The month of August kicks off some great shopping and deals! Part of learning how to save the most money is knowing when the best time of year is to purchase items at their rock bottom prices.

Back to School: It is a given that August is the month to stock up on all of your back to school supplies. The sales at office supply stores (Staples, Office Depot, Office Max), national chain stores (Target, Wal-Mart, Kmart) and drug stores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) are where the best deal are at. Grab your kids’ school supplies list and look for the best deals. Don’t just buy for the first day of school though, think about what you will need year round as replacements (pencils, glue, crayons, paper, etc) and purchase enough to last the year round. Don’t forget about supplies you may need at home for homework too. Many of the office supply stores have great 1 cent, 5 cent and other super cheap deals with a limit of one deal per person. So take the kids in with you, give them each a buck and teach them some math skills by letting them buy their own back to school supplies!

Tip! – No kids at home that’s ok August is also a great time to fill your home office supply drawer or closet with pencils, pens, glue, staples, paper clips and paper too. I buy not just for my kids but also for my home office too!

Back to school office supply deals to be watching for:

• Backpacks
• Book Covers
• Calculators
• Colored Pencils
• Crayons
• Erasers
• Folders
• Glue
• Lunch boxes & lunch bags
• Markers
• Notebooks
• Page Dividers
• Paper (both note book paper and copy paper)
• Paper Clips
• Pencil Sharpeners
• Pencils
• Pens
• Rubber Bands
• Rulers
• Staples & Staplers

Back to school grocery deals to be watching for: School supply shopping does not end in the office supplies section of the store. Deals are to be had on some great grocery items. Think “School lunches” when you think about the grocery sales as well as convenience foods for breakfast. August also kicks off promotions like the Kellogg’s Fuel for School (watch for coupons and rebates).

• Bread
• Cheese slices
• Cold Cereal
• Condiments such as mustard and mayonnaise
• Deli meat
• Disinfecting wipes (Clorox & Lysol)
• Drink pouches & juice boxes
• Facial Tissue (Kleenex & Puffs)
• Fresh Fish
• Frozen waffles
• Fruit and apple sauce cups
• Hand sanitizer (Purell)
• Jelly
• Juice
• Peanut Butter
• Pudding cups
• Raisins in snack pack mini boxes
• Snacks like cookies, crackers and chips
• Toaster pastries
• Tortillas (think sandwich wraps)

August produce: It is now the peak of the summer produce season and now is the time to get in on some great deals on summer favorites in the produce department, farmers markets or road side produce stands. Stock up now and fill your freezer or if you do home canning take advantage of great deals on the following during the peak of season.

• Apricots
• Basil
• Bell Peppers
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Grapes (red & green)
• Gravenstein Apples
• Green beans
• Hass Avocados
• Hot peppers
• Limes
• Melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew)
• Nectarines
• Okra
• Onion
• Peaches
• Pears (Asian & Bartlett)
• Plums
• Raspberries
• Shelling beans
• Summer squash
• Tomatillo
• Tomatoes
• Valencia Oranges

Other Sales & Clearance Deals:

August is a good time to pick up some items for the house too. Buy now when these items are at their lowest price points or on clearance.

Barbecue & Patio Equipment – As stores get ready for the autumn and winter seasonal items they will be marking down the prices on outdoor gear. This is the time of year to purchase a new grill or stock up on charcoal and lighter fluid for next season.

Bathing Suits & Beach Towels – Again watch for these to go on clearance and buy now for next summer. Look for markdowns in the 70-75% range.

Consumer Electronics - To along with the back to school supplies like crayons and glue it is also a good time to pick up a new computer (laptops more than desk tops as sales are geared towards the college kids). So if you are in the market now is the time to buy. Also look for sales on paper shredders, hand held calculators, keyboards and USB devices.

Home & Garden Centers - As summer projects winding down stores like Home Depot and Lowes Home Improvement will start trying to clear out lumber, home remodeling supplies and other project items.  Garden supplies will start to see the trend on markdowns as well. Look for discounts on hand tools, pots, potting soil, and watering cans. Air conditioners, dehumidifiers, lawn mowers and outdoor furniture are good bets as well. August is also the time of year to buy carpet. While not always the lowest price deals, if you are a gardener, August is the time to begin planning and ordering online or by mail your bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, etc.) for autumn planting.

Linens & Towels – Older kids going off to college means sales on twin and full sized bedding as well as linens in bright colors geared towards the younger age group.

Summer Clothing – Check the clearance racks for great markdowns on shorts, tank tops, sundresses and other summer clothing. Don’t forget to check the clearance racks for sunglasses, summer hats and sandals and flip flops as well.

Sunscreen & Insect repellent – You are supposed to wear sunscreen year round however in some parts of the country sunscreen can be hard to find in the winter and when you can find it, it is at full price. So watch for sunscreen to go on clearance as well at this time of year and stock up to last till next season. Watch the expiration dates however, although, most sunscreen has a 1 year expiration date so you should be OK.

Toys – Summer toys such as water guns, bubbles, kiddie pools, pool inflatable’s and other outdoor toys that have not been sold yet will be marked down heavily. Watch for 50-70% off sale prices as retailers try to move stock.