Whether you’re a savvy, bargain-hunting, frugal-to-the core deal seeker or you’re a recovering shopaholic who is still getitng used to reading the price tag before swiping your Mastercard, knowing what time of the year is best to get the greatest deals is important.  It just does not make sense, or cents, to spend more on something than you have to just because you can.  That’s why I like Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reportrs has updated and published their latest sales calendar to reflect the month to purchase dozens items common to real consumer households, not just those households that a manufacturer claims to own their product.

Some things to look for in January, while there’s still a  few days left, include bedding, computers, cookware, linens, home gym equipment like treadmills and elypticals, and oddly enough homes in general. 

It’s a bargain shopper’s common knowledge that retailers have the January mentality of “out with the old, in with the new” so shelves are being cleared of older models/types of products  even if the reasoning is to change the packaging of an item.  An example of this is Kodak printer ink, which I found in Walmart for 50% off it’s normal price 2 weeks ago.  It was unbelievably inexpensive at $10 for a 2 pack of black ink and $12.50 for a 2-pack of colored ink.  Today, that same exact ink was on the shelf in a new package at full price.  The difference?  The package said “Brand new packaging!”.

I bought my mom a Kodak printer for Christmas, and happened tof ind that clearance ink just in time for her to take advantage of the deal before it sold out. She may have even cleared the shelf, because that was a deal that was too good to pass up.  Printer ink is extremely expensive and I have found that my printers won’t accept refilled cartridges. 

Tips:

Bookmark the Consumer Reports chart, and eventually you’ll have it memorized especially as you see these items marked down in stores.

When you see a shower gel, shampoo, perfume, even printer ink on clearance don’t assume it’s because the manufacturer is discontinuing the product.  Most likely the packaging is going to be changed so they’re getting rid of the old package at steep discounts.  Buy it, use coupons when you can to get it even cheaper, and check back a couple months later.  More often than not, that same item is still on the shelf but the bottle/box has been changed.  It ends up in the trash, so why pay more for it? 

Being observant of the merchandise in the stores where you shop will benefit you, so when you have the extra time take a stroll through each store and make mental notes of clearance sales and new products.  New products don’t always work out so theye nd up being marked down to sell fast.  You may love it and be able to stock up.  I may love to shop, but I don’t love to spend money.  The fun is in the hunt for me…and I want to make it fun for you to “not” spend money!

The inspiration for this post was Bargain Babe’s post on the Consumer Reports calendar.  Thanks, Julia!