Bargain hunters can’t resist shopping out of season sales for their favorite items.  If you have the patience, nothing beats purchasing items at cost.  Many shoppers on a budget plan their shopping sprees for certain times of the year so they get the most bang for their buck.  The key to shopping out of season is to know when the items that you want will be put in the clearance aisles.

January is the best time to shop for post-holiday decorative items, fall clothing, furniture, linens and towels, computer and electronics and sports equipment.  The sales usually begin shortly after New Year’s Day after people have returned gifts from the holiday season.

February sales usually offer sales on rugs, house wares, gift items and perfume, especially after Valentines Day.

March is a great time to shop for wedding items, pre-season gardening items, outdoor sports equipment, home appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators and dishwashers and luggage.

April and May are the best months to shop for bridal gowns and accessories, home improvement supplies such as paint, wallpaper and flooring and pre-season gardening supplies.  April is also a great time to get travel deals on cruises and traveling abroad.

June is a good month to buy home improvement items you may want for the fall.  June sale items include storm windows and doors, insulation, weather stripping and replacement windows for your home.  This is also a good month to buy ahead for next year’s Father’s Day by hitting the post holiday clearance sales.  Many stores also feature sales on camping and fishing gear as well as boats and canoes.

July and August are the best months to shop for end of summer items.  Save a lot of money on your patio furniture by purchasing them at cost at the end of the summer season.  Grills, portable fire pits, lily ponds, gardening equipment and lawn tractors are examples of items that you will find on sale at great savings during these months.  These two months are also a great time to pick up bargains on outdoor entertaining house wares such as plastic plates, cups, pitchers and tablecloths.  Other sale items include summer clothing, bathing suits and beach towels.

September is a good time to pick up summer sports gear, bicycles and post-back to school bargains.  If you wait until after the school rush you can pick up consumables such as school glue, crayons, notebooks, paper and dorm accessories at unbelievable savings.

October and November are great months to pick up bargains on pre-winter clothing and accessories as well as ski equipment.  It is also one of the best months to purchase the current year’s car models and homes.  Many stores are also having sales on winter clothing as their stock is dwindling at this time of year.  November is also a good time to purchase post-Halloween items for use next year.

December is a great time to purchase post-Thanksgiving party ware and tablecloths at low prices.  It is also a good time to purchase appliances on sale and pick up post-Christmas items such as gift-wrap, holiday cards and decorations that can be used next year.

A few words of caution to bargain hunters:  don’t buy items that you will never use and don’t max the credit cards for bargain purchases.  If you can’t envision what you will use the item for, don’t buy it.  People who max out their credit cards to buy bargains end up paying a higher price for those items when they add in the finance charges from their credit card company.  Buy only what you need and you’ll avoid feeling guilty after you make purchases that you can’t return.

Related posts:

1. End of Summer Close-outs Can Mean Great Savings for You
2. Great Shopping Tips for Getting those Back to School Supplies
3. Phooey on Full Price! Follow these Great Shopping Tips for Fashion Bargains
4. Cost-Saving Strategies for 2008 Back-to-School Shopping
5. Five Helpful Shopping Hints for those Garage Sale Days

Tags: frugal, frugal shopping, shopping out of season

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