YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Your 2013 Bargain Calendar

    By | Work + Money – Mon, Dec 31, 2012 11:22 AM EST

    Sofas in February, bras in June -- everything hits a rock-bottom price sometime during the year. We grilled Dan de Grandpre, editor-in-chief of DealNews.com, and Mandy Walker, an editor for Consumer Reports, to find out when to shop for sales and what to buy each month. By Melody Warnick, REDBOOK.

    January
    · Holiday decor and wrapping paper
    · Linens (Invented by a Philly department store in 1878, "white sales" are now practically law.)
    · Toys
    · Treadmills and ellipticals (Stores are trying to push these out the door before your resolutions tank!)
    · Vacation packages

    February
    · Furniture (The lowest prices hit around Presidents' Day, in order to move merch at a traditionally sluggish time.)
    · Homes and condos
    · Lobsters and steaks (Grocery stores stock up for February 14 and discount immediately after.)

    March
    · Chocolate (Yes, it's from Valentine's Day--but really cheap!)
    · Luggage (Retailers cut prices to boost sales in a month when people aren't traveling much.)
    · Outdoor gear and winter clothing

    Related: 100 Cute, Affordable Winter Accessories

    April
    · Cookware (Welcome to the start of graduation and wedding season...)
    · Home-improvement supplies
    · Tires and auto parts (For National Car Care Month--who knew?!)

    May
    · Air conditioners (Buy now, not in July.)
    · Camping and outdoor gear
    · Summer clothes (Memorial Day sales!)
    · Mattresses (Stores are making way for the new models.)
    · Gym memberships (Because who wants to work out inside when it's beautiful out?)

    June
    · Caribbean cruises
    · Lingerie (Retailers like Macy's, barenecessities.com, and Victoria's Secret turn over inventory this month.)
    · Laptops
    · Tools and hardware (Happy Father's Day!)

    Related: 30-Day Money Cleanse

    July
    · Sandals and swimsuits
    · Furniture (New styles introduced at April's big trade show are finally hitting the market, so last year's models are super-discounted.)
    · Picnic supplies (Fourth of July + nearing end of summer season = sales bonanza.)

    August
    · Outdoor grills (Great selection, good prices.)
    · Kid clothing and school supplies (It's the annual back-to-school price war that you know so well.)

    September
    · iPhones and iPods (New models usually debut now, so old ones are cheap.)
    · 2013 cars (When 2014's start hitting the lot, dealers have to empty out some parking spaces.)
    · Airfare (Vacay's over, sadly.)
    · Bikes
    · Summer apparel

    Related: 40 No-Fail Beauty Shortcuts

    October
    · Grills (Meh selection, awesome prices.)
    · Patio furniture
    · Winter coats (Yes, they'll go cheap again in March, but these sales offer the best choices.)

    November
    · Gadgets, electronics, and small household appliances (What with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this is your sweet spot.)
    · Winter clothing (Everyday retailers like Target and Kohl's focus on Black Friday, luxury stores like Nordstrom and Coach on Cyber Monday's online savings.)

    December
    · Toys (It's all about the second and third weeks this month.)
    · Large appliances
    · Gift cards (Okay, it's not a sale sale--these good-as-cash cards never have those--but manufacturers offer bundled deals like "Buy $50, get $10 free" to goose holiday shopping.)

    More from REDBOOK:


    Become of a fan of REDBOOK on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!