DENVER — Are you a smart consumer? Experts say it’s not only what you buy but when you pull the trigger. When it comes to big ticket items, the summer months ahead may be just the time to do a little shopping.
We go on a mission to save you time and money. Experts say buying smart comes down to doing your research. We’ve made it especially easy by doing it for you.
Kendal Perez is the blogger behind “Coupon Sherpa,” a website with online coupon codes, even an app that provides coupons while you shop.
She said when it comes to timing your buy, you want to keep your eye out for a slightly older model, just before the new model is released.
“Of course the retailer is going to tout all the latest and greatest features that you simply must have on the new one but often times the differences are pretty subtle,” Perez said.
May is fridge time
For example, upcoming Memorial Day weekend is the best time to buy refrigerators. May is when new models come out which make last year’s models a really great deal.
June is for kitchens
As for June, cookware and kitchen gadgets are hot ticket items.
“Graduation and wedding seasons are happening … people know these are the kind of things that you are looking for so they put good deals on that,” Perez said.
If you’re looking for a steal of a deal on exercise, Perez says summer is the time to look.”
Summer and indoor exercise
“Do something like in the summer time, when most people are taking their exercise outdoors. Things like treadmills, even gym memberships … you might get some really great deals because traffic is so slow, they are really hoping to get new members,” Perez said.
July’s secret: Furniture
As for what to buy in July, here’s a secret retailers don’t want you to know: new styles of furniture are released in August.
When to buy airplane tickets
When it comes to summer travel, we went to Rick Seaney, the CEO of farecompare.com, an airline ticket comparison website. “It’s very simple. The airlines know everything about you … you don’t know much about them. We are supposed to level the playing field,” Seaney said.
Hours of research shows you should start your search about 3 months before your trip and try not to buy within the one month window before you go.
Seaney even narrows it down to the cheapest hour to buy: Tuesday at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
“About two thirds of all airfare sales are filed on Monday night. On Tuesday morning, all the other airlines start matching … so they all match in the morning and then at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time is when all those airlines have matched and the most cheap seats are in the market place,” Seaney said.
Once you do select, there are some days that are much cheaper to fly: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
If we didn’t hit an item you are currently in the market for– fear not.
Track the history of pricing
Here is the link to a website that tracks the history of pricing: trackif.com. You can see throughout the year when something has been highest and lowest priced.