INDIANAPOLIS – As Hoosiers are looking for ways to cut costs and deal with high inflation and rising prices, retail experts are suggesting ways to use strategic timing in order to find money-saving discounts.
“Because there are certain times of the year when certain categories will be more deeply discounted than others,” said Smart Shopping Expert, Trae Bodge.
Bodge says saving money isn’t always about where you shop, but when you shop.
“Particularly if you’re buying something really expensive, good timing can mean saving a lot versus saving a little,” she said.
Three-day holiday weekends are a great time to find deals on larger items, Bodge added. The upcoming Labor Day weekend is the next opportunity for shoppers to do some serious bargain hunting.
“Labor Day is a great long weekend to look for deals on mattresses or appliances,” Bodge said. “National Chains like Mattress Firm will have deals like King mattresses for the price of Queen.”
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are normally good times to shop for electronics, Bodge said inflation is really pushing down prices on tech items right now.
“It’s actually a really good time to look for a deal on a phone,” she added.
Aside from holiday weekends, Bodge suggests looking for special deals and sales with the changing of the seasons.
“End of season sales start cropping up throughout August, and then those discounts will deepen over Labor Day weekend,” Bodge said. “As retailers look to clear the space of the merchandise from the summer and have the new fall merchandise coming in. So those deals will be very good, and in some cases, clearance level.”
Typically, Bodge said the fall season is less exciting for finding special deals. So, she suggests that could be a good time to save up for the last part of the year.
“You’ll start seeing bigger deals popping up end of October going into November as retailers look to move that fall merchandise,” she said.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still the best times to find deep discounts on TVs, Bodge says you can also wait a couple months to find similar deals.
“We often see a lot of TV deals right before the Super Bowl,” she said.
Bodge says it’s important for shoppers to look for ways to save even more on top of sales and deals, such as coupon websites.
“For example, if you find something at Best Buy that’s on sale, ‘Coupon Cabin’ might have a cashback offer that will sweeten that deal,” Bodge said. “Especially with inflation as high as it is, to look for that additional way to save is really important.”
Bodge says it’s also important to be familiar with any benefits your credit card may offer on specific purchases.
“Your credit card might offer you two-percent savings every time you buy groceries, for example, or four percent if you buy gas,” she said.
However, using credit cards for savings only makes sense if you pay off your balance each month, she said.
“If you are in a place in your life where you are carrying debt from month to month, you are absolutely negating any savings efforts,” Bodge said.
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