Spring Market Mesh: The Best Things to Buy in March

March is one of those months in the calendar that may tend to get overlooked. The avid shopper should be aware that March is a great time to save big on certain kinds of products and specific types of markets. There are plenty of deals beyond deals that pervade our society, but if you’re looking for a likely discount, these tips for the best things to buy in March will hopefully keep your wallet a little fuller.

Lingerie

Find lingerie that makes you move and doesn’t cost a lot. When you dress sexy, it is more likely that you tend to feel better about your daily activities. Ladies tend to have the bigger pleasure in shopping for undergarments than men. There is just more variety—colors, cuts, styles—and indulging in those purchases can be expensive. March is a great time to really dig into your wallet for this one.

Keep in mind that Victoria’s Secret and Frederick’s tend to have their semi-annual sales during the winter. From personal experiences shopping before, during, and after these sales, I have found the latter to be the best option. Sometimes you save big on 50% off bras during the semi-annual sales, but unless you get it early, patterns and styles run out fast, and then you end up buying lingerie you don’t need or want. Waiting those extra couple months allows you to reevaluate your purchasing impulses. Also, for those shoppers signed up on email lists, they’ll receive coupons that are equally decent in the long run.

A free panty with bra purchase, markdowns on already clearance items, and buy one get one half off deals go year round. THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO RUSH! The deals aren’t going anywhere. It is after those major clearances that the market wants to keep up with their customers, and they will do nearly anything to maintain that audience—anything, any deal.

Swimwear

Why do women seem to have most of the shopping fun? It’s really a matter of more deals prone and targeted to the female perspective. That’s all. Again, shopping Victoria’s Secret and other retailers like PacSun, Hollister, and the like for summer swimwear is the smartest idea around Spring.

Between January to March, swimwear tends to get drastically marked down. Around April-May prices go up or remain stagnant, and then of course after summer around late July prices reduce back around to what they were in the winter. It’s just a vicious cycle—so be a vicious shopper. Start browsing for what you need, not necessarily what you want, and then wait it out. You may want to even do your own price comparisons on your favorite swimwear stores.

Check clearance items that were likely put out on the market the prior season, then compare them to what is “new” and see if you can postpone buying those products for awhile. Companies like to run trials and errors, and when an item is not as successful as they hoped for, they are going to start testing the consumer’s bending point and see how high they can keep prices until an item sells. It’s a battle of patience—and remember, the consumer ALWAYS sets the price for the retailer. There can be no market without people setting a demand for a product or service.

Electronics

Outside of Black Friday, winter is probably one of the worst times to go electronics shopping. You’re going to want to wait for the spring—and the beginning of that ideal time is March. Best Buy has awesome deals in winter but with that shopping frenzy in December comes a lot more returns in January and February. Once the stores settle down, logic will suddenly reappear in consumer decisions. You can find great discounts on laptops, games, phones, and even music just by waiting until March. Just remember—if a price is marked up and goes on sale for half off, it could very well be the same price as a 20% discount that didn’t have the price raised. Watch carefully for what is called a “good deal” and what really is one.

Green Clothing

By shopping early March, literally the first week, you are sure to find discounts on tons of attire, and a season that leans towards green is sure to have plenty of variety to choose from. However, waiting the week of St. Patrick’s Day is bordering on a miss. The prices are going to go up, no matter what sale it says there is, and items are going to be harder to find with everyone shopping for quick finds on green clothing and accessories.

Target, Forever 21, and Old Navy are some of many great stores to shop for green without having to break the bank much. Another personal favorite of mine is Papaya on most days. Papaya usually has jackets for about $20, jeans for $10, and shirts and dresses less than $15, and from where I’ve shopped, much of the store is color-categorized, making it easy to shop for blues, pinks, and greens. You could probably find a green top anywhere on sale, whether it is the mall, outlet stores, street shops, or warehouses. Get creative when you shop this St. Patrick’s Day!

Housing

Apartments tend to have fewer vacancies during winter, and likewise, tend to have a huge turnover of available rentals during spring and summer. The same goes for houses. This is largely due to warm weather, college graduates moving out and about, and the job market seemingly becoming a bit more active and competitive.

March would be perfect for browsing around different locations of interest and doing a strategic price comparison of what you think you can afford and which renters and sellers are more flexible. Taking initiative now prepares you for that new place you want to move into months from now, and it also empowers you to be smart financially. Apartments.com has tons of listings throughout Southern California to give you a head start. It may also be a good time to take out a loan for a house or apartment early and talk to your bank to get a realistic perspective on what you can afford.

What is really interesting about these March finds is that they cover a wide range of different savings that you normally don’t mesh all together. Just consider the marketplace as a tool for you to use. Make it bend, not break your wallet, and teach yourself how to look out for savings that are more valuable when purchased in advanced. One of the biggest tips helpful to anyone trying to save money is wait. When you have that sudden impulse to shop, wait a day or two, reconsider, and then make your purchase a bit smarter. There is so much more going on in March than I at first considered, and these particular goods or services are more readily available to you during this month.