What to Buy in October and Save

So September has the benefit of Labor Day sales, right? And of course, what would summertime be without July 4 promotions?

And August is all about Back to School sales with just about every retailer pushing for more pencils, pens, backpacks and supplies.

But October is a unique month from a sales and saving money perspective in that you don’t have any grand sales on the horizon (sorry Halloween doesn’t cut it), and you’re still a few months away from the holidays.

Sure Columbus Day is going to have retailers putting out sales, but does it really have the pop that its predecessors did earlier in the year? And that sort of leaves October as a month that really doesn’t jump off the pages for retailers and consumers alike, unless of course you’re looking the right places and focusing on the more appropriate products that are discounted in this month.

For consumers, October is more about recovering financially from how much you spent on Back to School shopping but also in full-blown savings mode as the holidays approach.

The average consumers spends quite a bit on Back to School shopping, making it the second most profitable sales time of the year (second only to the holidays) to the surprise of most, with a sales figure of about $500 per household on the kids heading back to class.^[1]

The holidays certainly give consumers financial concern, too, with the average nearing $1,000 per year, per household on holiday expenses and gifts.^[2]

October finds itself in the proverbial “no-man’s land” simply due to the volume of people who plan to shop in November on Thanksgiving weekend and continue throughout the holiday season.

The National Retail Federation forecast from last year’s holiday shopping showed sales up in 2017 versus the previous year at 5.5 percent of an increase, along with nearly 700 billion dollars spent and 70 percent of the population shopping on Thanksgiving weekend.^[3]

But as much as the holidays are foreshadowing spending on the horizon, October boasts some serious shopping pluses as well.

Of course, Halloween spending is something you have to consider.

Halloween, the celebratory holiday that it is, will have consumers spending 9 billion dollars in 2018 for this season at roughly $86 per person, a slight increase with nearly 180 million Americans planning to do something, Halloween-wise.^[4]

But beyond just the cardboard ghosts and eerie, fake cobwebs and candy, you have to look at doing some of your holiday shopping in October, for instance, if some retailers and certain products are more lucrative now rather than waiting.

You also have to consider things like the season, time of year and the transition between summer, warmer temperatures and Fall, when the leaves aren’t the only things changing. The cooler weather means that most have already packed up their pools, outdoor furniture and are saying so long to tank tops and short.

But doing so and the change in weather means that those types of summer-related products are a hot buy for most consumers given that retailers are ready to ship out what’s left of summertime clothing or outdoor furniture, for example, to continue to make room for Christmas trees and long-sleeved, winter clothing.

That’s when it would make sense to buy out the clearance items as just one instance of how October is, truthfully, a transitional month between big-time summer sales like the 4th of July and Labor Day and the holiday shopping frenzy, but still boasts buys that you can’t look past, even if you’re mindset is to start saving money for the holidays now, and curb spending.

That idea is fine, but you might want to consider these products before putting a complete and total halt on all the spending within the entire household.

Here’s what you should be considering and buying in October:

Summertime Clothing: Last-minute, end of season deals run rampant, specially denim

Summer clothing usually gets a shorter shelf life at retailers around the August time frame, although the real deals and discounts pick up in September and October.

Most clothing that would be considered suitable for warmer temperatures sees discounts in the neighborhood of 50 percent off, as a minimum.^[5]

Macy’s, JC Penny, Gap and other retailers that do more than just dabble in clothing sales are ready to take final stock and clear out their summer clothing.

JC Penny, for example, has a “Final Take” clearance that they’re offering with up to 80 percent off a variety of clothing for men, women and children.^[6]

You also have to pay particular attention to jeans, regardless of the retailer, mostly due to a propensity of the masses to give major savings on all things denim.

Retailers typically run sales in the neighborhood of 40 percent off.^[7]

Some retailers also offer a buy one, get one 50 percent off special, a sale that is considerable and common among the likes of American Eagle and Abercrombie, among others.

Last year, brands like Lucky had the same 40 to 50 percent off discount on jeans, and Levi’s had certain styles available for $20, with discounts at Old Navy and Gap also among the more lucrative.^[8]

Old Navy, Macy’s and Kohl’s, along with Target, as far as summertime clothing in general has deals as much as 70 to 80 percent off retail.^[9]

Indoor and outdoor for the home: Pool supplies, furniture, mattresses highlight this list

The colder temperatures not only affect the sticker price of clothing but also all things inside and outside of your home.

Patio furniture, pool supplies and even inside the home in the form of home goods, end tables and furniture as well typically see a spike in sale prices.

While some wait for Columbus Day to bring out the big guns (more on that in a minute), you still can start saving right away versus waiting another week.

Target is offering 25 percent off home goods at this moment.^[10]

JC Penny is taking up to 50 percent off on anything and everything home related, with deals on bedding, furniture, mattresses and bath supplies.^[11]

Last year October sales saw an uptick in discounts on all things outdoors from grills and garden supplies to patio furniture. Patio furniture especially has huge markdowns in October as showrooms make way for Christmas trees and decor.

Patio furniture can see a reduction price anywhere from 50 to as much as 80 percent off.^[12]

Appliances and mattresses are debatable as October buys, as some suggest waiting on the former for more of a Black Friday purchase, while mattresses are usually a August or September buy.

That said, you still can find quite a bit in the way of appliance and mattresses sales in October and on Columbus Day sales, too.

The suggestion on appliances in October makes perfect sense when you consider new models start hitting the floor in October in preparation for sales in November and December, so older models are discounted significantly.^[13]

Columbus Day: Don’t forget about this quiet, little gem

Sometimes, as mentioned, when Columbus Day is sandwiched between Labor Day and the holidays, you tend to forget about the deals on this day. This year, Columbus Day is Monday, October 8, so you can expect retailers to hit the consumer hard with deals (in a good way, of course) with deals over that weekend, starting as early as Friday, October 7.

Typically, Columbus Day sales see a spike in sale prices on appliances, mattresses and other larger-ticket items as an extension of deals offered on Labor Day sales.

The continuance leads to discounts anywhere from 40 percent off appliances at the likes of Sears or 50 percent off on mattresses at Sleepy’s, which was the case only two seasons ago, not to mention discounts on clothing as well.^[14]

Home decor, furniture and other items for remodeling or giving a fresh look to your house are popular for Columbus Day sales, too.

Tools, hardware also top the list of wants for this upcoming sale.

Roughly 30 percent of all Columbus Day deals fell into the “home and garden” subtext last year, with specifics on 20 to 70 percent off at Macy’s and Overstock on home items at 20 percent off last year for the former, and up to 70 percent off at the latter on furniture, rugs and bedding.^[15]

Ashley Furniture has already posted sales for its line of furniture at its “Home store” with dining room tables, end tables, and sofas and love seats marked down considerably, most of which have at least $50 to $100 off each item.^[16]

And don’t forget about these: Halloween Candy and last year’s smart phones

OK, so maybe Halloween candy and costumes feels more like a pricier purchase in October, but if you start buying candy and costumes the moment Halloween has come and gone or even a few days before the holiday itself, you can save in upwards of 70 percent on both Halloween related categories.

In 2017, consumers were expected to spend 2.7 billion on decorations for Halloween, and another 2.7 billion on candy on top of the 3.4 billion on costumes.^[17]

Stores like Halloween Express, Spirit Halloween and Halloween City boasted big-time sales last year during Halloween to the tune of 20 percent off, $5 off of $30 purchase and $10 off $24 costumes.^[18]

As far as the smart phones go, you’ll undoubtedly hear that buying a brand new smart phone or iPhone in October is just plain silly, but this is more about the fact that the new smart phones start hitting the ground running in September and October and thus you’d be wise to focus on last year’s model at a much greater rate of discount.

End of summer sales take place typically in September and October, so last-minute discounts on outdoor furniture, summer clothing, jeans and even Columbus Day sales.

The Columbus Day sales aren’t as marketed and promoted quite as much as the Black Friday, Cyber Monday and holiday madness is about to be, but you can’t discount the propensity of consumers to want to start their shopping early and avoid the equal madness that is Black Friday, shopping in public and worrying about excessive lines, crowds and other concerns they’ll have.

Roughly 36 percent of the population plans to and wants to start holiday shopping earlier than November, Thanksgiving specifically, and that means October and those subsequent Columbus Day sales might just be the ticket to saving and avoidance, as far as the holiday craziness is concerned.^[19]

In addition to the aforementioned products, Columbus Day sales also have discounts on appliances at the like of Lowe’s and Home Depot, along with savings on other bigger-ticket items like mattresses and tools, for example.

Sounds like the perfect way to grab a few early gifts for mom, dad, in-laws or anyone on your gift-giving list.

So as much as October might seem like the forgotten month, you’d be hard pressed to tell anyone who shops in it that these deals aren’t just as lucrative and savings-oriented than what’s on the horizon.