Plan purchases a year early to get bargains
Think about buying next summer's purchases now to get the best deals.
— -- Prices for patio furniture are free-falling this month. Ditto for sandboxes, play structures and plants.
"What's driving the low prices is the retailer's desire to get a large item out of his store and to take a large unsold item off his books," says Robert Long, managing editor of Kiplinger.com.
Timing is everything in bargain-shopping.
"If you're willing to get only one or two months out of that patio furniture this season, you'll get a good deal, and you'll have the furniture waiting for you next spring," Long says.
Long and other experts say the wrong time to buy anything is when you really need it: Then, the retailer has the advantage.
"We encourage people to really look a year out and plan those purchases," Long says. "If you can map out your purchases to those times when retailers are offering the biggest discounts, you really can save hundreds of dollars a year on the big-ticket items."
The best months to buy furniture are January and July, just before new shipments arrive, says Jackie Hirschhaut of the American Home Furnishings Alliance in High Point, N.C.
"The retailers obviously need to make room," Hirschhaut says. "They'll take a first markdown, then a slightly more generous markdown, and by the time it gets to clearance stage, maybe a set isn't complete. That doesn't matter to many buyers now, because one of the most popular styles of decorating is an eclectic theme, where not everything matches."
Stock up on baby products between February and April when retailers offer the most sales, says Reyne Rice, trends specialist for the Toy Industry Association in New York.
Even marriage proposals can cost less if you plan ahead. Amanda Gizzi of Jewelers of America in New York says the busiest months in the jewelry business are November, December, February and May. July is the sweet spot for diamond buyers.
"Summer is a notoriously slower period for jewelry stores, and July is the peak of that slower period. They might be willing to negotiate a better deal then. It's just a matter of inventory sitting in a store," Gizzi says. She suggests first-time buyers visit the Jewelry Information Center website at www.jic.org to research diamonds and pricing before heading to a reputable retailer.
