August is here, and that means many retailers are trumpeting their back-to-school sales. Parents across America are looking for discounts on school supplies and hopping from retailer to retailer to find the best price on notebooks, pencils and backpacks.
For the rest of us, however, late summer can mean bargains on other items. In general, items you find on sale in August and early September are products that people use throughout the summer months and are about to be seasonally rotated out, as well as items that some school shoppers might incidentally pick up.
Here are six things you might find on deep discount during the final full month of summer.
[See: Avoid These Common Pitfalls During the Back-to-School Shopping Trip.]
Summer apparel. Many retailers are gearing up to rotate out their summer clothing lines. At the same time, many states offer tax-free holidays on clothing during the back-to-school period. Combine those two factors, and you often see huge discounts on summer apparel.
You can maximize your dollars on summer apparel by buying ahead for next summer right now. If you know that some of your current summer clothes won’t make it through next summer, this is the time to refresh those clothes.
Camping gear. Camping is a summer activity, with many people buying camping gear in early summer. In late summer, many stores begin to discount camping gear as they rotate it out of their inventory.
Again, you can take advantage. If you need camping items, such as a tent replacement or new sleeping bag, now’s the time to buy them, as they’ll often be featured in sales. You might use them once or twice before autumn rolls in, but the real value is holding onto them for next summer.
[See: 12 Shopping Tricks to Keep You Under Budget.]
Shoes. August is traditionally a month when shoe lines are refreshed, as outdoor-oriented shoes begin to give way to the fall lines of indoor and athletic shoes. If you’re in the market for a new pair of outdoor shoes or summery footwear, now’s the time to look for them.
As with clothing, don’t just consider what you will use immediately, but whether you’ll need a shoe replacement at any point in the next year. Simply put them aside until you genuinely need a shoe replacement.
Outdoor furniture. As with the other items on this list, outdoor furniture is an item that tends to be cycled out with the changing season. Thus, the end of summer is a great time to pick up outdoor furniture as well.
One good strategy is to put your new outdoor furniture, purchased on sale, immediately into storage while continuing to use your current furniture. Then, when you put your old furniture away for the winter, simply sell it off or dispose of it.
[See: 12 Ways to Be a More Mindful Spender.]
Laptops. Laptops are often on sale at this time of the year because many students buy them for their high school and college studies, and because of that, they’re often a part of tax-free holidays in various states.
Of course, laptops are also a general-use item, so if you’re in the market for a laptop, now is a great time to start shopping around for them. A quality laptop for writing and web browsing and basic professional tasks can often be found at a great discount in late summer.
Grills. Grills are a special case. They typically don’t go on sale until after Labor Day — the first weekend in September — but then they drop quickly in price, staying on sale throughout September and into October before they’re rotated out for other seasonal items.
If your grill is on its last legs, just get it through Labor Day, then buy a replacement during an after-Labor Day sale. Keep using your old grill until it fails, then replace it with a nice shiny new grill for next spring and summer grilling opportunities.
If you’re in the market for any of these items, now’s the time to keep your eyes open for great discounts.
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6 Items (Besides School Supplies) to Buy During End-of-Summer Sales originally appeared on usnews.com
