Welcome to our 2011 bargain calendar!
January
Many of us focus on hunting down cheap clothing in the January sales. However, it’s the perfect time of year to get the following items, too…
Holidays: Travel agents, tour operators and airlines are keen to secure early bookings and sales, to get their spring and summer seasons off to a good start. That means you could pick up a cheap holiday deal while everyone else is still deciding where to go.
Meals out: Restaurants struggle to get bums on seats after Christmas, when everyone is feeling skint and overfed. In the fight for your custom, some great discounts become available.
Bicycles: Dodge all those tempting gym membership deals, and bag yourself a cheap bike instead. As the Christmas present rush fades, bike sales tend to dry up - so it’s a buyers’ market. Don’t be afraid to haggle!
Furniture: With new stock being delivered, stores become extremely keen to get old, bulky items out of the way.
Christmas decorations: Believe it or not, festive fashions change from year to year - just like clothes. Stores are always keen to shift old Christmas stock in January, as it’s not something that can be re-worked for the next festive season.
February
Cars: The new registration plate for cars comes out in February. At this point, the prices of old registration plate cars are slashed, as they’re no longer the newest (or most desirable) cars in the showroom.
March
This is the time to stock up on cold weather clothing essentials for the following winter. ‘Capsule’ pieces that will last are often the best value for money – such as leather boots, wool coats and versatile knitwear.
April
Many people make the mistake of buying all their ski gear just before they jet off. In fact, you’ll find by far the best deals in mid-to-late April, as the ski season draws to a close.
Of course, this approach is only good value if you’re fairly sure you’ll go skiing next year, too!
May
Furniture: Home furnishing stores go mad for a bank holiday, and prices tend to drop like a stone as they try to tempt shoppers through their doors.
DIY supplies: The same applies to hardware stores. They know millions of us will be testing our DIY skills over the May bank holiday, and they’re likely to display a big range of kit at lower-than-usual prices.
June
Camping equipment: These days, the UK’s summer festivals are big business. Outdoor stores tend to heavily discount tents, macs and sleeping bags during June, to lure in festival-goers.
July
Summer clothing: This is traditionally the biggest month of the summer sales - though the items and discounts on offer could depend on the weather.
Good weather often pushes the start of sales to August, as people are still happily snapping up shorts and flip flops. However, a washout summer means stores can’t wait to start shifting those summery items.
Theatre tickets: Warmer weather tends to make us to stay outdoors during July, in parks and beer gardens. This often leaves theatres a little deserted, and many will run big discounts in efforts to fill their seats.
August
Last minute breaks: As summer draws to a close, travel agents are working hard to fill any remaining spaces on holidays and flights. That means there are some big discounts to be had, particularly if you’re flexible about where you end up.
September
Garden furniture and barbecues: Summer is over and we’re all beginning to move back indoors. The prices of garden furniture, barbecues, lawnmowers and outdoor heaters will all fall as retailers race to clear space for their Christmas products.
School uniform: Grab a cheap deal as supermarkets and other retailers enter their yearly ‘back to school’ price war.
October
Fun days out: By October, all the nation’s kids are back at school. That means attractions such as zoos and theme parks need to make up visitor numbers, and are willing to offer plenty of discounts and free extras.
Gardening supplies: Prices are usually at their highest during spring, when everyone heads down to the garden centre. Conversely, seeds, bulbs and plants will be much cheaper at the end of the season.
Just make sure whatever you buy can be successfully stored until the following spring.
November
Property: Spring and summer is typically the boom time for buying and renting property in the UK. This means that if you can sit it out until winter, you’re much more likely to get a good deal.
By November, many properties will have been on the market for a good six months - and the owners will be more than ready to consider offers.
December
Bubbly! The high demand for Champagne during December actually causes a drop in the price of the stuff.
That’s because Champagne houses all compete to sell more units - which means retailers are able to offer consumers reduced prices on their favourite tipple.
Cheers!
source: www.lovemoney.com
