even if there are no special offers. I love to redeem my points for Amazon gift cards which are perfect for Christmas shopping. Enter my referral code, TN8EW, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2.00 in points!) when you complete one receipt.

And for things you order online use Rakuten (formerly Ebates). All you have to do is install the app and it will tell you when you can earn cashback. You can get a lot of money using this app, especially when making bigger purchases. Plus you can also get $10 just for signing up and making a qualified purchase.

Get a sneak peek of what will be on sale in February so you can start making your plans.