Knowing When To Shop is Key

You've probably had someone tell you "Oh, wait until December to buy that car" or "Appliances are always on sale in September," but what you probably don't know is if they are full of smoke or not!  There actually is a good time of year to shop for certain products in order to find the best price.  Here are just a few that you might be interested in knowing about.

Automobiles:  September is a great time to purchase a prior year's model vehicle.  More specifically - weekday mornings in September.  The reason?  All of the upcoming year models are released and hitting the showroom floors.  Therefore, the dealers need to make room for the newer ones and will reduce prices on older models.  And, when you shop during the week, there are not as many people shopping and therefore, they are more willing to make that sale.

Computers:  The best sales on computer normally coincide with back to school.  So, if you can wait to make your purchase until July or August, you will find the best deals around.  You should also look for new releases of equipment ... such as a new windows version.  If a computer has an older version installed, many times they'll reduce the price to get it off of the store shelves.

Jewelry:  This one is actually more of a when NOT to shop.  Avoid any holiday -- Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc....as prices really are not reduced during those times of the year.

Clothing:  Anytime 6 - 8 weeks after it first is on the shelves and end of season.  When retailers have to hold onto items for too long (usually more than a month), they want to move it out of the store to make room for newer items that they will be receiving.  Our family always shops as much as we can off season and the savings are significant.

TVs:  Winter Holiday Sales and January are the best times of the year to make these purchases.  You may find good deals other times throughout the year -- but your best deals are during these periods.  January is great because the best deals seem to come in conjunction with both the Super and Pro Bowls.

Groceries:  Around Kansas City, I would recommend shopping Friday - Sunday.  The reason is that most of the stores run 2 and 3 day sales and normally at least one of these days will be included.  In addition, if you want to get a great deal on items from the meat department, shop first thing in the morning as anything that will meet it's "sell by date" on that day will be drastically reduced.  It doesn't mean it is unsafe -- just throw it in your freezer to increase your stockpile.

Gas:  Avoid filling up on the weekends if you can.  Prices are usually higher over weekends since people tend to go out of town and go more places.  Also - try to fill up early in the morning as prices tend to change between 10:00 a.m. and noon.

Sometimes, knowing when to shop can really save you lots of time and money.  Plus, you can begin to save your pennies for any purchases you may need to make during the year.