Each Tuesday I join ohamanda and post a top ten list. The list might be tips, crafts, hints, favorites, or anything that sparks my interest. Enjoy!

If you haven’t already battled the after Christmas sales, of if you’re looking for a reason to return to battle, might I suggest using this time to stock up on items for Operation Christmas Child Shoe-boxes and goodies for your sponsored kiddos. This is a particularly good time to find deals on:

1) Christmas Cards – You can easily find really nice card sets for $5 and, if you’re really lucky, you might even find some great sets for $1-$2. Be sure to check all your area ‘dollar’ stores as well as larger department stores. I’d suggest you at least try to get enough cards to send to your sponsored child(ren) because come October they will be nearly impossible to find or outrageously expensive….

2) Stickers/Stationary Supplies – Stickers, holiday paper, and other stationary items are also on sale now, and make great items for OCC boxes! Check out these sets I found at Walmart:  

For only $.48, the sets include a notepad, snowman eraser, small pencil sharpener, pencil, and ruler! These are absolutely PERFECT for stuffing into shoe-boxes next year! (I may even go back and get some more of these today, I was pretty excited to find them. Walmart did have some Santa and Candy themed sets, but I really felt that the snowman set was the best. I didn’t want the kids to try to eat the candy eraser, and I know they have probably never heard of Santa, so snowman it is!)

3) Soap Sets (remember has to be solid bars, not liquid) – Look in the Christmas gift section of your dollar or department store to scout out soap and hygene sets. Just remember that the soap needs to be a solid bar to be shipped with OCC boxes.

4) Holiday-themed clothing – Target often has holiday clothing (socks, underwear, head wear) in their dollar section. It’s definitely worth scoping out, if you haven’t already.

5) “Stocking Stuffers” small toys, card games, ect. are often on sale – Specifically check the holiday themed toys – red & green slinkies, paddle balls, and card games are on sale in my area for under $1. Additionally, if you’re looking to stock-up for yourself or your children, I’ve found board games for as little as $2. Again, worth checking out if you’re already in the store.

6) Blankets – Holiday blankets and throws are usually at least 50% off after Christmas. Last year I found some really nice micro-fleece ones for around $2. These are my favorite kind of blankets because they are sooo soft and they keep you super warm! I’m going to look for some more this afternoon to include in my OCC boxes next year.

7) Photos: Walgreens.com is offering 25 Free 4×6 Photo Prints when you use coupon code “PRINTNOW“  Choose in-store pick up to avoid paying shipping charges and get them totally free!

8 ) cups/water bottles – While snatching up the stationary sets, I noticed that my local Walmart also has thermoses and water bottles on sale. (The kind that look like disposable cups but are actually durable plastic). These would make great items to include in OCC boxes.

9) Gloves, Winter-wear- After Christmas, stores generally start to stock “Spring” clothing. Take advantage of this and stock up on gloves, hats, and scarves. They should be on sale with a significant discount. ALSO, be on the look-out for left-over summer stock. I noticed that my local Family Dollar had flipflops on sale (just before Christmas) for 2 for $1. I don’t know if they have any left, but I’d imagine that flip-flops would be great items to stick back for OCC boxes.

10) Storage Boxes – I can’t say that I’ve seen the small “shoe-box” sized storage boxes on sale, but I have seen several of the larger sizes. So, I’d say it’s worth checking into. Who knows, you might find some really nice plastic boxes for under $1.

Do you “stock up” on items for OCC boxes throughout the year? Do you have any other sale item suggestions that I missed?