Just as you know that leaves will fall off trees in October and kids will be crawling up the walls in May to be out of school in June, everything has its season and its cycle. Sales and deals are no different.
In tracking what comes on sale when for several years, you begin to see patterns develop, and you can almost predict to the week that fruit snack and peanut butter will be a hit in September, that Target will go 75% off after Christmas by right after the New Year (be there when it opens that day for the best stuff), and you should stock up on Jello in May (for all those patriotic jello recipes).
If you know the cycles and watch for them to roll in like the tide, you can literally save thousands at the store every year. From clothes, to gifts, to groceries, having a handle on the cycles will ensure you never pay full price, and never miss a deal.
For your planning pleasure, I am posting Sept/October deals. Watch for coupons that might go with the food items for an even better savings. You can refer to my blog from yesterday to find this month's printable coupons that match the sales happening right now. I'll drop in these in two-month increments so you don't get overwhelmed by the list. It will allow you to plan in managable increments.
SEPTEMBER - back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbells soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
Back to School Supplies and Apparel
Gardening Supplies
Housewares
Bicycles
Canned Goods
OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie - going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
Cars
Houses
Fishing Equipment
Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
Candy
ท Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)
So save lots, and Happy Shopping!
What you should watch for to be on sale in Sept/Oct.
September 11th, 2007 at 07:47 am
September 11th, 2007 at 02:23 pm 1189520605
September 11th, 2007 at 06:12 pm 1189534375
September 12th, 2007 at 03:05 am 1189566336
September 12th, 2007 at 07:31 am 1189582264
We tend to find that these sales may vary by value in different regions, however the brands are the same.
So Quaker items are going to be on sale in October. My sale might differ from yours, but Quaker will be on sale across the country. The manufacturers coupons were already out this week, so the sales are right behind. You might get a $10/10, and mine might be $10 for $15 minus $5, which still equals 10/10, the deal is just set up differently.
The other thing is they might vary by a week within the month. I've seen where people on the east coast get some sales a week before the west coast. That might be to support the manufacturer's run schedule on producing the items so they don't run out of stock across the country. Does that help?
September 12th, 2007 at 01:52 pm 1189605165
These days probably doesn't matter much in the housing market. But in hot markets it is a good tip.
Good list though. Things to keep in mind when making purchases.
September 13th, 2007 at 03:30 am 1189654230
That's great information to share. With all the craziness of the holidays, people aren't in the frame of mind to move at all. But there are homes on the market, and likely, they are the ones that late-comers in the summer season slapped on the market at the start of school, so they've probably been sitting there for awhile.
Making an offer during the off-season like that is sooooo beneficial to the buyer. Sellers who are frustrated with their homes on the market for 60, 90, or 120 days are more apt to be ready to take an offer, move, and have some ready cash for the holiday season. We've always seemed to buy right after labor day, and same concept - people just got their kids settled in school so most aren't thinking about moving unless they had to for some reason.
Great advice!