Buying Guide For Early July

Summer is finally here, and that means the 4th of July is right around the corner. The majority of households will spend somewhere around $70 on food for barbecues and family celebrations, totaling nearly $6.8 billion spent nationwide! However, many will open their wallets for the highly anticipated sales events taking place in stores and online.

Frugal shoppers will want to keep an eye out for special savings in the days leading up to and following the holiday. Usually 'in season' items are the first thing to stay away from when in search of savings. However, our research shows several 4th of July sales this year and those from the past, routinely include in demand Summer must-haves.

Act fast! Some of these smart buys will only last through early July; then it's back to off-season steals. We'll review some trends that also show what's best to avoid purchasing in July too.

Outdoor Entertainment

Everyone wants to be outside during the Summer months and that's why retailers will feature enticing opportunities to get you to buy their outdoor goods & furniture.

Crate & Barrel , for example, is hosting a huge deal from now through July 17th with 40% off outdoor entertainment items. Beautiful Melamime dining sets, wine glasses and serving bowls perfect for any patio or porch are available for $10 or more off the usual retail price.

For Patio furniture, it's not unusual to see places like Lowe's and Home Depot offer savings of 25% or more off of select outdoor furniture around the 4th. Most notable, however, Pier 1 is having a huge 4th of July outdoor sale this year. They are offering anywhere from 30-50% their patio furniture inventory. Beautiful porch swings at just $150-175, Echo Beach 3-piece sectionals up to 30% off, , and so much more.

If you've always wanted a fire pit, heading to Walmart may save you $80+ on one! They also show generous discounts on hammocks, lounge chairs and more.

...If you decide to wait...

Look out for great deals in August, toward the end of summer. Many retailers are looking to offload their unsold inventory. For example, Home Depot, Pier 1 and Lowe's all hosted huge 'End of Summer' sales events in 2015 where their patio furniture ranged from 40-70% off!

Camping Gear

The 2014 American Camper Report shows that over 40 million Americans went camping in 2013. That's 14% of the U.S. population of people over 6 years old! Clearly this is a popular pastime and with that will come great chances to save worth taking advantage of during big shopping events.

Before you hit the trails, visit REI to take advantage of their 50% off 4th of July sale for camping, cycling, clothing and more. Backpacks at 30% off, 50% off select camping chairs, even water bottles are 30-50% off!

Savings don't stop there. Head over to Cabela's for40% off Getaway Tents,, up to $30.00 off air mattresses, and even deals on cast iron campfirecooking ware!

Don't forget to drop by Dick's Sporting Goods this 4th of July! They have fantastic tent sales and clearance eventswhere you can save up to 70% off! Whether it be boats, footwear, or athletic apparel, every active shopper should take a look!

If you don't need it right away...

Picking up some 'in season' necessities due to immediate need is one thing, but if you're interested in saving the most money possible on camping gear don't buy in July. Wait for September, Black Friday or January for the best possible savings.

Home Appliances

With every holiday comes another chance to save some money on every day household appliances and 4th of July is no exception. This year, however, keep your eyes on Sears for some of the best deals, especially since they are going out of business.

There are several closeout sales on select Samsung Washer/Dryers as well as 40-50% offKenmore ovens, and $90-$120 off Bosch dishwashers.. Lowe's is also offering 40% off appliances with free delivery through July 12th, as is Home Depot.

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Don't worry there's more to come...

July is not the end all be all of opportunities to purchase home appliances. The honest truth? Every single holiday somebody is offering sales on dishwashers, washers, driers, ovens, refrigerators etc. It boils down to how badly you need it vs. the best price you can get it at and when.

If saving the most money possible is your ultimate goal, check out the deals in September and October.New models usually hit the shelves around then and retailers are desperate to get rid of the older inventory (except for refrigerators, aim for May).

Grills

It does seem counterintuitive to go purchase a grill at the beginning of summer, doesn't it? It's true- most grills will probably not be at their cheapest at the end of June, early July. However, for those who desperately need to replace or upgrade before the season kicks off be sure to take advantage of the discounts available during the 4th of July sales events. Waiting even a little too long could either leave you without a grill, or paying full price for one.

Save 15% on a Kamado Professional Ceramic Charcoal Grill at Home Depot, or go for the Dyna-Glo 2 burner propane gas/charcoal grill with 20% off.

Better yet, take advantage of some huge savings at Sears. You can get over $150 off a Kenmore 6 Burner stainless steel front gas grillwith storage! There are also some great savings on smokers and charcoal grills too.

Walmart is no stranger to seasonal sales- their inventory features a more accessible range of grilling options at discounted prices through July 4th too.

Get them while they're good!

...Don't accessorize just yet...

Places like Sur La Table cleared out their grilling accessories in 2015 for as much as 75% off each item! So while it may make sense to buy the grill in July- don't go all out on accessories until the end of the summer!

Swimwear

Another counterintuitive item to look for in early July? Swimsuits. This is one of those deals that won't last very long because retailers know people need bathing suits for Summer and they want to (and will) capitalize on it!

That said, keep an eye out on Macy's. Right now they have many one piece, bikini and maternity bathing suits on sale with $20+ off! They are marked as limited time specials so hopefully you'll get there as soon as possible.

Target is another great place to save right now on swimwear: they're running a Buy 1 get 1 50% off

promotion that is well worth taking advantage of.

As you probably expected, Kohl's is another place to expect to see discounts on swimwear around the 4th of July. You can expect to save as much as $40 per suit!

July really isn't the BEST time to buy though...

We're all for you saving money on things you really need, especially if your current bathing suit is not suitable (no pun intended) for the big party coming up. However, if you don't really need a bathing suit right now, wait until late August. Retailers will cut the prices significantly as the demand for swimwear declines for the year. The second best time to buy? May.

Christmas in July

Do you remember wishing you had planned ahead more this past Christmas when you pulled out your decorations and were less than impressed? Now is the time to search for the deals on essential christmas and holiday must-haves.

Save $145 on a pre-lit fiberoptic christmas tree at Walmart; it is usually sold for $224 and you can get it right now for $74! OverStock.com has $15+ savings on Holiday inflatables

and other winter decor. Wayfair also has a few contributions to cheaper Christmas decorations as well. All worth checking out if you refuse to pay top dollar this coming November/December!

July's Black Friday: Amazon Prime Day

Perhaps the most important piece of information I could offer you in this article is the fact that sometime in mid-July, probably around the 11th or 12th, Amazon will host it's annual Prime Day. In 2016, Amazon's Prime Day broke its own record of being the biggest online retailer event in history. This 'self created' holiday saw a 50% rise in sales from 2015 in the U.S., 60% worldwide.

Prime Day is sure to include an array of fast moving, hard to get sales but if you're quick and paying attention you could snag some impressive savings. The obvious and most anticipated sales each year are on electronics, but there are always great deals on athletic apparel and footwear( 60%+), generic clothing (30%), huge savings on Fisher Price toys (50%+) and so much more.

A little tip- many retailers start reducing their prices 48-72 hours leading up to Prime Day. You may be able to snag a great deal before the event even begins.

With success brings competition...

Other retailers don't like witnessing Amazon break records, understandably. Walmart, for example, is known for running their own little slew of promotions in July as a way of competing with Amazon. For one thing, you don't need a membership to take advantage of their opportunities to save unlike Amazon where you must be a Prime member.

Last year, Walmart offered great online deals all throughout July rather than just on one day. They also allowed consumers to take advantage of their ShippingPass service,free for 30 days (it usually costs $49). The removal of the $50 minimum to qualify for free shipping was another gesture that went over well with consumers.

There may be other online sites trying their mightiest to compete with Amazon Prime Day this year so keep your eyes and ears open!

Keep in mind...

If you happen to live in one of the states who participates in a 'Tax Free Weekend', hold off on your large purchases so you can save! Many retailers will hold special sales as a technique to get you into their stores during this event. Check to see when it's taking place in your state and plan accordingly!

What to avoid:

There may be exceptions but based on our research here are a few things you may want to hold off on purchasing this July:

DONT BUY 4K TVs

There will be enticing offers around 4th of july but right now 4k is starting to hit it's stride as being an accesible consume, product and Black Friday will be without a doubt the best time to take advantage of grabbing one.

Just look at Black Friday 2016 at Walmart: a 60" Samsung 4k UHD TV, which usually goes for $1000, was on sale at 30% off or $302 less! Sam's Club took $452 off a 60" Vizio 4k UHD TV! If you were to head over to Amazon right now for these same TV's you'd be lucky to get more than $100 off. Don't bother!

DONT BUY Laptops

You may see tempting sales encouraging you to spend money on a new laptop this July but our advice is to hold off. That 15-20% off deal you may see at Best Buy for a Dell XPS13 Laptop will not beat the 30% you may be able to snag in September as we saw last year for Back to School savings.

If you're in the market for a new computer be sure to mention you're a student. Apple and Microsoft are known for applying generous discounts at the end of the Summer toward students looking to upgrade gear for their studies.

DONT BUY School Supplies

By all rights you would assume the Summer is a perfect time to start buying back to school supplies, but you're wrong. Waiting until the first week of school will actually work to your benefit when it comes to discounts.

In 2016, there were some Fantastic deals on school supplies you can be sure will be back this year. For example, Pottery Barn was selling backpacks for just $30, and offered up to 40% on various supplies including free shipping! Wayfair hosted a sale that offered up to 70% off dorm furniture and decor.

Those who did their shopping at Target got a free gift card when they spent more than $30 on school supplies. They also took 30% off backpacks- so one that would have cost $60 in July was only $42 by September. Get the picture yet?

DONT BUY Summer clothes

This one should be more, obvious but it's worth stating. Don't head out to the mall and expect to find great low prices on your favorite shorts or tank tops. Wait it out til the end of Summer and you'll, be able to stock up for next year. You may even luck out and find items that will get you through the Fall too!

Besides, new Summer fashions usually show up around Christmas. The price should be around its lowest at that time, since the demand for warm weather clothing isn't as high as it is come June and July.

Keep reading with: Why These After Christmas Sale Items Can't be Ignored