April is here and it has already rained several days in my area.
We can avoid feeling glum from the rain by taking advantage of the great deals that can be found in the April sales flyers.
What to Buy in April Sales
As with every month retailers put items on sale, but you may not be getting the best prices. These particular items and categories are where to get the best prices this month.
Spring Clothing
The spring clothing lines went on sale in February. This means that April will be the first month we see discounts on the spring clothing.
Discounts should be mostly in the 30% off range, but you should be able to find some 50% off items.
Tax Day Freebies
Many places will be using tax day to give us discounts and free stuff. The office supply stores offered free paper shredding last year and hydro massage was helping everyone’s nerves with free massages.
Be prepared for a barrage of offers to get you out of the tax day funk.
Travel Deals
Any kind of last minute travel is typically going to be pretty cheap in April. This includes both airlines and Caribbean cruises.
Cruises are particularly great deals this time of year. We are just before the summer push when more people take them.
Earth Day Free Offers
Tons of businesses get in on the Earth Day craziness. Usually you can find some sort of environmental theme discount or free item. The biggest deal of the fake holiday is free admission to the national parks on April 15-16 and 22-23.
Thrift Stores for Spring Cleaning Donations
Spring cleaning is on like Donkey Kong and people are donating their unwanted items at thrift stores across the country.
You will probably not find better prices than normal months, but you will find a much larger selection and higher quality. The best day to shop is on Mondays.
This is after people have spent the weekend cleaning and gives the thrift store employees a chance to process and price all the new stuff.
Car Accessories and Parts
April is national car care month. This means that the auto stores will be running specials and the chain auto repair shops will have discounts on various regular maintenance services.
Jewelry
There are very few reasons to buy jewelry in April and that is why it goes on sale. With the lull between Valentine’s day and Mother’s Day, retailers are ramping up the deals. This would be the ideal time to find a nice gift for that special lady for later in the year.
Snow Equipment
This one shouldn’t surprise anyone. Now that snow is not much of a threat, retailers are clearing out their stock of all things now related. Snow blowers and shovels should be a great clearance buy this month.
Cookware
The weddings are coming! And with weddings you get wedding presents. Retailers discount pots, pans, and cooking tools for wedding, college graduation, and Mother’s Day presents.
Toys and Games
Like jewelry there is very little driving toy and board game sales in the month of April. Last year we even saw American Girl do a sale on their smaller 15” doll and they almost never do discounts. If you are an early shopper this is a good time to stock up for birthday’s and Christmas.
Easter Items
Easter is April 16 for protestant, catholic, and orthodox Christians this year.
That means we will see big discounts on Easter items starting April 15 and extending over the next couple of weeks. Stores will start clearancing out the Easter themed items pretty early and increase the discounts to clear up shelf space.
My favorite is the Target Clearance which should move from 50-90% off over the two weeks after Easter. Make sure to use your Target debit card to get an extra 5% off at the register.
Vacuum Cleaners
We can get discounts up to 25% on vacuum cleaners and other similar cleaning products.
In Season Produce
With any month we see particular varieties of produce come into season, and thus, go on sale. We should see some decent April sale prices on:
- Artichokes
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Beans
- Beets
- Chicory
- Chives
- Fava Beans
- Horseradish
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Limes
- Morel Mushrooms
- Oranges
- Papayas
- Peas
- Ramps
- Rhubarb
- Shallots
- Strawberries
- Sweet Onions
- Turnips
- Watercress
What Not to Buy in April
You may see sales on these items, but if you can hold off until later in the year you will get better prices in other months.
Mattresses
April is not a terrible month to buy a mattress it just isn’t as good as May. So you may see a decent deal this month, but you are likely to see even bigger discounts just 30-45 days from now.
Tools
You may find a random clearance sale this month that makes sense to take advantage of, but Memorial day is when tools go up to 50% off at a variety of retailers.
Appliances
Unless you are picking up an appliance at your local thrift store you will get better deals later in the year
Laptops
It seems crazy but back to school shopping is now getting pushed back to June. With some school districts starting as soon as the first week of August, laptop deals start ramping up at the beginning of summer.
Gardening Tools
April is a big month for gardening deals, but may is HUGE! We will see as much as four times as many deals in May as in April. Even mulch will be less expensive in May than in April.
Running Shoes
It is time to get your jog on! With longer days and more pleasant weather (except for the rain) people start to buy new running shoes. You can save as much as $8 on the same shoes by waiting till may. Check out my guide on buying shoes online to help you save even more.
Grills
Everybody is thinking about grilling once Spring rolls around and that means high demand for new grills. In July and August the big deals start to roll in. Maybe this year I can convince my wife to let me get that five burner model I have had my eye on.
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