President’s Day isn’t exactly the most exciting holiday of the year–unless you like saving money. If you’re the frugally-minded type, President’s Day weekend presents the perfect opportunity to bargain hunt to your heart’s content.
Of course, like any big shopping weekend, not everything on the shelves of your favorite store will be offered at a decent price. That’s why the February Best Time to Buy guide is dedicated to this three-day weekend specifically.
Best Time to Buy: February
February is generally a slow month for retailers, so it has become tradition for them to slash prices on merchandise–especially when it comes to big ticket items–in the hopes of inspiring more spending.
However, even if you don’t have the desire or the budget to drop a few hundred dollars on new furniture or appliances (or several thousand on a new boat!), there are plenty of other smaller, more practical purchases that you can make for less in February as well.
President’s Day Weekend Deals
Just about every big-name retailer will be getting in on the President’s Day shopping action by offering special discounts on a number of items. Generally, you can expect to find President’s Day sales on:
- Cars
- Major appliances
- Home furnishings
- Winter apparel
- Vacation packages
In addition to President’s Day weekend sales, however, the entire month of February serves as a great time to save money on the additional items below.
Digital Cameras
Trade shows like the International Consumer Electronics Show will be featuring the latest and greatest cameras early on in the year, which means February is the best time to buy a digital camera–just last year’s model–for less.
Boats
It’s probably not everyday you go out boat shopping, but if you do happen to be in the market for a new vessel, February is the month to make a deal. This month marks the best time to buy a boat for many of the same reasons as cameras–namely, because it’s show season and new models are becoming available.
Mattresses
If you’ve seen those slightly disturbing commercials about the importance of buying a new mattress every eight years, you might be in a hurry to replace yours.
Luckily, just about every major department store will be having a mattress sale over Presidents Day weekend, offering huge discounts on Sealy, Simmons, Serta and the like. In fact, you can easily find a brand new mattress at 50 percent off or more at retailers like Macy’s.
Gas Grills
Who wants to grill outdoors in February? Exactly. Since there’s practically zero demand for gas grills this month, you can replace yours now and enjoy it when the weather warms up again.
Chocolate
An obvious buy for February that still deserves mention: Chocolate. Waiting until after Valentine’s Day to stock up on the sweet stuff means you can score discounts of 70 to 90 percent. but even if you’re no chocoholic, you can grab what’s left of the heart-shaped boxes and keep the romance going all month long.
Plan ahead for next month: See our March Best Time to Buy guide.
