What to Buy in May and Save

The month of May really is seen as the transition from Spring to summer with Memorial Day really the unofficial kickoff of warmer temperatures, pool parties, graduations and other summertime events you simply can’t get enough of from one weekend to the next.

But often overlooked in May, aside from Memorial Day sales rife with discounts, is the entirety of the month, and how much money you can save on certain products.

You’ll undoubtedly we waiting in the wings for the Memorial Day sales, and with good reason (more on that in a minute), but other products and services are just as negotiable and affordable throughout the entire month through those beloved, end of the month holiday sales.

Let’s also not forget about milestone in May: Mother’s Day.

Retailers are quick to discount plenty of gifts for mom, grandma or your significant other whose parentings needs more than just a little recognition on May 13.

So between Mother’s Day (May 13) and Memorial Day (May 28) and all days and weeks in between, before and after, May is absolutely a perfect time to start spending money and saving on a variety of items.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is expecting Mother’s Day alone to break all sorts of records in 2018, with an estimated 23.1 billion to be spent by 86 percent of the population, and an average of about $180 per person.^[1]

Memorial Day is right there with Mother’s Day in both hype and spending, with a lot of what defines the holiday centering on traveling to visit relatives and a lot more time spent on the open road.

As far as spending goes, the average is around $225 on Memorial Day, per a recent study.^[2]

That’s ahead of Mother’s Day, but between celebrating mom and weekend sales that are undoubtedly going to define May 25 through May 28 (a typical “weekend” as defined by retailer), you’re already looking at more than $500 in one month.

Consider too that about 41 percent of Americans take advantage of Memorial Day sales, so nearly half are on the prowl, and looking for the best deal possible.^[3]

That’s not even considering the travel involved with Memorial Day as well.

The average gas prices are at or above $3 per gallon, and car rental rates, for instance, are about 60 dollars per day for the holiday versus any other time of the year with approximately 40 million people traveling in 2017 and more this year.^[4]

As much as you love a good sale, want to lavish your mom, grandmother, sister or partner with a Mother’s Day gift, May isn’t just a superb time of the year to save but also one that needs a bit of patience and perseverance to know what to buy and how to avoid pitfalls and sales pitches that are going to leave you spending more than you’d like.

While some products soar with the eagles on Memorial Day for sales or brighten up mom’s day with your budget in mind, others are downright deplorable as far as wanting to steer clear of them due to how much they cost.

Here’s what you should be looking for this month:

Appliances: DIY retailers are better served to buy appliances not gardening products

Raise your hand if you need a new lawnmower, want to plant some perennials or undertake a project outdoors this spring/summer.

Almost everyone has their hand raised.

The majority of people wait and want the snow to melt, the weather to warm up so they can tackle everything else they didn’t get to last spring, outdoors wise.

This is a prime time to buy all the “Do it Yourself” products, or so you would think.

Well, not exactly.

Some believe that lawn care, landscaping, mulch, rocks, grills and other products that screen summer are best purchased in May.

Actually, stores like Lowes, Home Depot and Sears are going to serve you well in May but more so from an appliances standpoint, versus DIY projects.

Consider that refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers and washing machines and other appliances.

Last year saw, for instance, refrigerator sales deals that ranged anywhere from 22 percent off to 45 percent off between those three aforementioned retailers, along with an average of about 30 percent off washers and dryers (same retailers).^[5]

You can’t overlook, too, other players in the home appliance game including JC Penny, a relatively newcomer. They might not be able to compete in totality with pricing with the Home Depot or Lowes faithful, but they do offer shipping perks that you might want to consider.

Last year, JC Penny’s shipped for free with orders of $299, while Home Depot made you spend $395.^[6]

Perks like that might be worth a second look, particularly if an outfit like JC Penny’s can give you relatively the same product for less money and still knock out what would be a sizable shipping cost as well.

Memorial Day is always heavy on appliance and furniture ads as well, with 27 percent of the the retail marketing on appliances, kitchen goods and furniture in 2015, and more of the same in years afterward.^[7]

Spring Clothing: Sales are extraordinary all month as stores clean house for summer

If last year and previous years were any indicators, spring clothing is going to move like the proverbial hotcakes off the shelves and with good reason.

Between Memorial Day sales (common theme of May) and clothing retailers in general wanting make room for summertime apparel, you can find clothing at up to 90 percent off in some circles.

Last year, Old Navy, Vera Bradley, Hollister and Eddie Bauer among others had sales on spring clothing between 20 and 90 percent off, a huge markdown and all the more reason to buy clothing consistently in the “offseason” with even designers in the neighborhood of 30 to 65 percent off, too.^[8]

One element of the spring clothing and May Memorial Day sales in general you want to pay attention to is when the sales start. Sales occurring over Memorial Day weekend, starting on Thursday and culminating on Monday might get started sooner than you think as far as your favorite spring attire.

Clothing stores typically will start Memorial Day sales on spring stuff anywhere from 10 to 14 days prior to the actual Memorial Day sale itself. That plays into the notion that they’re quite serious about getting rid of spring clothing to make way for summer.^[9]

One retailer truly is a microcosm of what spring clothing sales look like online, and that is Forever 21.

You’ll see this with Forever 21, but also the like of Old Navy, too in that they’ll have a lot of 2-for sales that match products, shirts, etc. so you can buy in bulk and save.

The Forever 21 niche has quite the draw with anything from 2 for $20 to 2 for $6 or just a simple $10 section to save on spring clothing. That keeps the marketing simple, and who wants to resist the idea of getting two shirts or two of anything for only $6.^[10]

That sounds more like what you’d pay to have a lunch on the go, rather than adding to your already impressive wardrobe. Have to love May, am I right?

The idea behind spring sales is more about stocking up for less and saving as much as you can, without sacrificing quality and quantity with a purchase.

And don’t forget about your sneakers. April is a hot month to buy them because everyone is getting prepared to run and get moving outdoors.^[11]

But unseasonable winter like April weather in the north and northeast will undoubtedly be a huge precursor for sales to continue on footwear through May.

Car Leases: Memorial Day leases are always mighty even if this isn’t car buying season

Rumor has it, even though the end of the year has always been a traditional time to buy and save the most on cars (and it still is), you might be inclined to rethink leases and car buying in May.

Recent reports that Ford, for example, have suffered loses in 2018 and are ready to test the market on other incentives that could result in up to 30 percent off the sticker price.^[12]

This feels like an opportune time to buy.

Also, Memorial Day is always an intriguing and money-saving time for car leases, with dealerships in the Chevy, Ford, Dodge and really all brands always quick to roll out low-cost leasing in keeping with trends that start in April.

Last month, monthly leases on a variety of vehicles was in the sub-$200 range, with plenty in the $129 among (10 new types of cars and crossovers).^[13]

The trend for better lease and car prices for May are expected to continue.

Last year in May, the big winners as far as discount pricing goes were Chevy (the Malibu), Hyundai (Elantra) and the Acura (TLX) with the latter offering $9,000 in discounts, and the Malibu around 20 percent off discounted price.^[14]

Those numbers are significant in the sense that most brands and dealerships that are quick to discount in May or for Memorial Day will do the same in subsequent years.

Acura, Honda, Toyota, Chevy and Hyundai are always good places to start for the best discounts.

You could easily argue (and win) the point that May is about as fast-paced from a buying and sales side as November or December (the holidays), mostly due to two holidays that are defined by purchases and spending, too (Mother’s Day and Memorial Day).

Spending $500 in one month is the average for these two May holidays, but knowing what to buy is paramount to ensure you’re not tipping those sales scales out of your favor.

Memorial Day is defined by appliances and cars, typically, with low prices, leases and buys that are going to be some of the better dollar figures you’ll see during the course of the year.

As much as individuals want to believe they’ll save money on lawn equipment and all things outdoors, that is hardly the truth.

The key to saving money is knowing who wants to push merchandise out of need. Furniture stores, appliance vendors and dealerships are always moving goods out the door to make room for the old.

Consider that home improvement stores understand more than ever that May is the time of year when you come out of repair and remake hibernation and want to start cutting grass (more like have to), painting and doing some homemade landscaping work.

That’s why you’d want to avoid that, because the market is hot and heavy, and everyone is ready to buy. The same goes with steering clear of televisions and laptops; those are more deal heavy in November through January with 139 sales in 2017 on televisions alone.^[15]

Electronics are more of a back to school flavor, not so much Memorial Day although retailers will attempt to convince you otherwise.

As long as you stay on course with appliances, furniture, cars (mostly leases), mattresses and spring clothing, you’ll come out on top and with a little more than a few dollars left in your wallet once the dust settles and the smoke clears as May turns to June.