What to Buy in April and Save

When you think about the arrival of Spring, and the month of April what comes to mind? Rain, maybe.

Birds chirping.

Warmer weather on the horizon, perhaps.

Spring has sprung, and with that comes even more need to invest in what you'll need for anything from home projects to cleaning (you all remember how much you love spring cleaning, right?)

All of those things sound very much like Spring, but what about the monthly of April as it relates to your shopping and buying experiences?

Have you decided how to spend your money wisely by buying the products that are discounted the most in April? As much as the birds chirping and the sounds of Spring are upon us, those with an affinity to spend money in a way that saves in the process are thinking more about warm-weather projects in the yard, such as landscaping or figuring out patio furniture and seating for all those pending summertime barbecues on the horizon.

With that, April can’t be overlooked as a month where certain products, goods and services are marked down in order to garner the attention of you, the consumer.

The tricky part about April is that it often is lost in the sales and spending shuffle.

Consider that January has post-holiday sales, and February is all about Valentine’s Day, while March is about ridding the showroom of old items to make way for new.

So where exactly does April fit in? Well, a lot of what makes April a unique month for buying has to do with some runoff from the March mentality: out with the old and in with the new. That, and of course, the propensity of the general public to want to think warm thoughts and thus gear up for projects that take them from inside the house to the front and back yard and anywhere the sun is shining down upon them.

April has seen a spike in sales, with the most recent data the increase from 2016 to 2017 as reported.

There was a .4 percent increase from March to April in 2017, and a 4.5 percent increase from April of 2016.^[1]

What some would describe as modest is a win for not only buyers but retailers as well since April is that “limbo” month that is more of a bridge to summer than a month you’d assume would be rife with sales and deals where customers can save quite a bit.

But April is key, and sales forecasters will tell you the same thing, particularly if 2018 projections are accurate.

The projections for sales is good, with an increase of between 3.8 and 4.4 percent from 2017 versus this year, not to mention the 10 to 12 percent growth with online sales.^[2]

When you look at the breakdown of what individuals are buying in April some of it, again, is an extension of March, and a lot of it is outdoor related, too. You also can’t discount the fact that much of the United States, in April, starts to venture out more, with better weather conditions, along with that warmer weather comes a need to update their wardrobe, for example.

The point is you can’t sleep in April when it comes to buying, because you might miss out on more than you’d expect from a month that might get lost for some but not those who understand just how important April is for more than just changing weather and, well, those “April showers.”

Here’s what you should be buying in April:

Building, outdoor materials: If you build it, do it in April

A funny thing happened in January of 2018: retail sales took a sharp turn downward.

Sales were down 0.3 percent in January 2018, a decline that mirrors the last great tumble in February 2017; January 2018 led the way with a 0.2 percent drop in buying cars, gas and building materials, just to name the top few.^[3]

The one that stands out for April versus January is the building materials piece, which should improve in the month of April as far as how much you’ll spend and the discounts being more geared toward saving money.

April typically is the month, as stated, where venturing outside for projects becomes a big part of everyone’s to-do list. Those “materials” can range from serious repairs such as new siding, doors, roofing and other major projects to simply spreading grass seed, buying new shrubs for that landscaping endeavor or power washing and spring “cleaning” for the entire house.

This is a two-fold savings plan for you.

For starters, you’ll see people start getting rid of things such as sofa, recliners, love seats and appliances, whether that means you can snatch them up on Craig’s List or a garage sale. That also means appliances can be majorly discounted as retailers, too.

This is again a practice that most retailers use when they have that constant flow of new products coming into the showroom.

Home Depot is offering 25 percent off special buy appliances, for example.^[4] The popular retail home improvement chain also isn’t shy about anything from gardening to gas grills as another point of interest in April for potential buyers.

Gardening tools, for example, typically see a 60 percent more deals and specials on these projects in 2017 from March to April.^[5] This would suggest that retailers understand just how important outdoor work is for the masses, and it’s important to jump on them the moment the weather shows even the slightest signs of increasing.

That said, April and May fight over this category, too. May also is a popular outdoor sales month, but the early bird gets the proverbial worm on this one so you’d be wise to strike now while the sales are at their best.

The National Retail Federation, as part of the growth for April, said 2017’s performance was driven by a rise in sales for anything and everything outdoor from a 0.6 increase in sporting goods to building materials being up a strong 1.2 percent.{https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/retail-sales-grew-03-percent-april">[6]

Tax Programs: Tax time is around corner, and now’s the time to strike

April 17 is this year’s tax deadline, and you have to understand that, despite online filing and everything else under the sun to make it easy to file on time, you’ll still have those who are going to wait until the very last minute to file with Uncle Sam.

But as much as you want to point the finger at these individuals and call them out as procrastinators, they might be on to something.

Last-minute tax deals on software and online filing perks are at a fever pitch with filing day less than two weeks away. The heavy hitters in this category, the like of Turbo Tax, H&R Block and TaxSlayer aren’t about to be outdone by the other, and they’ll be quick to try to get as much last-minute business as possible.

For instance, users can download the Turbo Tax software starting at $29.99 on your Mac through Amazon, and some offers also have a $20 off directly from Intuit.^[7]

TaxSlayer is another that touts online pricing for filing with the top price for its self-employed service a mere $47, the highest cost for any filing with them, and by far one of the better values for the money to file in general.^[8]

Some argue that tax software is best purchased in January, but who is honestly thinking about filing taxes that early.

On average, tax filing software is about $15 to $17 cheaper in and around tax time versus any other times in the year.^[9]

Also, as far as tax time goes, you might want to make sure you don’t overlook the plethora of tax day freebies offered through a variety of different avenues. Some places take tax time to a whole new level with giveaways and freebies just for visiting a store. Whether it’s a free massage or paper shredding (as offered by Office Depot with five pounds of free document shredding), these little free “perks” go a long way.^[10]

Spring clothing and cleaning: T-shirt, shorts, vacuums should be on short list of buys

The general rule of thumb on clothing is you’ll want to buy it during the off seasons, but try telling that to retailers that are all about pushing spring and summer clothes heavily in April.

Stores such as Gap and Saks Off 5th are expected to give customers discounts in the range of up to 80 percent off on spring merchandise.^[11]

This discount can be misleading so you have to tread lightly if you’re looking for spring attire. Plenty of late winter and long-sleeved clothing also can be discounted heavily to make room for spring and summer fashion, but retailers aren’t afraid to draw crowds by taking percentages off what people actually need in the warmer months, but those stores can be fewer and farther between.

Retailers that also specialize in athletic gear, including shorts, workout clothes and especially running shoes also are focused in on having a monster April from a sales side. You’ll see discounts from the likes of Finish Line, Dick’s Sporting Goods and others on athletic shoes in particular but any number of the aforementioned products.

As much as spring clothing is a hit in April, you can’t discount how important spring cleaning is. Mentioned previously was the masses making it a point to clear out everything they have in the way of furniture either to sell or for donations, but don’t overlook that spring cleaning season has arrived.

Roughly 40 percent of Americans start spring cleaning in April, and that means sales galore on vacuums and cleaning supplies.^[12]

It’s not difficult to see why April isn’t really on the retail radar as much as other, more profitable and popular months on the calendar.

There’s no Black Friday (November), no last-minute holiday deals (December) and certainly nothing that has to do with back to school shopping (August) or an extension of holiday sales (January).

Even though sales from December 2017 to January 2018 fell sharply, you can’t argue with the success of this past holiday season. December 2017 sales were up more than five percent versus the same time last year, further proof that December is one of those months with obvious, universal appeal to it.^[13]

But April has merit as a month to be reckoned with from a retail perspective.

From clothing to at-home projects at various do-it-yourself stores, April isn’t as forgettable as you’d like to think.

In fact, if you take a moment to pull yourself away from those flowers, sunshine (although that may be hard with so much winter weather behind you and so recent in your mind), birds chirping and become one with more than just Mother Nature, you may find more than just a few deals that bloom before your very eyes.

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