I shop year round. After every holiday I check out the clearance section. I find Halloween candy (mixed stuff that doesn't look Halloweeny) every year & give it out for Christmas in stockings. GoodWill...if you look carefully you can find new stuff there. Yardsales are another good way to get things cheaply. My friend & I buy for 8-10 low income children each year. They are family/friends & we invite the kids & parents to a party where we pass out presents. The parents get some small token as well. Everybody likes to receive something.
Right now I have a bunch of toys, books & random misc. that I have been collecting. Once people find out that we do this they donate toys that their kids don't/never played with. I have brand new toys that still have the packaging unopened. I also make sure each of these children receieve something for their Birthday. Most of them don't have parties.
Try shopping for the next year after Christmas. The clearance stuff can get as cheap as 50 cents & sometimes 10 cents. I got two Easter baskets filled with stuff for $1.25 each. I gave the candy to my teens, stored the baskets for next year & gave the toys for Birthdays. The kids were all happy & I was already at the store so I didn't even waste any gas.
Getting Ready for the Holidays
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