Tips: How to use that gift card wisely

NEW YORK (AP) - It's traditional for many to cap a long season of Christmas shopping with more shopping once the holiday has passed. They spend gift cards and cash and exchange clothes that were the wrong size, wrong color or just plain wrong.

However, people tend to treat gifts as "found money" and worry less about using the dollars wisely. But a little thought can make your after Christmas dollars go a lot farther:

KNOW WHAT A DEAL IS

Don't blindly assume that you're getting a good deal just because you're shopping on Dec. 26. Stores know people will be shopping with gift cards and are less likely to scrutinize prices.

You can find good discounts on items like coats, hats and snow shovels that get less likely to sell with each passing day, because stores know they have to unload them. But more evergreen items like video game systems are much less likely to be on sale.

WHAT TO TARGET

You will probably find the best deals on clothing, says Dan de Grandpre, editor-in-chief of Dealnews.com, as clothing stores clear out what's left of their inventory and get ready for new merchandise. However, retailers stocked up somewhat cautiously this year, so while you might find a great deal on a coat, it might not end up being the ideal color or style.

There were probably better toy deals before Christmas, during price wars among Target, Walmart, Toys R Us and other toy sellers, de Grandpre says. Also, the hot toys like Monster High dolls were in scarce supply even before Christmas, so don't expect to find them now.

You aren't likely to find great deals on most electronics, either, de Grandpre said, unless you're looking for a TV. For most electronics, hold off on after-Christmas sales and wait for sales in January, when stores start pre-Super Bowl TV promotions.

For gadgets like smart phones, price cuts are likely in January ahead of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, when manufacturers get shoppers excited about the next big thing.

One electronics area that you might find good sales are computers, outside of tablet computers such as Apple's iPad, says Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy. Traditional computers "haven't seen the sales traction retailers were hoping for, so potentially there could be markdowns," he says.

START SHOPPING ONLINE CHRISTMAS DAY

While you won't find many stores open that day, it's a different story online. On the Web, many retailers start post-Christmas sales a day early. Even if you don't buy, you can still you research what you want to target on Dec. 26.

It is more convenient, and "You can beat some people to the punch and find things that could be sold out by next day," says de Grandpre.

GET THERE EARLY

Many stores open earlier than usual. Target, Sears and J.C. Penney will all open at 7 a.m., for example. If you're shopping clearance sales, the earlier you get to the store, the more you'll have to choose from.

STOCK UP FOR NEXT YEAR

Some people are planners, and some aren't. But there's never a better time to save money on greeting cards, gift wrap and other holiday staples than after the holiday has just passed.

One warning: Don't do it unless you have a safe, dry place to store the items. Rolls of gift wrap that get bent and bruised will just mean you'll throw it away and buy more.

SAVE THE CASH

If you got what some consider the sweetest present of all, remember this: You don't have to spend it. Not right away, anyway. And there are uses for it that could wind up making the gift bigger in the long run.

Paying down debt or investing the money can make the gift keep on giving long after the holiday is a dim memory.