Looking for bargains in May? Forget the TV, and step away from the lawn mower. Instead, enjoy a picnic on the patio.
May has plenty of discounts and deals to offer. You can find discounts on spa services, grilling supplies, digital cameras and accessories for mobile electronics in May.
May is not the best time to save money on lawn mowers, televisions, home electronics and power tools.
Here are a handful of things that will be on sale in May — and a few that will be at or near full price.
1. Lawn mowers
You probably wouldn't expect a bargain on snowblowers in December. And you probably won't find your best prices on lawn mowers in May, says Teri Gault, CEO and founder of TheGroceryGame.com.
"We all get real excited about lawn mowers in the spring because everything's growing and it's green," she says. So retailers don't have to offer deep deals to push lawn mowers.
For the best deals, "Wait until October," Gault says. They'll be "about 65 percent less on clearance."
Get a good deal in May on grilling and picnicking staples.
Skip mowing and enjoy an alfresco lunch. With the start of grilling season, "You see a lot of coupons for things like baked beans, hot dogs, buns, mustard, ketchup, barbecue sauce, chips," ice cream and paper picnic supplies, says Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com. "Anything that goes with the idea of a cookout."
Coupons will come out in late April and early May, but many stores will run sales on the same items in mid- to late May, Nelson says. So save the coupons, and wait for the sales to ratchet up the savings, she says. You can score up to 50 percent off.
2. Outdoor furniture
Now is probably not the best time to buy outdoor furniture if price is more important than selection. You'll find the best prices in September, when you can often get up to half off, Nelson says. And yes, that means you're essentially buying it for next year (or winter in warmer climates). Plus, the selection will be more limited.
Want to get a lesser deal and some selection while you still have time to use it this year? Wait until July, target discontinued models, and save 35 percent to 40 percent, says Sharon Banfield, public relations director for PriceGrabber.com.
Or hit the Memorial Day sales, and don't be afraid to search for coupons, says Nelson.
Further deals: Some online retailers will have sales in August, says Hillary Mendelsohn, author of "thepurplebook" online shopping series and founder of ThePurpleBook.com.
You can save up to 20 percent or get free shipping if you buy sets rather than individual pieces, she says.
3. Home appliances
If you're shopping price, May isn't the month to buy most major appliances, Mendelsohn says. She says you'll find the best prices on appliances in September. "You can save up to 30 percent" because many makers release new models at that time, Mendelsohn says.
Opt for a model that's being discontinued, and you can save 50 percent to 60 percent, she says. And if it's a floor model, you could save up to 70 percent.
Get a good deal in May on two exceptions -- refrigerators and vacuum cleaners.
New models of refrigerators and vacuum cleaners come out in May, so retailers are looking to clear stock.
On refrigerators, you can save 30 percent to 40 percent -- or even more on a plain-vanilla model, Nelson says.
On vacuum cleaners, save up to 35 percent, Banfield says.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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