Things to stock up during the summer?

Living in Canada has its perks. Its one of the few countries out there that actually has 4 distinct seasons. Although, we seem to have skipped spring this year completely, but that’s a different story for a different day. My absolute favorite time of the year is the summer; it brings a careless freedom that is only apparent when the weather is great.

Summer can be an expensive time of year – holidays, activities, and getting out and about while enjoying the weather can all add up – but it’s also a great time to make some savings. July sales are a great opportunity to buy clothes and other products for the coming year, and back-to-school sales are the best time of year to stock up on stationery and office supplies such as printer ink and paper.  These are a few things that are best to buy in the summer time:

Office and school supplies

Back-to-school sales are an important time of year for retailers, who often slash prices on educational and office supplies. You’ll find great deals on pads of paper, pens and pencils, printer ink and paper, and sometimes even craft supplies. If you have kids these sales are invaluable, but if you don’t have children it’s still a great time to stockpile enough printer ink for the coming year. HP printer ink is more expensive by volume than petrol, vodka and even penicillin, so any savings are welcome!


Interior Décor

Summer is a time for being outside, and most people focus on fixing up the outside of their homes; this means summer is a perfect time for buying interior home supplies like paint and carpet. It’s also a good time of year for furniture, since showrooms receive their new stock in August.

Smaller winter items are a great buy too – while the rest of the nation is buying full-price barbeques, scour the sales for blankets, insulating curtains, Christmas and Easter decorations, weather-proofing and more.

Clothes

July sales are the best time of year to buy cold-weather clothing. Shops roll out their leftover winter and spring stock, which may not be appealing while the sun is shining but once autumn comes, you’ll be glad you bought those gloves and boots at 70 per cent reduction! If you’re concerned about wearing last year’s styles, focus on timeless shapes in solid colours or classic prints like stripes.

Fitness

It’s been half a year since those pesky New Year resolutions, and most of the country’s workout clothes are languishing in the back of the closet. Gyms offer cut-rate memberships during the summer to draw everybody back, so dig out those old running shoes, buy some cut-price fitness equipment and hit the gym.

 

What do you stock up on during the summer?

 

This is a guest post.

24 Comments

    1. I just went a bit crazy at the local home decor store. Sooo many things on sale.

  1. I agree with Michelle: I hadn’t thought of interior items!

    I definitely stock up on jeans with the back to school sales.

    I also buy fruit when it is on sale and either freeze it up or I go crazy canning.

    1. This is when I buy gym equipment. Treadmills go on sale when ppl can run outside.

  2. This is a great idea. My wife is always convincing me to buy stuff out of season. We save tons of money by getting things that we will use in the future! We buy fall/winter clothing in the summer and stock up and freeze fruits and meats. We also pick up bday and Christmas gifts throughout the year so we’re done shopping for most people by the time the holidays arrive.

    1. We bought our patio furniture, and lawn mover in the fall last year and saved a ton.

  3. It is pretty smart to stock up on things during times of year when they go on clearance sales. You might not need that item for months yet, but the savings can be huge.

    As for printer ink cartridge, when I needed a new one last time, I checked out a smaller ink cartridge business. I think I paid $7 for him to refill my ink cartridge. That’s much more bearable than the price for a new cartridge. I don’t know if all ink cartridge companies offer this service though. This was kinda a shady business that was more of an upstairs office converted into a business.

    1. I love love love back to school shopping. I sometimes offer to take my godson so I have an excuse to get stuff.

  4. Buying clothes out of season is a nice idea to get them cheaper. I don’t usually stockpile anything, but maybe keeping around lots of ice cubes in the freezer would be convenient for many things in the summer.

    1. I’m actually jealous. Although I live behind a ski hill and I get to go board in the winter.

  5. I just recently started stocking up on fruit and veggies – it is a big money saver freezing them.

    I agree with Tammy and Michelle – I never knew about the interior decorating items going on sale during the summer months. I will definitely check that out soon! (Staying within my budget of course). 🙂

    1. Of course. I think the thinking is that most people are outdoors in the summer so things are cheaper.

  6. Condiments…Grilling season brings lots of good deals on ketchup and mustard.

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