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Saving Money By The Month

Saving Money By The Month

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In 2017, you may resolve to save more, spend less or budget better. Whatever your money goal, the one common key to your success is shopping smart. That means knowing when’s the best time to buy just about anything.

To help you out, we’ve created a purchase calendar to plan your shopping for the year.

January

With a fresh page on the calendar comes a fresh start for sales. These products are discounted in January:

  • Bedding and linens. Starting Boxing Day, department stores hold bedding and linen sales in January with big discounts on sheets and towels.
  • Fitness equipment. Retailers know you want to get in shape. Expect fitness equipment to abound at sporting goods stores.
  • Gym Memberships: See above
  • TVs and electronics. With a lot of cricket and tennis on the Telly, retailers normally discount their selections of HDTVs and other home theatre essentials. (This is also true around May with State of Origin and October ahead of the NRL Grand Final)
  • Easter Eggs: Yes in January! They are already appearing in some supermarkets, just check the use-by date
  • Christmas decorations. Beginning the day after Christmas, shop sales for deep discounts — often upward of 50% — on decorations, wrapping paper, ornaments, artificial trees and similar seasonal fixings.

February

Most schools go back late January or early Feb so by the second week of February you should start seeing back-to-school items dropping in price. Likewise for outdoor power tools.

  • Back-to-school supplies. The start of school marks the need to buy small items such as pencils and expensive ones like laptops.
  • Lawn mowers. Ride out the end of summer with a big deal on lawn mowers and other seasonal outdoor equipment.
  • Swimsuits. There may not be many swimming days left by the time March rolls around, but that’s exactly why swimsuit clearance sales will crest. Buy your swimsuits now to stock up for next year.
  • Holidays. As people get back to work and feel down about it, a lot of you will want to start planning you next holiday to make yourself feel better - holiday destinations want you to start planning your next break now and will market accordingly, particularly overseas travel.

March

Look for sales on these products:

  • Jewellery.  Post Valentine’s day you’re likely to pick up a deal.
  • BBQ. Buy your summer BBQ necessities in March to avoid the spike in prices that will come when summer arrives.
  • St. Patrick’s Day essentials. St. Patrick’s Day falls each year on March 17. Around that time, online retailers and department stores usually discount their selection of green-themed clothing, party supplies and jewellery.

April

April has its fair share of autumn deals and discounts, including:

  • Mother’s Day gifts. Get in early for bargains because come May, everything for mum will increase like dressing gowns, slippers and Pandora products.
  • Apparel. If you missed the post-Christmas sales, consider buying post-season stock now. You’ll likely find a better price than you would when the weather starts to warm up again.
  • Garden Centres: I’m told April is the right time to start planting before winter sets in and your plants will then jump out in Spring.

May

  • Sporting gear like golf clubs. Expect to find discounts on golf clubs and tennis racquets in preparation for winter. Whenever consumer demand is down, prices usually are too
  • Small kitchen appliances. Use May discounts as a perfect opportunity to buy winter kitchen appliances, such as slow cookers.
  • Furniture and Décor - Stocktake Sales will kick in now for just about every major retailer – they don’t want to count their stock, they want to sell it 
  • Queens Birthday – With Elizabeth turning 91 this year, many retailers will use this as an excuse to hold a sale to celebrate.
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June

  • Lingerie. Stock up on undergarments in June. That’s when Victoria’s Secret has been known to host its famed Semi-Annual Sale. The sale also usually occurs in December.
  • Toys – Kmart and Target both usually have their toy sales in June so it’s a great time to stock up ahead of Christmas if you know what the kids or grandkids want.
  • Gifts for dad – Don’t wait til Fathers Day in September – get in now for after shave and socks.
  • Cars – Car dealers are always looking to unload stock before the end of the financial year so there are good deals like no on road costs etc..ask them what they are prepared to give you

July

We’re in the middle of winter so it’s a great time to think about:

  • Outdoor Furniture: No-one else will be looking at outdoor settings in July so retailers will be itching to sell you something.
  • Travel: Watch out for cheap, short travel deals to warm climates like weekend getaways to the Whitsundays and south pacific islands.
  • Outdoor sports: If you’re considering taking up jet-skiing or kayaking, winter is a great time to buy this gear.

August

Look for end-of-season clearance sales in August:

  • Winter products. With winter winding down, stores will be looking to unload their inventories of cold-weather products. Look for sales on apparel and winter sporting accessories.
  • Swimming Pools. This is when you’ll start seeing pool companies trying to get you to buy a pool now so you can be swimming in time for summer
  • Camping Equipment: It’s still too cold for most people to camp so buy your tent and gear now.

 

September

September is a surprising month for good buys. Pick up reasonable prices in these departments:

  • Vacuums. Buying a vacuum isn’t the most exciting purchase, but it’ll be less painful if you take advantage of a spring cleaning sale. Mattresses. Year after year, September is the time for mattress sales as consumers are looking to freshen up the bedroom after winter.
  • Electric Blankets: ..will also be cheaper now
  • iPhones. Apple has been known to announce its new iPhone installments at the company’s annual keynote in September. Usually, the unveiling is followed by a drop in prices on the current phones in anticipation of the new models.

October

Don’t let the cost of shopping spook you during the Halloween season. There will be plenty of deals on these product categories

  • Appliances. This year, Labour Day falls on October 2 (Except in Victoria and WA when it falls in March). Expect a series of blowout deals in the week leading up to the holiday, including promotions on appliances big and small.
  • Jeans. Summer stock arrives in stores in August and September, but you’ll pay top dollar unless you wait a few weeks. October is a great time to buy a new pair of jeans.
  • Confectionary. The closer you get to Oct. 31, the better your chance at snagging a discounted bag of lollies for your trick-or-treaters.
  • Kitchens before Christmas – Many retailers are advertising now for you to get your new kitchen or bathroom in time for Christmas

November

Most popular tech products will be reduced in the lead-up to Christmas:

  • Tablets and laptops.  Laybe smartphones, activity trackers and gaming systems now ahead of Christmas.

December

The end of the year is just the beginning for discounts in some product categories. Look for sale prices on:

  • Cars. Las with June, car dealers are looking to unload current year stock, cars that are plated 2017 before their 2018 stock arrives. Dealerships are also looking to meet end-of-year sales quotas.
  • Luggage: With the holiday season under-way you will find discounts on luggage starting to appear mid to late December
  • Carpet and Flooring: With the warmer weather, many consumers will think about refreshing the home, in particular outdoor areas so you will see outdoor tile and furnishing sales.
  • Hardware: With dads on holidays, there’s plenty of time to finish off (or start) that DIY project.
Originally posted on .

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Gertraud
Gertraud from ACT commented:

You don't save by spending, no matter how good the deal sounds! 

margaret
margaret from NSW replied to Gertraud:

Gertraud In theory, well yes. Never-the-less if you purchase a 'needed' item, be it a present, linen, socks, a pan or what ever, at a price far less then normal, you save money. If however you are purchasing witlessly, "gee that looks cheap lets buy it," you do not. What does surprise me is watching the person in front of me at the checkout purchasing every day items with long shelf life that were on special the week before. Vot? You not think you use loo paper next veek.Although a single household I always purchase 3 tubs of dairy spread when on special, and one kilo packs of cheese as well as long shelf life products. These items are not things you will use more of just because you have them in abundance. Of course this does not usually apply to chippies, chocolate bickies, and other temptations. The key to saving money whilst spending money lies between your right and left ears. 

Gertraud
Gertraud from ACT replied to margaret:

Actually, there is a huge difference between what someone believes they "need" - read WANT and what they actually need. I am a wholly self-funded retired accountant and I have a rational approach to spending money. I do not NEED new bed linen every year, fashions may change but bedding has a lifetime of a decade or more. The same goes for pots and pans, I admit I purchased new ones when I moved into my current house seven years ago, but that was purely a WANT rather than a NEED, the twenty year old pans I had were still perfectly okay. As to presents, I give money as this enables the recipient to purchase what they want rather than receiving something that will be either re-gifted or otherwise disposed of. As for bulk buying food items, there is just my son apart from myself in my household, so there is no need to bulk buy to save a couple of cents. Unlike yourself, I buy dairy spread one at a time and not until I am almost out of it and as for cheese, I have thrown out too much cheese that got moldy six months before the supposed expiry date. Of course I buy a lot of goods that are not essential, for example fabric for quilt making, also vintage sewing machines, I am not totally driven by "need". But I do not refer to those purchases as "saving money" even if I pay a bargain price, they are my indulgences. 

margaret
margaret from NSW replied to Gertraud:

Sorry.When I use the word need I really mean need. That is buying sheets when there is areal need for the sheets not because of fashion fads, and after making pillow slips from the still good ends. If you stick to old fashioned white they remain looking good much longer then fancy prints that fade and lose colour in centre. Can not see the advantage of not buying spread when the saving is 15 to 20%. I cut and wrap my cheese so I am only using a 250 gram piece at any time and the dirrerance is a saving of 

margaret
margaret from NSW replied to margaret:

Something went astray with last post. I was trying to say the saving, between buying 4 x 250 grams of cheese and one kilo is about $4. Of course as a single house hold I only buy cut and wrap one kilo at a time. The saving to me is meaningful. Naturally it depends on usage, and the fridge it is kept in. 

margaret
margaret from NSW commented:

A couple of days after Mother's Day many stores discount beautifully boxed toiletries and cosmetics by 50%. or more Last year I purchased 6 Christmas presents at Big W and saved really worthwhile dollars. Unfortunately Father's Day does not usually yield the same bargains, however sometimes one can be lucky. 

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