There are certain times of the year that are best for purchasing various items, due to various factors. Here are a few to keep in mind for the last month of summer:
∞ Bottled water: With summer picnics and barbecues, stores often drop the price of bottled water. If you prefer bottle water, now is the time to stock up. However, you can save even more money if you buy a filter for your tap or refrigerator and use your own bottles!
∞ Certain fruits: August is a good time to buy blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries, honeydew melons, lines, nectarines, peaches, Bartlett pears, plums, raspberries and watermelons.
∞ Certain vegetables: August is a good time to buy corn, cucumbers, eggplants, lettuce, and peppers.
∞ Computers: Back-to-school sales often offer the lowest prices of the year. You can sometimes get freebies like printers, too.
∞ Home Décor: It’s wedding season so retailers will offer sales to help shoppers buying gifts.
∞ House paint: More people paint in the summer months, so stores sometimes lower prices and hope you’ll buy other regular-priced things, too.
∞ Jewelry: August (along with January, March, April, July, and September) are non-gift giving months. Retailers are more likely to offer sales during these months to promote business.
∞ MP3 players: Companies sometimes put older models on sale to make way for the newer models they will introduce in the fall. Consumers can try them out and then give them as gifts for the holidays.
∞ School Supplies and dorm furniture: Check out the great deals at various retailers like Target, Wal-Mart, OfficeMax, Office Depot, Staples, Walgreens, and CVS. Even if you don’t have children in school, some office supplies (which are also used by students) are also sold at cheap prices during this time. See my post “School Supply Shopping Strategy” for tips on how to get the most for your money.
∞ Swimsuits: Stores want to get rid of their inventory, so the prices go way down. You can also update your look just by buying a new separate to match one you already own (like for two-piece suits). Think about next year for your kids as well. I already bought rash guards for my boys for next year so we won’t have the same stress of rashes from sunscreen/eczema.
If you plan to shop online, check out my “Online shopping tips.”
Sources:
- Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That, and Go There by Mark Di Vincenzo
- Your Month-to-Month Guide to Shopping Deals from Real Simple Magazine.
Related articles:
- Best things to buy in August (money.msn.com)
- What to buy in August (shine.yahoo.com)
- Best and worst things to buy in August (cbsnews.com)
Surviving on a tight budget 
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