12 Holiday Sales You Should Plan to Take Advantage Of

Fall is in the air, meaning the busiest shopping months of the year have arrived. Whether you're the type of person who looks forward to camping outside your nearest superstore in anticipation of Black Friday or you'd rather shop from the comfort of your couch, you can find deals on nearly everything from now until New Year's. By taking advantage of these upcoming holiday sales, you can save more money by spending strategically.

As summer winds down, it's the perfect time to find deep discounts on items like lawnmowers, grills, and patio furniture. Many retailers also offer sales from around Columbus Day (Oct. 14) until the end of the month, discounting everything from clothing to housewares to mattresses. So if you’re looking to refresh your home and wardrobe on a budget, mid- to late-October is one of the best times to do it.

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Whether you're a Halloween fanatic or simply look forward to the cheap candy, you'll see better deals the closer it gets to Halloween. Stores usually start discounting decor, costumes, and all other Halloween-related items the last week or so of October, making it the best time to stock up.

Veteran's Day falls on Nov. 11, and you don’t have to be a veteran to find great deals on everything from furniture to appliances to mattresses and more. Those who are veterans, though, can receive extra discounts at many retailers, as well as free or discounted food at certain restaurants.

The biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday is one of the best and most well-known opportunities to snag some deals on everything from appliances to electronics to household items and more. In 2018, shoppers spent roughly $1,000 each on Black Friday, according to a survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. So if you're planning on spending a significant amount of money on holiday gifts or other major purchases for your home, Black Friday may be the time to do it.

As the name implies, Small Business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it's a day for shoppers to spend money at small businesses. While the types of deals you'll see depends on what each individual business chooses to offer, this is a great opportunity to find unique items you may not see in a chain store on Black Friday. If you're looking for a gift for that person who is hard to shop for, Small Business Saturday might be an ideal time to find a good deal on something to fit their style.

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Cyber Monday, Black Friday's increasingly popular cousin, is the best opportunity to find great deals online -- so if you'd prefer to avoid the crowds and shop from your couch, this is the day to do it. However, look closely at the deals before you buy. There's a lot of advertising hype around Cyber Monday, when in reality not everything is truly on sale. Look closely now at the prices of items you're eyeing, then compare prices on Cyber Monday to see if stores are really discounting the items or just hoping that flashy banners will convince you you're getting the deal of a lifetime. Cyber Monday is also a popular day for scammers, so before you give any website your credit card number, double-check that it's reputable and not a fake site attempting to steal your money.

Travel Tuesday is the day after Cyber Monday, and it's one of the best days of the year to snag deals on airline tickets. Many travelers book their holiday flights well before Thanksgiving and Christmas, so airlines slash prices to lure last-minute travelers into booking flights. Roughly 20% of all domestic and international flights are discounted on Travel Tuesday, according to research from travel forecasting company Hopper, and you could potentially save hundreds of dollars on tickets by booking at the right time.

Free Shipping Day is a one-day online shopping event where participating retailers offer free shipping and guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve, and this year it falls on Saturday, Dec. 14. Besides Cyber Monday, this is one of the best days to find online deals at the last minute while ensuring you’ll receive your gifts in time for the holidays. Many retailers are eager to sell their remaining inventory before the end of the year, so you might find deep discounts on all types of items.

Super Saturday (sometimes also appropriately called Panic Saturday) is the last Saturday before Christmas, and also one of the last opportunities to find deals. Although many of the most popular gifts may be long sold out by this time of year, you can expect to find big sales on nearly everything leftover. Super Saturday is ideal for last-minute shoppers who aren't looking for anything in particular, because you can get great deals on any items you can still find in stores.

Although it doesn't have an official holiday or fancy name, you can find great deals on cars by shopping in December. Although car dealerships offer sales year-round, they typically have the best sales in December during their year-end sales events, according to automobile research company Edmunds. The average dealership offers sales of up to 6% off MSRP in December, Edmunds found, as they're eager to offload their remaining inventory to make more room for next year's models.

ALSO READ: How Much Can You Actually Afford to Spend on a Car?

The closer it gets to the holidays, the better discounts you'll see as retailers scurry to sell as much inventory as possible. Once the holidays are over, you'll see even bigger sales on the crumbs that are left. While you won't score major deals on the hottest items of the season this late in the year, you can take the opportunity to stock up on the necessities. Items like Christmas decorations and winter clothing are often deeply discounted in the week between Christmas and New Year's, so this is a prime time to shop for those items you don't need before the holidays.

As shoppers prepare themselves for their New Year's resolutions, you're sure to find discounts on exercise equipment, weight loss programs, and dating sites. Also, January is one of the best times to shop for jewelry, as retailers often start Valentine's Day sales early. You may also find some lingering post-holiday sales early in the year as stores slash prices to sell off as much inventory as they can.

The holiday season can be one of the most expensive times of the year. If you expect to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on gifts, buying them at the right time can ease the burden on your wallet. All it takes is a little advance preparation and a shopping strategy to make sure you find the best deals at the best times.

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