Christmas 2009 has come and gone and I’m already planning for 2010.  This year, aside from a couple of rolls of wrapping paper, I didn’t do any shopping for decorations or gift wrap accoutrement.  I took care of all of this last year in the week after Christmas.

Since house decorations, ribbon, bows, gift tags, etc. are pretty much all the same, I hit up some of the cheapest stores out there, such as K-Mart, Wal-Mart, etc. and created a holiday stockpile, which came in super handy this year. 

K-Mart, for instance, is home to Martha Stewart holiday decorations (which are some of the best, in my opinion).  Last year I picked up a box of Martha Stewart ornaments, 10 spools of ribbon, and a huge bag of bows… all for less than $5.  Everything was 75% off so I was able to score some ridiculously good bargains, and avoid spending a minor fortune on those items when I was doing my gift wrapping over the past few weeks.

If you’re an artificial tree person, this is a great time to pick those up, as well as tree skirts, lights, and pretty much everything holiday-related.

If you purchase these items now, your wallet will surely thank you next December!