How to Save Money on Birthday Presents for Kids by Shopping for Clearance Toys at Target!
Birthday presents for all the parties your kids get invited to can quickly become a costly addition to the family budget. But with some savvy shopping skills you can save hundreds per year by loading up on inexpensive presents for kids when toys go massively on sale at Target! The benefit to shopping for gifts for kids at the after-Christmas Target clearance event is that you can save money now and not have to worry about last-minute gifts when your in a hurry later. And, rather than have to pick up a cheap toy in a pinch, you’ll have a stockpile of high quality toys and games ready to go for all those birthday parties your kids go to!
Beginning after Christmas, Target will clearance their toys, including holiday items by 30-50% off the retail price. By about the second week in January, the clearance will reach up to 70% off toys and 90% off seasonal gifts. This is the best time to stock up on clearance toys at Target.
At target, look for an isle of clearance toys and check the endcaps as well. At my target there was an isle and 3 endcaps full of clearance toys for kids this year.
It can be overwhelming, but make a plan and choose the toys that you know will be enjoyed by your kids friends throughout the year. I have a preteen and a 1st grader so I look for lots of Barbies, LEGOs, fun games, art kits, interactive toys, makeup, trending toys, etc that I know their friends will enjoy. Between my kids they will get invited to around 15 parties for the year so I will buy around 15 gifts for their friends. I also look for gifts for toddlers for parties for all of my friends kids since I know our family will get invited to at least 5 toddler birthday parties each year. So my goal is to find about 20 toys on clearance that I know the kids will enjoy (and save tons of money doing it!)
Here’s a look at some of the awesome clearance toys at Target this year that I found.
You can see how many I found by my checkout pile. This really is one of the best hacks for saving money throughout the year. Instead of having to last minute buy presets that are $20-30 per gift, by shopping the after Christmas clearance at Target I only spend about $7 per present.
Here’s a look at my savings:
I got 14 items for about $92 before tax. That averages under $7 per present! To achieve my goal of 20 gifts I went back and purchased a few more for around the same price.
After I get home I store all the gifts in tubs and when it is birthday party time the kids pick a gift from the bin that they think their friend would enjoy.
Here are some of my favorite deals from this haul.
It’s as simple as that to save money and time by stocking up on gifts for kids birthday parties from the Target toy clearance event after Christmas. Happy shopping and saving!
18 Comments
Ruth
I work in retail and we often get people in buying things from the January sales/clearance for Christmas/birthday presents. It is a really good idea! It looks like you had a lot of choice in target, and it means you can focus on other things through out the year and not worry about buying presents last minute like some people do.
Courtney
Oooo I love checking out the deals on the clearance rack! Especially at target! Thanks for the tips!
Alma
This is such a good idea! It never occurred to me buys gifts early on the clearance shelves. This would be good for buying gifts for charity all year.
Peralta
These are some excellent ideas for saving money on those darn expensive kids presents! Thx!!
Khushboo Motihar
That is a great way to save money and also get presents for birthday parties! Target has some amazing offers 🙂
Lily
Its such a perfect way of saving money and yet getting more gifts for the birthday boy or girl.
Elizabeth
That’s a great idea! I will be heading to targets clearance this year for sure 🙂
Helen
Definitely needed this today!!! Thank you for posting. I am actually looking for some Birthday presents for my sons friends parties this month and everything seems so expensive
🙁
Sally
I have always shopped sales but it never occurred to me to stock up on kids presents. Genius!
Christa
This is such a great idea! It saves so much time and money throughout the year. Kids have way too many parties to go to to be spending full price on a toy!
Heather
I usually keep a spare gift on hand for last minute invites, but this takes it to a whole other level. I think I need to try this technique out for my kids parties this year 🙂
Joanna
I like buying discounted products in the January sale as well. They make amazing presents throughout the year but cost only a fraction of the price.
Emmeline
That’s a great idea! I try to get better at buying gift-appropriate stuff when it’s on sale – not toys perhaps but scented candles, nice hand lotions, and other grown-up gift stuff. Such a smart way to save money, and also not have to run around looking for gifts at the last minute!
Nicole Anderson
Wow – this is truly the way to go for any parent! I hadn’t thought about all the birthday parties and these do add up over the year for sure. A great way to save a fortune and not skimp on the quality of presents that you give to your kids’ friends.
Reese Woods
I have done this with Bath & Body Works products! I always like to stock up during their clearances and then regift them to people for birthday and holiday gifts throughout the year. It pays to shop ahead of time when good deals are open!
Cassidy
I can’t believe how inexpensive those clearance items are!
Christine
Haha what a great idea. Stock up when good items are on sale so you’re always ready to go! My kids aren’t old enough for friends birthday parties yet but this is a great tip to keep in mind
Amber Solis
GREAT Idea! We have 8 kids and it seems we are always having to shop for birthday gifts. I think shopping ahead of time and getting things on clearance and then saving them is so smart. Thanks for the inspiration!