The experts weigh in: here’s the best time of year to buy a whole bunch of things…if you want to get them on sale and save money, that is.
A Boat
Summer is peak boating season, which means nobody much buys them in the dead of winter. January and February is when boats are the least expensive.
Winter Clothing
The later it gets into the winter, and the longer clothes sit around, the more stores will price them to move. Buy these in late February and save them until winter starts up again.
Consumer Electronics
The big box stores get very competitive in late January, and a deal can be found on a big-screen TV. For one, it’s well past the holiday rush and stores are feeling the lack of sales. It’s also when people want to buy a new TV so they can watch the Super Bowl in style.
Chocolate
Candy companies both earmark and mark up as much chocolate as possible for Valentine’s Day. After that mid-February boom, people buy far less chocolate, which means it’s attractively priced in March.
Luggage
It’s past the holiday travel rush but before the summer holiday rush, so luggage is at its most affordable in March and April.
Tools
Father’s Day is in June. Lots of people buy their dad tools for Father’s Day. Thus, tools are on sale in June.
Gym Memberships
After signing up huge numbers of well-meaning people with a New Year’s resolution in January, new gym membership rates drop considerably in June. (Plus gyms have to compete with the weather—the weather is mild enough for exercisers to run outside, for example.) Many gyms will offer very low rates come summer.
Outdoor Furniture
Summer is about over in August—and few people are going to buy a new set of patio chairs if they will only get to enjoy them for a couple of weeks. If you don’t mind storing it until the weather gets warm again, the end of summer is the time to get outdoor furniture for cheap.
A New Car
The auto manufacturers roll out the next year’s models in early fall. The previous year’s models are still new, and may be deeply discounted.
Jeans
Department stores generally over-order and over-stock jeans for their back-to-school sales. Whatever is leftover gets discounted around October.