It’s 2022, and the new normal still feels pretty abnormal. The holiday season came and went, and we all learned a lot about supply chain management. If you’re reading this, you’re likely unfazed by product delays and determined to save a buck in the new year.
The good news is you can count on a few tried and true post-holiday sales, although discounts are likely to vary. Here’s your guide for what to buy (and skip) in January, based on NerdWallet’s analysis of historical sales cycles, along with a little speculation in what’s been an unpredictable retail environment.
Buy: Christmas decorations
It’s no surprise that Christmas decorations go on sale in the days after the holiday. We get that it’s hard to keep the Christmas spirit after the decorations go down, but the savvy shopper restocks in January when retailers let leftovers go for cheap.
Nerdy tip: DIY decorators can shop post-Christmas sales to stock up on fresh sets of lights that will be easy to store and retrieve next year. And after a few years of stocking up, you’ll have enough strands to outdo Clark Griswold from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”
Skip: Furniture
Supply is too limited to feel good about a furniture purchase right now. Yes, some retailers have inventory in stock, but chances are you won’t be able to pick from a wide selection. This could put pressure on you to make a decision now that you’ll regret later. Besides, President’s Day weekend (Feb. 19-21) is often the ideal time to buy furniture during the winter.
