February may be known for chocolate, flowers, and jewelry for Valentine’s Day, but there are plenty of other bargain-buy items best picked up this month.
That’s not to say there aren’t bargains on jewelry—you just need to wait a while on that. And other items, like furniture and winter gear, can be found on super sale after sitting in the warehouse and the racks for a year.
What to Buy
- Furniture. Presidents’ Day lands when winter is about to become spring. Major retailers are looking to push out existing inventory, at bargain prices, to make room for their new spring designs. And that means you can find some sweet deals.
- Winter gear. Winter gear is on its way out as well. Sure, it’s not warming up out there, but stores are getting ready to roll out their spring stock, so they begin marking down winter gear at this point. Expect some prices on winter clothing to be slashed by 75% or more.
- Tax-filing software. As tax season ramps up, the cost of tax-filing software goes down to encourage new users. Don’t wait too long, though—prices tend to go back up as the April 15 filing deadline nears.
- Jewelry. Does your jewelry-loving partner mind waiting until after Valentine’s Day to get a necklace or bracelet? During the second half of February, prices head southward considerably. Then you can surprise them later in the year with your bargain buy.
What to Skip
- Flowers. There are many ways to say I love you … some more expensive than others. Fresh blooms typically aren’t discounted, unfortunately. Consider cookies (cheaper than the traditional chocolates), plants for the garden, or "Just Because" gift packages instead of flowers (as a bonus, some of these will last much longer).
- Electronics. Aside from TVs (still priced to sell for those looking to upgrade their Super Bowl viewing last-minute), you’ll want to skip pretty much all major electronic purchases this month. Computers, smartphones, gaming consoles, and other electronic items are full price. Black Friday, “Black Friday in July,” and Amazon Prime Day are better bets for these bargains.
- Fitness equipment/gym memberships. You just missed your window to land a discounted gym membership and/or home exercise equipment. Deals tend to come and go, of course, so keep your eyes peeled. But there’s a good chance you won’t see any on fitness equipment and gear until late spring when people take their workouts outside.
- Patio furniture. Wait, didn’t we just say February is an ideal month to buy furniture? To be more specific, that would be indoor furniture. Unfortunately, it’s too early to get the sunny deals on outdoor sets. You’ll want to wait a few more months to start seeing the real bargains.
