Keep Your Refund Check and Don’t Buy These Things in April
Just because you got a tax return doesn’t mean you NEED to spend it…
Hang onto your hard-earned cash and don’t buy the following things in April (I’ll share when you should purchase those items instead). You can also check out retailer sales cycles to gauge the best purchase time for other popular product categories.
1. Bedding and linens
Looking for a spring refresh on your bedding? Hang onto your current set for now. You won’t see many deals on linens now, especially since bright colors and spring patterns are just hitting the market. Wait until the seasons change if you’re looking for a specific fabric theme, or hold off until January when White Sales are the most prominent.
Hip Tip: Keep more of your hard-earned cash with these easy ways to cut down on spending!
2. Summer essentials
Whether you’re gearing up for a warm-weather vacation 🏖 or prepping for summer, hold off on any summer buys, such as bathing suits for adults and kids, towels, and beach accessories. Work with what you’ve got until at least mid-July, and then you’ll start to see prices drop (like my hopes of fitting into last year’s bikini). Wait even longer to see the lowest clearance prices in September.
3. Garden tools
You’re probably itching to get outside and put your green thumb to work. Unfortunately, these products JUST hit shelves so there’s not a huge incentive for retailers to mark them down quite yet. Unless you find a specific gardening tool sale (check around Earth Day, April 22!), most will remain at retail price. If you can make do with your current landscaping tools through the season, you’ll see the most significant clearance savings around September.
Hip Tip: Take on a simple plant project without tools, like these super cute succulent teacups!
4. Grills
If you’ve got a new grill on your mind, talk yourself out of it for just a little bit longer. Sales on grills won’t start until peak grilling season has passed. Expect to start seeing some discounts beginning the 5th of July, with even bigger savings starting in September (specifically during Labor Day sales).
Hip Tip: Spice up your grilling menu with this tender and flavorful London broil recipe!
5. Tools
Spring cleaning and home improvement go hand in hand, but your current set of tools might not seem up to the task. If you can hold out, you’ll find discounted tool sets around Memorial Day and Father’s Day.
6. Laptop computers
Whether you’re looking for a gift for a soon-to-be graduate or to upgrade your own computer, you won’t get the best price buying in April. Wait to purchase in the summer when retailers are hosting back to school sales. Some promotions start as early as June!
Hip Tip: When you are ready to buy, get the right laptop for your lifestyle with help from CNET’s laptop buying guide.
Written by Emily for Hip2Save. Emily lives in Buffalo, NY where she spends her time drinking lots of coffee, scouring the internet for deals, and tackling DIY projects. She’s a big believer of self-care and living the fullest life possible, all while saving money of course.
Thank you for the heads up on buying computers! Need a new one but will wait a couple of months:)
Glad to help, Sandy!
Same goes for Washers & Dryers. Consumer Reports found they cycle to their lowest price between mid-Oct. and end of Nov. — Black Friday. The set we bought BF weekend is $500 higher on the Costco website now!
Great. Our washer is broken! :'(
We have to buy a new washer now! Would appreciate any recommendations of brands and where to buy! Thanks!
Faye,
I always go on Consumer Reports before buying a large appliance. Our large family needed a new front-loader about 6 weeks ago. This is one I found on CR, and I LOVE it so far: Maytag MHW3505FW1 Mine was on sale with Best Buy, and was around $700 (?) I think. GL!
Hands down there is only one good brand out there and it is Speed Queen. You will not regret it.
I second this-Speed Queen lasts forever!
I got my grandmas Speed Queen set when she passed away & I absolutely love it! I never thought I’d get so excited about a washer & dryer 😉
I third, fourth Speed Queen. There is no better machine out there. It is THE best period.
We have a whirlpool manufacturing plant in our town . And they have sales where employees can bring a friend or family member to their sales . So if you live in a town that has something like that , then that would be your cheapest way to get one . You will have to have cash . Be sure to ask your friends and family on FB you never know who might be able to help you get a deal . Good luck
We also got speed queen after a front loading LG that we hated. LOVE the speed queen
We love our speed queen too! You won’t regret it. Before buying ours, I did some math. The price of buying a front loader vs top loader and the savings in the city water/sewer bill; in the long run they will both cost about the same but the top loader cleans much better.
Definitely get the last Consumer Reports review of the appliances you need — you can find it at your local library, or buy it for just a few bucks online.
As a buying strategy when there aren’t good sales, here’s what I’d do: decide on the exact model number through CR, and then call the appliance dept. manager at ALL the big box stores AND your local-mom-and-pop appliance stores. Tell them all you plan to buy by the end of the week from whoever can get you the best price on that model, and invite them to give you a quote, including delivery and tax (“out the door”), to bid for your business. I always tell the mom-and-pop store that I’ll come back them right before I buy, and give them a chance to beat the big box stores — sometimes they’ll throw in free delivery, etc. Basically, you’re doing a reverse auction. They’ll all ask you to come into the store, decline! I tell them, “I’m sorry, but if you won’t give me a price over the phone, you cannot compete for my business, and I’ll buy elsewhere. I will come into the store only to complete the transaction with the store that wins my business.”
I bought a speed queen a year ago and i’m less than impressed. It cleans about the same as my 15 year old Maytag top loader. The delicate cycle is too harsh for my hand wash items. My Maytag had a hand wash cycle that was perfect. I think the rinse cycle is weak and I have to do extra rinses (more than before) just to get the clothes and towels clean. Still same measured amount of HE detergent.
I am shocked. I’ve owned my Speed Queen for years and it is the most wonderful machine out there. I have never heard of the rinse cycle being too weak on a Speed Queen. If anything, it would be the complete opposite problem. Is there possibly an issue with your machine? As far as the delicate cycle being too harsh, are you overfilling the machine, causing the clothes to rub against each other too much (piling)? Are you using laundry bags? Which model do you have and I can do some research?
When is the best time to buy a fridge?
Hi Yan, I would check around Memorial Day for large appliance sales. If you’re not in the market right away for one, you could also wait until Labor Day or even longer to see if Black Friday will yield some significant savings. Hope that helps!
Thanks, was thinking the same thing, looking for a convection range and french door fridge with water and ice maker. At Sears 2700 if purchased today, 700 for the range, 2000 for the fridge, and wayyyyyyyyyyy over my budget of 1500.
We purchased kitchen appliances for our new home last year in May. We found the best price on our fridge and microwave at Sears in early May and the dishwasher on the memorial day sale. Sadly we never found a great deal on the stove and bought that during the July 4th sale with accumulated points from the other purchases.
Bed bath and beyond is having a super sale on clearance bedding. I bought a twin blanket with extra 90% off, king bedding set 50% off. It is light weight for spring and summer, organic cotton king sized sheets 60% off. I’m not sure if all stores are having this sale but definitely worth a look. I was even able to use 20% coupons.
Thanks for the heads up!
This post is very helpful! I was thinking about a new laptop soon but I can wait!
I need bed sheets I will hav to wait.
Blinq.com – Collin posted about it.
Thank you.
Thxs! Unfortunately my employer has our employee sale ending tmrw & we get 40% off grills, lawn tools/items & so much more to get set for spring/summer sun! Love this time of year! Normally I’d wait but gotta take advantage of this quarterly sale!
That sounds awesome! There are definitely exceptions to the list when an opportunity like that presents itself. Enjoy shopping!
Have to disagree on the swimwear. If there is a suit you want, don’t wait. I have found that by June when you really need one the selection is very picked over and you can’t find your size. I was able to get my son Adidas swim trunks at Jcp today for 55% off for $22 He’s a super picky 15 yr old so I have learned to spend a little more on what he really wants rather than buy several cheaper items that he won’t wear.
Totally agree, Old Navy has some great deals on swimsuits too!
Completely agree on swimwear. I got a great deal this last week at Kohls, with 30% off and the current $10 off $50 kids (swimwear included), I got my son a very cute pair of Hurley trunks for $14.
Lands End sends out some 30% and 40% off codes in Spring — those are GREAT to use on very high quality swimwear. I bought a new-for-the-season suit last May at 40% off that way.
I find the best sales on sheets & other bedding to be in late July/August for back to school.
Thanks❣️🐇🌈
We have things we DO buy every year when we get our tax return. Chase and Discover have 5% cash back on gas station purchases for the first three months of the year, we buy enough gas station gift cards to max out the benefits. That is 5¢ back per DOLLAR not gallon spent soon gas. In April, May, and June they offer the 5% cash back at grocery stores, plus for Easter, Mother’s day, and Father’s day many grocery stores (Kroger, Giant Eagle, etc.) offer bonus gas points on gift cards. Guess what we buy? You got it, gift cards for gifts, restaurants, and places we usually shop. Automatic 5% back on everything, plus gas discounts! This is when we stock up on toilet paper, paper towels and other paper products too. We also stock up on household essentials, HBA, and medical and first aid supplies to last the year, sales willing of course. Luckily spring is a good time for cleaning product sales and though it may be controversial, we buy most of our medical and first aid supplies at Dollar Tree. I just find that it is great to have a years worth of supplies on hand so that we are not running to the store at 2 am because we need something NOW. These products usually have long enough expiration dates and after years of doing this I have a good idea how much we use in a year. Buying these things with tax return money lessens the strain on our monthly budget, and saves us money.
I SO appreciate the recommendations and advice for the washers. The comments are so helpful! A co-worker had highly recommended speed queen as well. It looks like they are around $800? Is there a certain place we should go to buy? THANKS hip2save for posting this and again thank you hip2save members. 😄
Maybe the best tip of all would be to put that tax return to work funding your Roth IRA (or regular IRA, if you don’t qualify for a Roth). Not sure what to do? Open an online brokerage account, and simply plow it into an S&P 500 index mutual fund or S&P 500 index ETF. You can buy small lots of shares of an index ETF even with just a few hundred dollars, and the transaction fee at a brokerage like First Trade is under $5. Then forget about it until you add to it next year.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people talk about getting their tax RETURN, but they really mean tax REFUND! Your tax RETURN is the forms that you file with the IRS and/or state governments, regardless of if you are paying in or getting a refund. If you get money back from the government, that is your REFUND.