SOUTH SOUND ADVENTURES: Post-Holiday Shopping Deals & Steals

In my circle of family and friends, everyone decided to be born in January.

I literally have five birthdays in the first week and a half in January alone. Mid-January comes another five.

Let's just say for me (and my wallet), I LOVE post-holiday sales. I am definitely in the crowd of post holiday shoppers Dec. 26 searching for great deals.

However, this year was different. I didn't get out the day after Christmas because I had family coming over and it was a tight schedule that day.

No fear! I thought. I am sure the deals will continue and I can mix it up with the best of the bargain hunters. Plus, there was always online shopping when the company had gone for the night.

That night didn't pan out. Oddly, my email inbox didn't have much in there from companies offering after Christmas sales and I didn't see much to spark my interest.

No matter. I love to shop in my own backyard. 

Late Tuesday morning (I wanted to leave earlier but I was tired from celebrating and nursing a cold), my daughter and I drove to the Lakewood Towne Center's Target store to check it out. I was upset that we got a late start because I thought the parking lot and the store would be a mad house.

I parked right in front of the store, no problem.

Inside the store, it was pretty quiet (insert the sound of crickets chirping). There were some nice sales, but it seemed, well, a bit picked over. Nearby Michael's Arts and Crafts Store and Old Navy had a similar look and feel.

Was I too late?

According to the Associated Press, holiday shopping overall was up this year whether you purchased goods locally or online. Does this make for great deals post-Christmas?

Not necessarily. The Associated Press reports again that traditional stores are stocking fewer items to protect themselves from too much merchandise and too few buyers. Less items, less bargains or bargains that will go fast.

Perhaps this explains my shopping experience.

There was still hope.

Savvy bargain hunters though can still take advantage of online deals and items that get returned according to my research. 

Not to be deterred, I decided to get a couple of local bargain hunters opinions to take it a little further. Here are two of my favorites.  

Thrifty Northwest Mom, a terrific homegrown website founded and managed by Orting resident, Jen Dotson, is not only a local but national treasure chest of all things bargain. Reader interaction, coupons, and hot tips on freebies and more cover all your shopping needs and adventures (post holiday or not). Just scrolling through the first few posts, I was able to get coupons and ideas for a couple of the birthdays I have coming up.

Deals in minutes!

Sounds Fun Mom, a site devoted to South Sound kids and their families, gave me some great money saving ideas or the youngsters I buy for (and some great ideas on activities and events that go easy on the pocketbook).Overall family goodness at a low cost.

Not too shabby.

I suspect too, that our local Patch readers also are resource rich and teeming with ideas on great post Christmas deals, yes?

Now it's your turn! Did you take advantage of post-holiday sales? What was your favorite bargain locally? Online deals to die for? Do share.

But first, here's a quick Q&A with the Thrify Northwest Mom herself, Jen Dotson. Read on:

Patch: Your site is very extensive and you can just get immersed in it readily. How did you come up with the idea? What do you think of the sites great growth and national presence?  

JD: Honestly, I started this site just as a way to share my couponing tips and deals I would find with my friends and family. I started three years ago before blogging was really all that popular and had no idea that it would become what it is today.  The growth of the site is due completely to the fantastic readers that I have who are always sharing about the page with their friends and family members and that's really how it's grown to what it is today.

Patch:  The best part about the site and your Facebook/twitter pages is all the interaction with readers giving tips, sharing stories, and news. What do you think about of the interaction piece between readers and fans?

JD: That is definitely my favorite part, the community that we have on the Facebook Fan Page. There are just so many deals out  there that we'd never be able to find them all ourselves and often the best tips come from the readers who share on the Facebook page and email us with tips! Since we are a local Northwest blog, their tips are really applicable since they often mention specific places to go for family events, stores which have great clearance items and more.