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Finding Post-Holiday Bargains

If you love getting a great bargain and you're not completely out of money from the holidays, the week between Christmas and New Year's Day is always a good time to get some real deals.

Vera Gibbons, contributing editor for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, has some suggestions for what to put on your shopping list.

  • Gibbons said now is a perfect time to buy cards, ornaments and lighting. She said retailers are trying to get rid anything to do with Christmas or Hanukkah and some clearance sales offer prices up to 75 percent off.

    "You are probably not in the mood to buy it now, but good time to stock up for next year," she said.

  • Winter clothing is also on sale at this time of year.

    "It was unusually warm and 15 degrees warmer than average in the Northeast," Gibbons said. "People were in shorts over the holidays, so retailers have a glut of outerwear they need to move. We are talking winter coats, hats, scarves, boots, marked down 50 percent off."

  • Many electronics are also on sale. Gibbons said prices were good over the holiday season but tend to drop after Christmas. She said the best time to buy is after the Super Bowl.

    "Good deals after the fact and the time to buy electronics is after the computer electronics show," Gibbons said. "This is when products make their debut and retailers start carrying them and they need to move the old stuff. If you are not gung-ho on the latest and greatest, wait a little on the electronics."

  • Buy towels, sheets and cookware now.

    "After the holidays we take the trees down the lights and there's a renewed interest in the home," Gibbons said. "This is the type of stuff that goes on sale. We are talking 15 percent to 50 percent off."

  • Cosmetics tend to sell for better value after the holidays.
  • If you live in a northern state, now is the best time to buy a convertible. There are also good deals out there for luxury cars like Audis and BMWs, Gibbons said.
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