This fall, multiple appliances in my home announced they were done: A water line inside my washer broke, my dryer began requiring multiple cycles to dry a load, and my hair straightener stopped getting hot enough to do its job. <\/p>\n
The only silver lining? Solid holiday sales start in October and get really good in November. <\/p>\n
As a personal finance expert, I came up with a shopping strategy: I would select the appliances I wanted to buy before the October sales began, track the prices through Black Friday and buy as soon as those prices dipped to their lowest point. <\/p>\n
I estimate leveraging holiday sales<\/a> to buy my household necessities could save me several hundred dollars. <\/p>\n Samantha Gordon, the deals editor at Consumer Reports, confirmed the logic of my strategy. <\/p>\n \u201cMy biggest piece of advice for anybody is to never buy anything not on sale,\u201d she says. And in November, she adds, \u201cEverything goes on sale.\u201d<\/p>\n With some planning, you can leverage the season\u2019s discounts<\/a> for your own needs. <\/p>\n Make your list early<\/p>\n Research exactly which products you want before the sales start so you can make an informed decision when the discounts begin, Gordon says. <\/p>\n She suggests tracking prices now so you know what constitutes an actual discount versus simply an advertised sale. <\/p>\n \u201cYou want to know what the price is on an average day,\u201d Gordon says, adding that price-tracking tools<\/a>, such as Keepa, CamelCamelCamel.com and PayPal Honey, can help you. <\/p>\n Andrea Woroch, a money-saving expert who shares budgeting tips on her website, has been doing just that. Like me, she has a list of household products \u2014 including a vacuum and new fridge \u2014 that she hopes to buy during the holiday sales. <\/p>\n \u201cSet a sale alert for an item you want to track so you don\u2019t miss a limited-time, early deal,\u201d she suggests. Shopping apps like Karma and CamelCamelCamel will send a price drop alert right to your inbox. <\/p>\n If you plan to shop at a specific store, Woroch says to sign up for free loyalty programs. That may get you free shipping, rewards for purchases and extra coupons. <\/p>\n Consider everyday household items<\/p>\n Big-ticket items aren\u2019t the only things marked down this time of year. Everyday essentials, such as paper products and makeup, also go on sale.<\/p>\n Trae Bodge, a shopping expert at TrueTrae.com who is based in the New York area, takes advantage of those discounts. During the October sales, she bought brow gel, pretzels, a new fireplace screen and an inflatable travel mattress. <\/p>\n Bodge estimates she saved between 10% to 30% on each item, and stacked that savings with cash back through a browser extension. <\/p>\n Avoid frenzied buying<\/p>\n Of course, all these discounts can also translate into wayward buys. <\/p>\n While it can be a good idea to buy a discounted item for next year now, Woroch cautions against overspending. <\/p>\n \u201cJust make sure you can afford the purchase when you buy it. You don\u2019t want to add to your spending load so much that you can\u2019t pay off your card,\u201d she says, because that can lead to interest charges. <\/p>\n In some cases, 0% financing deals may also be available during sales events, allowing you to spread out payments without interest accruing, she adds. <\/p>\n The washer and dryer set will be my biggest purchase, which is why I\u2019ve taken time to plan for it. <\/p>\n Lock in seasonal savings<\/p>\n