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A12 BUSINESS
Tuesday 12 July 2022

Kimberly Palmer: How to afford

big-ticket items for the year

pulls in coupons from across
the web; CouponCabin
alerts you to cash back
and coupon opportuni-
ties; and Rakuten activates
coupons and cash back
from online stores at check-
out. Amazon Assistant lets
you know if Amazon offers
a lower price when you’re
shopping elsewhere.
“If you don’t have at
least one extension in-
stalled on your computer,
you’re leaving money on
Sale signs are displayed at a home decor store in Northbrook, the table,” Bodge says.
Ill., on Saturday, March 13, 2021. By tracking prices before
Associated Press sales weekends, you can
make an informed decision
By KIMBERLY PALMER of ends of the year Memo- about how good a deal is,
NerdWallet rial Day, July Fourth and she adds.
When Brandy Baxter need- Labor Day weekends are Baxter recommends saving
ed to replace her home’s the best for deals on appli- items you’re tracking on a
entire heating and air ances, furniture and mat- wish list, a service offered
conditioning system sev- tresses, says Trae Bodge, by many online retailers as
eral years ago, she asked smart-shopping expert at an alternative to placing
contractors if they offered TrueTrae.com , which offers items in your cart.
deals at certain times of savings tips. For electronics, “If I need retail therapy, I
the year. She learned that Black Friday in November put it on the list, and then
if she waited until February, is the ideal time to buy, fol- I can see when the price
the slow season for such lowed closely by Amazon’s goes up or down,” Baxter
work, she could get a lower Prime Day sale, which is says. “You can satisfy that
price. Baxter, a financial typically in July and this desire for consumerism
coach based in Dallas, says year runs July 12-13. without separating yourself
she saved around $6,000 as Bodge adds that some from your cash.”
a result. specific items have unique Sometimes, the retailer will
When it comes to saving sales periods. Televisions alert you when the price
money on big purchases, typically see their lowest of an item on your wish list
sometimes timing really is prices in late January and drops.
everything. Taking advan- early February right before CHECK FOR SALES TAX HOL-
tage of certain holiday the Super Bowl. IDAYS
weekends and seasonal If you miss a specific sale, Many states offer sales tax-
discounts can lead to sig- Stokes says not to worry. free holidays, which can
nificant savings, which is The key is to plan ahead be an ideal time to buy
especially helpful with in- and track prices so you expensive items that aren’t
flation continuing to push can make purchases dur- otherwise on sale, Baxter
prices higher. Consumers ing price dips, such as sea- suggests. Her state of Texas
can also consider their own sonal lulls. Buy winter sports offers a sales tax holiday in
cash flow fluctuations and gear in summer, or outdoor early August, which coin-
shop for big-ticket items furniture in fall, for example. cides with back-to-school
when they can better af- “If you can have some self- shopping, making it easier
ford them. control and wait, you will to pick up school supplies
“There are two overarching get better deals,” she says. and other eligible items at
principles: Purchase items It’s also worth looking out a discount.
in the offseason and pur- for markdowns associated CONSIDER YOUR OWN
chase items during holiday with inventory buildups, as CASH FLOW
weekends,” says Kimberlee supply chain issues con- There are times of the year
Stokes of Orlando, Florida, tinue to cause hiccups. when you may experience
the founder of ThePeace- When chains like Target increased cash flow from
fulMom.com, a website and Walmart have excess sources such as a tax re-
aimed at moms who want stock, they tend to offer fund, annual bonus or birth-
to save money and get big sales, sometimes at un- day and graduation gifts. If
organized. “It does require expected times. that’s the case, those can
some planning.” USE TOOLS TO TRACK PRIC- be ideal times to make
Here’s how to time your ES AND APPLY COUPONS large purchases without
shopping to get the most You don’t need to track taking on debt, says Kevin
out of your budget. prices manually apps and Mahoney, the Washington,
SHOP THE BIGGEST SALES browser extensions can D.C.-based founder of Illu-
WEEKENDS take care of that work. The mint, a financial planning
Traditionally, three week- Honey browser extension firm for millennials.q