Can you believe it? It’s almost the holidays again.
It’s a time of celebration—of deep meaning and family appreciation—a time when you scour obsessively for the best deals to avoid blowing your entire holiday budget on what Little Timmy asked from Santa. It’s become cultural dogma to rely on Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the most grandiose discounts, but you can spend the month of November finding equally fantastic offers, if you know where to find them.
Savings-conscious shoppers everywhere can count on stores to respond to the supply and demand of merchandise in November, implementing attractive deals all across the retail spectrum. As Halloween passes by and a new slew of festivities loom on the horizon, we’ll be able to find the absolute best prices of the year on the following items:
Candy
Candy retailers will see a significant drop in sales due to fleeting clientele post-Halloween. After the 31st, stores with sweets will offer fantastic deals on candy left over. What the kids didn’t take is yours to enjoy. Finally, you can fill your belly guilt-free; well, at least when it comes to the prices. November is also the best time to buy Halloween-related supplies and costumes.
Dining Furniture
Anticipating holiday get-togethers, stores will try to grab your attention by offering deep discounts on dining room sets and other dining-related décor. Volumes of Editors’ Choice offerings will be on the front page of online retail stores. You might’ve heard January is the best time to buy dining room furniture due to the influx of new styles in February, but November is the best time to buy the highest quality décor for the lowest prices. You can expect to see fabulous deals from JCPenney, Sears, Overstock, Kohl’s, and Target.
Cookware
Ditto, as you prepare to woo the likes of judgmental in-laws for the big feast, stores will be offering monumental deals on cookware. Autumn brings low prices on cookware in general, but November is known to produce sky-high discounts as the holiday season rears its head. Dinner hosts can rejoice in an extensive variety of sales on cutlery, bakeware, pots, pans, and other cookware items.
Wedding Items
Ever heard of a couple getting married during winter? It just doesn’t happen. November commences the hiatus of the wedding industry, which means it’s high time to buy wedding dresses, gowns, and other wedding items. If you plan on getting hitched in the near future—or even the distant future—be proactive and scour outstanding deals on oft-expensive wedding goods. Just don’t tell your boyfriend.
Electronics
Two words: Black Friday. Major consumer electronics stores will be accommodating hoards of deal-hungry shoppers, some opening at midnight as per recent years. Scores of retailers like Best Buy, Radio Shack, Tiger Direct, and Sharper Image will be vying for your patronage. Apple Store has consistently offered 5% to 10% off laptops, iPads with free shipping. Authorized retailers of Apple products, fortunately enough, have been known to feature even better deals than Apple Store. Expect MacMall, Amazon, and Best Buy to double the discounts.
Christmas Trees
The closer Christmas gets, the cheaper Christmas trees will be, as farms will want to push abject firs off the lot. If you’re looking for the freshest, best trees, you’ll want to hit the tree farm directly after Thanksgiving. Since typically families throw their free in the street, alley or dumpster after Christmas day, a month-long accompaniment of pine smell from late November to late December is your best bet. Further, farms will try to lure people in while malls and shopping centers get all the attention on Black Friday, resulting in lower prices.
These Foods
In-season produce: Cucumbers, dates, mushrooms, nuts, broccoli, apples, cauliflower, cranberries, greens, Brussels sprouts, leaf lettuce, cabbage, dates
Non-produce: cookies, crackers, candy, turkeys, baking items, Thanksgiving-related foods (i.e. gravy, broth, cornbread mixes, canned pumpkin, stuffing)