LEGOs are expensive.  Not a great revelation, right? The average substantial set costs around $29.99 to $49.99. That’s a lot of groceries or, for right now, a tank of gas.

Noone wants to pay that amount for a toy on a regular basis.  Special occassions maybe, but even then, the price is still pretty steep in my opinion. Don’t get me wrong, LEGOs are one of the best toys you can buy a child.  The interlocking brick system fosters countless skills including but not limited to imagination, engineering, problem solving, creativity and even story telling, as the child builds a scene and explains how it works.

So if you purchase LEGOs and actually keep up with the pieces you’re investing in your child’s education and development.

However, the prices stink.  I need them to be much lower.  To prep for those special occassion LEGO requests i.e. birthdays and holidays, I purchase LEGO sets on clearance.

So when are LEGO sets on clearance? Right now.

January and February every year without fail Walmart and Target will clearance LEGO sets.

This is the only time of year that you will see really deep discounts on large sets. Discount percentages range from 30 to 60 percent off regular retail price.

So how do you find those sets?

Walmart and Target both use red tags.  Either on the products or on the shelf or both.  You will need to constantly check your store’s toy department and clearance aisle for LEGO clearance.  I’ve found that store associates are usually oblivious to discounts on individual toy items, instead they’ll tell you there’s a collective toy clearance going on right now. That doesn’t help you at all, that’s also why you must stop by your local store and look for yourself.

I would check as often as you can over the next few weeks. (Get friends and family to check too.)  If you spot a deal, snag it and put it up for a later date.

Other sale times

While January and February are the best times of the year to buy LEGO sets, you can still find deals throughout the year but they are rare.  Every quarter retailers move some toys to clearance, LEGO sets are less likely to make it to the clearance shelves but there are some occassions like summer.

Other ways to save

Amazon’s Trade-In program is a great way to stockpile money (or credits) to use toward LEGO purchases. Head over here and enter books, video games, movies, electronics and music titles sitting around your home. If Amazon wants it they’ll offer you a trade-in credit.  Simply ship the item to Amazon, for free with their free UPS printed label. You’ll receive the credit within two to three weeks once they receive the items.

Save up your credits and wait for an Amazon LEGO sale.

 

 

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