Christmas décor, HD televisions and even 4Ks, fitness equipment, winter apparel – these are all good January buys given they are merchandise that benefits from some of the deepest discounts on the market.
But since there’s a good-to and a bad-to for everything, there are some things simply not worth buying in the first month of the year.
Therefore, if you want to avoid making any bad investments from the get-go, here are the main things not to buy now.
Mattresses – A mattress might not be on your shopping list, but way ahead of spring cleaning many people reorganize their home and decide it’s time to give up on a thing or two.
Mattresses are usually something you keep for a longer time (a good mattress should last up to 10 years), but when the time comes for a replacement the first thing to consider is quality, then budget.
To get a good quality mattress that you can count on for years to come wait until February, around Presidents Day. That’s when the bigger mattresses sale occurs.
Fine jewelry – January still counts as part of the engagement season with many couples getting engaged between November and February, but buying fine jewelry in this department is best left for the festive season when the steeper discounts happen.
Because retailers have already offered their best prices before and during the holiday season, January usually sees prices for fine jewelry going back to usual which means engagement rings and wedding rings are priced regularly now.
If waiting until next December is too long a time, August and September are two other months to purchase discounted diamond rings at up to 30% less.
Small appliances – Although some discounts for small appliances do roll in the first few weeks of the year, if you really want to purchase something high quality but less pricey hold on to your budget until February.
Home goods are another popular category around President’s Day holiday and it’s in February when sale peaks for small appliances.
Toys – While most parents don’t usually buy toys so close after Christmas considering they’ve already shopped presents, there is some temptation as retailers that overstocked for the holidays will be selling off the merchandise cheaper.
But unless you’re stocking for future birthdays (by the way, a good idea to consider), you should keep the money in your pocket for January buys that save you big.
New Model Laptops – Unless your computer crashed and you’re in real need of a new one, you should wait on purchasing technology like PCs and laptops until later into the year.
Everything in this range is slowing down in the beginning of the year and although retailers might be trying to lure customers with a few price drops, it’s unlikely to be anything significant.
Luggage – If you tend to rush into new shopping whenever an item gets broken or lost and such is the case with your travelling luggage, then try to wait a little longer to replace it.
March is an excellent month for buying anything luggage related because it’s exactly the time after all the holidays travel and before summer kicking in, which means bigger price drops.