Fourth of July Party Essentials

Tiny flags vanish before Memorial Day, but then in late June, there’s a random cart of Fourth of July party supplies tucked behind gardening gloves. Patriotic paper plates, glow sticks, firework garland leftover from last year—just dumped together. Confetti cannons, star pans, metallic streamers—where were these when I actually needed them? I found a tub (yes, a tub) of red-white-and-blue bandanas next to half-opened bags of glitter pom-poms. Foam hats? Kids go nuts, but the static is out of control.

Warehouse managers admit they always lose boxes of cupcake toppers in fourth quarter scans. If you don’t grab them now, don’t expect to see them again till February. Great if you’re throwing a party, but if you care about matching colors? Forget it. Nothing matches. Ever.

Halloween Preparation Supplies

It’s not even July, but somebody dumped a bin of Halloween prep supplies right next to the barbecue tongs. I pulled a glitter skull out from under a price gun with no sticker. The markdowns make zero sense: plastic cauldrons, glow paint, orange tulle, spider rings—half-off, sometimes more, except the fake webbing (why is that never on sale?). Paper mache pumpkins multiply like rabbits. Last year, I found a box labeled 2018 mixed with this year’s, and the cashier just shrugged. Are they collectible? Doubt it. But they’re cheap.

Oversized felt bats, holographic sticker sheets—those end up in grab bags. Sometimes random costume masks get tossed in, too. An ex-display manager swore the best hidden deal is on plain muslin treat bags. They show up before anyone prints logos, so if you spot them marked “party favor,” you pay half the branded price. Also, the clearance face paint? Never near Halloween stuff—always up front in impulse bins. Don’t ask why.

Tips for Spotting Hidden Discounts in Stores

Every time I go looking for craft supplies, the deals hide from me. Discounts get buried, shoved behind random displays, or camouflaged with color tags that only make sense if you’re some kind of retail codebreaker.

Reading Price Tags and Clearance Signs

Forget what you think you know about price tags. Big chains, especially craft stores like Hobby Lobby, slap clearance stickers in the weirdest places. I once found Mod Podge and acrylic paint with tiny yellow or red stickers tucked behind a stack of plastic bins. Regular stickers? Useless. Yellow tags, though, sometimes mean up to 90% off crafts and supplies. Why can’t they just pick a color and stick with it?

Handwritten markdowns, items shuffled around the store, stuff never listed in flyers—it’s chaos. I saw a basket labeled “new markdowns” filled with last year’s holiday ribbon at 75% off, but the tag was so small you needed a magnifying glass. Store policy seems to be: hide the best discounts in dead zones or on back wall clearance racks. I ask employees, they just shrug and blame “corporate.” Fine, I’ll keep outsmarting the system.

Using Store Apps and Loyalty Programs

You think staring at shelves will save you money? Nope. Apps and loyalty programs hide all the best deals. Download the Hobby Lobby app, if you can remember your password. Dig into “Deals” or “Savings,” scan every barcode you see, and sometimes you’ll find price drops not even on the shelf tag (happened to me with washi tape—60% off in the app, full price on the sticker).

Walmart’s “hidden clearance” only pops up in their official app. Sometimes the register has no clue, but the app always wins. Loyalty programs? Prepare for spam, but you’ll get first dibs on clearance, weird bonus coupons, and random craft kit discounts the day after Christmas. Clearance strategies always tell you to stack: coupon, loyalty points, and yellow tag. And by the way—sometimes the scanners in the back of the store read lower than the ones up front. Why? No idea. Try both.

Creative Project Ideas Using Discounted Supplies

No time to overthink this. Stores are desperate to clear last year’s garlands and buckets of plastic ornaments, and my craft table is already covered in glitter even though I haven’t even started. Everything in my cart ends up being “multi-purpose”—cheap, not strictly “holiday,” and somehow perfect for last-minute gifts.

DIY Ornaments and Holiday Décor

Every dollar bin is overflowing with unfinished wood shapes, tangled bead garlands, extra ribbon, those static-filled fillable globes. The colors are always off, but whatever. I throw in metallic pipe cleaners, discount washi tape, and call it “mixed media.” Half my ornament ideas are just failed attempts that look fine once I slap thrifted velvet ribbon on them.

Last week, I duct taped a purple embroidery hoop to a foam ball, wrapped it in leftover scarf yarn, and called it modern art. Hung it next to some neon-painted ceramic stars—nobody noticed it was a disaster. No real method here. Sometimes I use dried citrus slices because every blog says it’s “vintage,” but I always forget to buy hooks and end up using dental floss. If you want a real list, this craft ideas using leftover supplies page is the only place I’ve ever felt normal for gluing felt to pinecones.

Homemade Wreaths and Garlands

Those endcaps with the weirdly discounted faux greenery, floral wire, mesh ribbon? That’s my territory. I start with mangled grapevine rings and plastic holly, sometimes hot glue if I remember. Michaels staffer tip: save the ugliest ribbon ends for the back, nobody looks.

It never looks Instagram-worthy, but a ratty pom-pom garland made from clearance yarn balls or green pipe cleaners somehow fixes everything. Sometimes I hang mini ornaments between each loop if the colors aren’t hideous. Dollar store seasonal shelves are packed with bells, felt cutouts, floral picks—nothing matches, but who cares? Cable ties work better than invisible thread for hanging wreaths out of pet range. Not fancy, but it works.