I think that every parent should have a gift closet, or a stash of gifts, on hand at all times. You can easily stock your gift closet on the cheap by knowing when and where to shop year round.
Your kids will get invited to so many birthday parties as they get older. Not to mention upcoming baby showers, house warmings, weddings, etc. that we all attend throughout the year.
Your gift closet will become a necessity for saving you both time and money.
I love having gifts on hand for all kinds of occasions. It helps take the stress out of running to the store and searching for the perfect thing. This not only saves my sanity but a lot of money as well.
I never have to pay full price for any of the gifts I give and I am able to give better gifts and give more generously than I normally would.
I normally stock my gift closet with things I find marked down to 70% off or more. I may find some great summer and home decor on clearance in the winter but they make great wedding or house warming gifts for the next summer.
So, where do I find all of these great bargains for my gift closet? I’ve included a few of my favorite online shops as well as brick and mortar stores where I snag the best deals.
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Stock your Gift Closet Inventory on the Cheap
Hollar.com
If you haven’t heard of Hollar yet, you are missing out. This site has some AMAZING deals. Items range from $2-$5 and this is a great place to get things for kids and birthday parties.
Their inventory rotates so they have new things every week. I’ve seen toys and accessories for Shopkins, Hello Kitty, Frozen, Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, etc.
They even have makeup, household items, and clothing. I’ve heard that the quality of the items is great and this site has great reviews.
New customers can get a $2 credit using my link and you will get free shipping on your first order of $10 or more. Hollar is great for stocking stuffer ideas, too!
Kohl’s
I love Kohl’s! I get so many great deals by stacking all the coupon codes they have. If you have a Kohl’s credit card, you will get an extra 30% off your purchase every month or so.
I like shopping their Clearance toys and home goods for my gift closet. The prices are already low, then you add on the percentage off coupon ( normally 20-30%).
They usually have some kind of $10 off $30 coupon code you can use on top of that. Then if you spend $50 or more, you get $10 in Kohl’s Cash.
When you take all of these things into consideration, you are getting amazing deals. I once got some pretty high end Star Wars toys that were normally $40- $60 for only $8!
Make sure you are signed up for Yes2You rewards because you will get another $5 in rewards for every $100 spent.
Creating a Gift Closet on a Budget
Target
I can find some great clearance finds at Target. They have some pretty good clearance year round but the best time to stock the gift closet is when they are having their big toy clearance events.
They usually happen in January (right after Christmas) and July.
They put so many toys on clearance and a lot of them go down to 70% off. I love these clearance events and I like to shop the one in July to buy for the next Christmas.
It saves me so much time and hassle once December rolls around because most of my shopping is already done!
Not to mention that they usually have some great high value Cartwheel offers on toys and gifts throughout the year. Make sure you check it every week or you can be like me and check it every day. I’m a little obsessed with the Cartwheel app!
Plus, sign up for the RedCard and save another 5% on every single purchase and get free shipping if you shop online.
Walmart
Walmart is very similar to Target with their big clearance events. I like that they have a lot of clearance online as well as in store. Every Walmart usually has a big sale or clearance section so I always check it out every time I’m there.
You never know what you might find. Always be sure to check the prices because a lot of the time, my items have rung up for less than what they were marked!
More Gift Closet Ideas
Barnes & Noble
Do not forget about Barnes & Noble when it comes to stocking your gift closet. Two or three times a year they have a big clearance event.
It usually happens in February, May, and September. They will have all kinds of items like books, toys, clothing, and crafts all for 50% off.
But after a couple of weeks they will be marked down to 75% off and then marked all the way down to only $2 for every item!
Of course the best pickings will be at 50% off but I like to wait until they are 75% off and then stock up on the things I really want.
I will then go back to see what is left at $2. If you are a Barnes and Noble member, you will save an extra percentage off, it’s usually 10-20% I think.
I love when they have these sales and I have gotten some sweet deals. I got things like Game of Thrones and Dr. Who toys, LEGOs, Erector sets, wall decor, and so much more!
ThredUP & Schoola
If you haven’t shopped at ThredUP or Schoola you are missing out. They are known to sell gently used clothing and accessories for women and children. They make great gifts for kids, especially.
You may not know that they also carry new items that still have the tags on them! For ThredUP, just pick which category you want, then click on Price and then New with Tags and it will show you everything that is new.
They have over 300 new handbags! Not to mention scarves, hats, belts, sweaters, etc. Plus, when you first sign up you will get a $10 credit to spend on anything you want.
Schoola is very similar to ThredUP but 40% of the proceeds of your order go to help schools! To find the new items, just hit which category you would like then hit Price and then Condition then New with Tags.
Daily Deal Sites
One of my favorite, and easiest ways to score deals on higher end items for my gift closet is to check the daily deal sites. My favorites are:
- Zulily
- Groupon
- Jane.com
- Nordstrom Rack
There are new items every week and most are priced at 50% off or more. The great thing about these sites is you can shop year round for the best deals. I like checking them every week to see what great gift ideas they have.
If you do this, by the time November rolls around you will already have your holiday shopping done and can actually enjoy the holidays without all of the stress!
If you are going to be shopping online for some of these deals, make sure you shop through Ebates to save even more on your purchase. I know that you can get 6% cashback from Kohl’s, 1% for Barnes & Noble and Walmart, and 2% for Target.
That is on top of all of the savings you will already be getting just for clicking through their site!
If you have any more suggestions for stocking up your gift closet let me know. I would love to hear what you do to save time and money on gift giving.
