How to get the best deal on everything from cars to electronics. Because everything goes on sale at some point and it's usually during the exact same month every year.
Here we are, the middle of February and I haven't even told you my New Years Resolution yet. I didn't make one. Now you're up to date.
I always halfways resolve to spend less money on food. I don't eat a lot of meat and I grow the majority of my own vegetables - YET I spend thousands of dollars on food.
I sat down a few years ago and tried to answer that question myself. Why do I spend so much money at the grocery store? It turns out I have a gambling problem.
No I don't.
I do, on the other hand, have a recipe problem. Whenever someone drops by for a visit 90% of the time I'll be in the kitchen cooking. The other 10% I'm in the backyard cooking.
If I see a recipe I think I might like I have to make it. It's a compulsion. Usually these recipes require one ingredient I don't have which means a trip to the grocery store which means a whole world of exciting impulse buying food possibilities.
Speaking of this recipe addiction of mine, the Thug Kitchen cookbook has yet to produce a clunker. It's a vegan cookbook but I'm nowhere near a vegan and I've loved every single recipe.
Go buy it now before I tell you why you can't buy another thing. It's worth it for the Toasted Quinoa Oatmeal recipe alone.
In addition to offering a plethora of grocery impulse buying options, my particular grocery store also offers a floral department, wine store, clothing, kitchen appliances, and household accessories impulse buying options. So there's that.
It turns out a lot of my grocery bills consist of pillows and sweater dresses. I just wasn't paying attention to all the things I was buying that I loved but in no way needed.
One January I even resolved to not go to the grocery store at all. Plain and simple. If I didn't have the ingredient I needed, I substituted. No fresh ginger? I'd use dry.
Doing this one thing for one month saved me hundreds of dollars. For real. I had no idea I was wasting so much money and I had no idea how easy it would be to stop.
Now I know. So I looked into other ways to stop spending money stupidly and found a few things out.
Wanna learn another way to save hundreds of dollars without having to sacrifice your desire to impulse shop down the snack aisle?
Don't buy anything until it's on sale. And everything eventually goes on sale.
Almost all major (and minor) items have dedicated months they go on sale. Sometimes just because it's tradition (The White Sale) and sometimes because it's the time of year when manufacturers release new models and retailers want to clear their shelves of the old models.
Get your calendar ready to start marking things down for any big purchases you have this year.
I'm about to lay it on you.
Table of Contents
What to buy in January
- Linens
- Toys
- Treadmills and ellipticals (New Years Resolutions anyone?)
- TVs (smallish sales because of pre-Superbowl tv buying frenzies)
- Winter clothing
What to buy in February
- Humidifiers
- Indoor furniture (to make room for newer models. Floor models often as low as 60% off)
- Treadmills and ellipticals (There's still some hope for that resolution)
- High end Chocolates (right after Valentine's Day)
- Televisions - More TV sales at the beginning of the month. Even bigger sales can be found in March though.
- Pig parts. Really. I have no idea if this is the case around the world but in my neck of the woods, whole pork bellies, shoulders and other pork pieces good for curing can be found at your grocery store this month.
What to buy in March
- Humidifiers
- Sandals. (Sandals first hit stores in January! First markdown on them in March which gives you a better price while still having a great selection)
- Small consumer electronics
- Vs (Retailers visit the Consumer Electronics Show in Jan, order their new stock, which is delivered in March)
- Winter sports gear
- Golf Clubs
- Frozen Food (March is frozen food month ... seriously)
What to buy in April
- LAST season's television model (if you can still find them in stock you'll get the cheapest price possible on last year's model)
- Laptop computers
- Desktop computers
- Lawn mowers
- Spring clothing
- Digital Cameras (last year's model as they make room for the newer ones)
- Thrift Stores (with spring cleaning comes spring heave hoing. Thrift Stores get their biggest influx of new goods at the same time as spring cleaning) This means older stock gets reduced and newer stock has a bigger selection.
What to buy in May
- Athletic apparel and shoes
- Camping and outdoor gear
- Carpeting
- Cordless phonesRefrigerators (May is when new fridge models are introduced)
- Lawn mowersMattresses
- Small consumer electronics
What to buy in June
- Camcorders
- Carpeting
- Computers
- Dishes (both fine china and everyday because June is the month of weddings so most places put their
- sets on sale)
- Tools (father's day means big sales on tools so take advantage even if you're a mother. Or sister. Or orphan. Everyone needs a few tools)
- Pots, pans
- Summer sports gear (already starts to be marked down)
- Swimwear
- Vacuum Cleaners (new ones come out in June)
What to buy in July
- Indoor furniture
- Outdoor furniture (prices start to get slashed on outdoor furniture now)
- Swimwear (if you buy in July you'll get a good price and relatively good selection)
What to buy in August
- Cars (dealers are making room for the newer models coming in)
- Air conditioners
- Backpacks
- Dehumidifiers (your best defence against centipedes by the way)
- Outdoor furniture (prices start getting slashed on outdoor furniture now)
- Snow blowers (if you can find a snowblower in the summer months chances are it's going to be cheap)
- Laptops (back to school sales)
What to buy in September
- Bikes
- Large appliances (new models come out in September, other than refrigerators which come out in May)
- Lawnmowers
- Cars (lower price still as they make room for new models)
- Digital cameras
- Gas grills (BBQs) (cause the outdoor grilling season is winding down)
- Lawn mowers
- Shrubs, trees, and perennials (THIS is the time to buy all those expensive trees and shrubs. They're often 60-75% off at the end of the season)
What to buy in October
- Bikes
- Computers
- Digital cameras
- Gas grills
- Lawn mowers
- Winter coats
- Outdoor furniture
- Jeans (once back to school is over retail can start discounting their price on high end denim)
What to buy in November
- (Black Friday Sales)
- Baby product
- Cookware
- Bikes
- Gas grills
- GPS navigators
- Toys
- TVs
What to buy in December
- Pretty much everything
- (Boxing Day Sales used to take place on Boxing Day but now they seem to happen weeks before Christmas)
Now you know.
Karen-I'm concerned-How did the Thug folks get your knife and how come you allow it? Your knife is special and edgy and it means Karen 'Witty' Karen.
Well, because I don't have a knife. I have a cleaver. :) ~ karen!
Love the Thug Kitchen cookbook too! I eat the quinoa toasted oatmeal almost everyday. Sometimes I keep it vegan but it is delicious with a bit of butter, salt, pepper and a perfectly fried egg on top. I am sure you have the best eggs at your house!
Hi, my name is Deana and I'm a reduced rack junkie. I admit it, if it's on the reduced rack I'll buy it with all good intentions of using it up right away. About 3 days later I through it in the garbage because I bought too much. Hay, it was a good deal!!!! I keep swearing I'm not going to do it again but if I see a load of green beans, potatoes, brussel sprouts, zuccini, bananas with spots, apples (to make apple sauce) etc. I'll scoop it all up. I need help. Once in a while I'll make a great soup out of the mess but that is very rare. Although my favourite is if I find a bag of reduced ginger. I through the whole bag in the freezer and grate it as needed into a pan of whatever. No need to thaw and lasts for months. Maybe I wouldn't feel so guilty if I at least dumped it into a compost bin but we're not allowed outdoor compost bins in our local. Had some trouble with rats some time. So I just waste my hard earned money on over ripe veggies that need to be chucked in a few days. HELP!!!
O.K., I can actually help you with this Deana. You only need to do one thing. Get chickens. They're a reduced rack lover's dream. You buy the .99 cent package of 5 cobs of corn, salvage the 2 that are edible then give the 3 suspicious looking ones to the chickens. Then they give you eggs. Problem solved. ;)~ karen!
Oh dear lord - me too! I love recipes and buy the weird ingredients and booze that they might have. So they take residence up in my cupboards and hog all the room and I can't throw them out - I may NEED them again!
So now I don't go to the grocery store (kids gone, we're both retired), so when hubby goes into town I tell him to get milk or whatever one or two things we NEED (I'll feel guilty asking him to bring home some Cheetos or something.) So we're doing much better now.
Guess I'd better make that Mongolian Beef one more time.
Same. I have only two above counter cabinets in my wee kitchen with 6 shelves total to hold food and dishes. 20% of this valuable space (1 full shelf) is dedicated to to sauces and vinegars and boozes and salts that I almost never reach for. Why do we do this to ourselves Susan? Why?
I may spend more than you'd think for one person, but I almost never eat out (twice a month?). I make virtually everything from scratch, except for canned tomatoes, canned beans and "better than bouillon." Fresh dairy, fresh fruit and vegetables, small portions of meat. Still way cheaper than going to a restaurant every day.
Do a TV show! I'll be your production accountant :)
Storage containers are on sale in January.
When I saw this ad for the cookbook, I knew I had to buy it right away. I love the recipes.
Thug Kitchen Cookbook Trailer
Since I work in a big city ER, this is too much like being at work.
There is the spot to chart the patient's actual statements. I never know if I should chart "Kiss my motherfucking ass you G-d damn dumbass white honky motherfucking c--t"
or do I chart "Kiss my m%^&#@r f***king a**..."
Which is more professional and/or more legal? ( can't write c--t I don't care how illegal.)
~Sometimes I wonder about myself going back to read comments on this blog, but... it's half the fun!
I LOVEEE that promo for it, lol. Saw it a few months ago then forgot about it. ~ karen!
I noticed that our local grocery has made the shopping baskets disappear. There used to be a stack of them, then it was down to 2-3. These remainders each had a name (on a label.) They disappeared sometime before Christmas. Now you are forced to use a cart which means you will probably buy more than you intended. I put my groceries in my re-useable bags as I shop, but I feel like a shoplifter!
We use February as our "clean out the pantry" month and try to get all the previous season's harvest out of the freezer in time for spring. Makes for some creative cooking adventures. Good luck with your No Grocery Shopping Challenge, Karen!
I always bring my own bags or market basket so I just use that if the store baskets are all used. I hate pushing a cart when I'm only needing a few items.
That is really incredible information, how did you figure it out. It all makes sense but I bet most people would never think about certain times of the year to make their purchases. I bet that if you really take this to heart you could save a lot of money and make sure you are getting the best and newest merchandise.
Thank you very much.
Wow. But I thought car prices took a dive just before the end of the year because they get taxed on old inventory? What about washing machines and cooking ranges??? All my appliances are 22 years old and they're funky and hateful. I need new ones!!
Me, too!! I need a new frig -( not made in China!) I don't want anymore CCP made crap - it dies very soon and is ugly.
Nancy Ann
Is this going to be a month like when you gave up TV? Is there something about the month time span that triggers your impulses? IF I went to the store and only bought what I was going to go straight home and prepare, I would save tons. BUT, I hate going to the store so I do it only when I absolutely have to. Then I buy out of guilt all the fresh stuff and ingredients to make some of my favorite cooking meals (as opposed to microwaving meals). The ingredients invariably get stuck in the back of the fridge and thrown away. It is guilt buying. It really doesn't make me cook more. In fact, after throwing out the stuff, I feel so good - liberated. So I should go everyday. Kind of like dessert - eaten because I make it so infrequently. If I made it everyday, I would have a little piece and be done. So the way for me to loose weight is to make more desserts.
If you have a compost pile, that takes some of the guilt away when you throw out whole heads of lettuce and cooked veggies you were sure you would use in that omelette in the morning. But the guilt comes back when I throw it in and they turn into dollar bills before my eyes. WHY do I do this?!
My fridge is home to 3 bundles of curly kale that looked so good and I love kale chips AND two heads of delicious cabbage that it's brothers and sisters made it into a meal that no one ate. I live with my daughter and her family and she orders take out so pizza takes the place of good food. My family eats my food for lunch then the rest of way too much cooked goes into the compost. I can't be trusted in the store - brings back memories of days gone by when I cooked large and fully eaten meals for a big family. It kills me not to cook when my daughter is so stressed with all she is right now, working from home, on-line teaching kindergarten and 6th grade to her two kids, and so much more. I'm going to name my compost Rona as it is to blame for everything these days! Don't feel bad about your dollars in the compost - plant something yummy with the great soil and reap those rewards - different but still as delicious!
Waiting until May to price out that new mattress!
It would also be good to know the cycle of IKEA's events, you know the ones where you buy x amount and get y% back in gift cards.
Thanks for the list, Karen! It's very useful. I need a dehumidifier.
I've been puzzling over how to keep those pesky centipedes at bay...now I know!
And thank you Helen for the tip about ginger in sherry. I knew that once, but it got shoved to the back of my brain. I too make my list from what's on sale, and only shop once per week. I still occasionally end up with a mispurchase, but for the most part my grocery bill is under $200 per month (one human, two dogs), including detergent and paper products.
This is my newest favorite site: http://www.seriouseats.com/ J. Kenji Lo'pez-Alt is a genius.
In the past year I've worked hard to stop buying unnecessary items. I stay out of stores as much as possible, clear out my refrigerator, freezer & cupboards before restocking (matching recipes to ingredients I have, instead of the other way around to reduce waste). Stopped impulse internet purchases by "bookmarking" items then waiting a few weeks to go back to see if I still want it (most times I don't go back to it at all).
I've saved lots of money, but, more importantly, I just feel better about myself.
This is awesome, thanks! And I am so loving the idea of a tv show!!! Do it!!! You are at LEAST 15 people, so you should have no problems...:)
Ok, so if not a tv show, would you think about a monetized youtube channel? I would subscribe and pay for a season of lifestyle/diy/adventures with Karen. Then make your director friend film things you already are planning to do and it could send more people to the blog too!
Also, puh-leeze write a book.
And have a great Wednesday.
Since I moved to Nova Scotia from the GTA, I am no longer within 5 minutes of Fortino's. I have learned to freeze bits of things for future use. I grate fresh ginger and lemongrass and freeze it in small portions; red and white wine also gets portioned out into 1 cup containers and frozen (this is the best way to preserve it). It's also amazing what you can substitute in a pinch!
We had this problem, snack/sweets/impulse buys.
Now we have a set plan.
We pick a day every two weeks (so no other trips other than milk) for a big shopping and a time after a meal ie Saturday right after lunch (so no one is hungry and more tempted) with a list and a budget PLUS (this is really important and makes a huge difference) a real actually monetary bill (we each have a $10 but it could be a $5 or a $20 or whatever) that bill is for all your treats, sweets, impulse buys etc. for 2 weeks and thats all you get period. And it does not carry over, if you dont spend it all it goes in a jar for a special purchase, a pizza night, a new mixer or whatever.
It's working great for us, we are in control but dont feel deprived!