The insanity of the after-Christmas sales starts today.  After all, stores need to make room for the Valentine's Day stuff.  (Yes, it annoys me.  I hate spending all that time and effort anticipating a celebration and no time enjoying it.  Whatever happened to the 12 days of Christmas? How much time do people really need to prepare for Valentine's Day anyway?)

I'm not a big fan of massive shopping post-Christmas.  Frankly, very few of us really need what we'll buy in these days.  Focus your shopping on two things:

1) Real needs or deep-seated wants if you have gift cards to spend.

2) Things you'll want for next year's Christmas celebrations. Those will be your very best deals.  You can replace worn out or broken decorations, pick up next year's cards, and get other seasonal items at a fraction of their original cost.  I honestly can't remember the last time I paid face value for my cards. 

Enjoy the sales and shop safely.