Women in Comfortable Shoes

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01/03/2004: "Christmas in January"

Now that all the holiday hustle and bustle is winding down, the stores are clearing shelves and putting everything on sale. Now is the time we begin our shopping for next Christmas. But not for us.

For the past several years, Mel and I have donated to toy drives such as Toys for Tots or Brown or Blue Santa. Good toys, too, such as Playmobil, LEGO bricks, and Fisher-Price, bought at a fraction of their normal cost.

We have made a tradition of heading to Target early on Chrismas Eve to catch Target's first round of markdowns and start picking up toys for next year's toy drive.

Target begins their clearance sales at 25% off. We buy a couple of the more unique items at that time. A week or two later, Target marks things down to 50% off and we pick up a couple more things.

By mid-January, most clearance items are down to 75% off. We go through what is left to see if there are any real bargains to be had. At this point, the selection is pretty picked over, but we can usually find a couple of items.

By the end of January, we usually have picked up a number of good-quality toys for very little money. And for the effort of storing the toys for a year, a few less-fortunate kids get some great toys.

Here are a few tips for shopping the toy clearance sales:

* Ask store personnel about when the store usually starts or changes its markdowns. Be there early on that day for best selection.

* Don't buy toys that come with or use batteries. Even unused batteries can go dead and you don't want to disappoint a child with a toy that doesn't work on Christmas Day.

* Classic toys and games are best. Trends and fads come and go so quickly these days, that it is best to stick with the basics--building blocks such as LEGO, cars and trucks, Barbie, Play-Doh, crayons or art supplies, games such as Scrabble, jigsaw puzzles, and non-trendy toys that provide basic imaginative play, such as Playmobil.

* Don't buy toys packaged with candy or other food items. You don't want to store it and attract bugs and the candy won't be any good by next year anyway.

* Keep an eye open all year. Target and other retailers frequently have summer clearance sales to make room for the Christmas build-up.

* Have fun! I love shopping for toys, even if they aren't for me.