Shopping with a calendar? Consumer experts say you can save more by waiting

If you’re looking to save cash, sometimes it really matters when you pull the trigger on a big purchase.

“If you time your purchase wisely, you can really save a lot,” said consumer adviser and smart shopping expert Trae Bodge.

Many experts recommend keeping a shopping calendar with dates of shopping holidays and sales events throughout the year. Bodge has written extensively about ways to find the best deals every month.

“I would say this really applies with the more expensive items, those bigger ticket things like mattresses, furniture, appliances, and electronics,” Bodge said.

West Roxbury mother Charnae Reid said she almost never thinks about sales when she shops.

“I’m the worst at trying to figure out when [to save]. I think everything is just expensive all the time,” Reid said. “I should pay better attention if it’s going to save me money.”

Bodge has three steps to putting together your shopping calendar:

MARK DOWN THREE-DAY WEEKENDS

President’s Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day—these are times when retailers slash prices. Bodge recommends you mark down all the three-day weekends on your shopping calendar, especially if you’re shopping for more expensive items.

“[Long weekends] are always reliable for those bigger ticket items for the home, so that’s something I’ll always wait on,” Bodge said.

Here’s a helpful list of three-day weekends in 2024 and 2025.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SEASONAL SALES

If you need winter gear, the cheapest time to get it is at the end of the winter season. Most retailers are taking cold-weather items off the racks and adding them to clearance.

“Think ‘end-of-season,’” Bodge said. “If you’re at the end of spring, you’re getting really good deals on spring merchandise. End of summer? You’re getting really good deals on summer merchandise.”

In May, Bodge recommends you look for Mother’s Day deals on jewelry. At the end of the month, watch for graduation and wedding season sales on kitchen appliances and mattresses.

June is the month to save on summer fun, like inflatable pools, fitness equipment and bicycles, as well as last-minute getaway travel deals.

In July, you can find deep discounts on the July 4th holiday weekend, especially on outdoor gear. Amazon Prime Day comes mid-July will deals on everything from Amazon devices to beauty products from indie brands.

SET ALERTS FOR BIG SALES EVENTS

Add big sales events, like Amazon Prime Days in July and October, to your shopping calendar. You also can’t forget the month of sales throughout November leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“We see lots of retailers throwing their hats in the ring around those times and so that’s another reliable time for saving,” Bodge said.

Bodge said you can look for even more ways to save by going to deal sites like CouponCabin, where you can score cash-back coupons on top of discounted items.

“CouponCabin has tons of deals right now on winter clearance so that timing is really important,” Bodge said. “Always remember you can save a little bit more if you dig a little bit deeper.”

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