Spring is (hopefully) at our doorstep, and even if you're planning to stay glued to the couch for all of March Madness, you'll also likely be doing a bit of spring shopping. To help you save big, we've mined the extensive DealNews archives for sales, coupons, daily deals, and individual products from the past few years to guide you in your quest to make the most savvy purchases this month. From chocolates to iPads, here are the best and worst things to buy in March.
Peruse the advice, then consider signing up for the DealNews Select Newsletter to get the best deals of the day delivered to your inbox.
Treat Yourself to Chocolate
Did you not get the sweets you hoped for on Valentine's Day? Well luckily you can peruse high-end chocolate shops for any lingering V-day treats. As always after a holiday, themed sweets go on sale at any store with overstock.
Related: Big Bucks Spent on Organic Chocolate - Worth It?
This month, look for treats that haven't been gobbled up and you'll find discounts of up to 50% off at places like Godiva. (Although so far, the brand has only slashed up to 40% off.) Also check the gift section of department stores for other decadent ways to treat yourself on a budget.
Skip the Lingerie
You may think that immediately after the most romantic day of the year, you'd see huge discounts on lingerie. But, although we do indeed see some price cuts, it's not really thebest time to buy underthings. Instead, wait for June and July; that's when Victoria's Secret unveils its famed Semi-Annual Sale, and last year around the same time, we also saw excellent markdowns from a plethora of other retailers like Frederick's of Hollywood, Maidenform, and Bare Necessities.
It Might Be Time to Cut Your Cable
Cable cutting has long been a hot topic amongst those who want to save on their monthly bills, but we've seen a lot of movement lately that makes it all the more doable. Sling TV just launched its live TV Internet service that includes ESPN, ESPN 2, HGTV, and 17 other channels for $20 a month. (More channels are available at an additional cost.)
Related: 4 Reasons You Won't Really Cut the Cable Cord (Yet)
Plus, Hulu added a major player to its rank of programming; starting in April, it'll be the only subscription video-on-demand service to have all 14 seasons of CSI, as well as new episodes as they air. Even if you're not ready to cancel cable entirely, it's become a lot easier to negotiate a cheaper price, as providers are keen on doing whatever they can to keep your business.
Hold Off on Buying Spring Apparel
It's common knowledge that the best time to buy current season apparel is well after said season has begun. That's why cold weather apparel is still such a hot buy right now. But how long until you can don the fashionable and cheap short sleeves, shorts, and flirty dresses which have started to filter into stores? A good rule of thumb is to wait at least two to three months into a season in order to score the best discounts on weather-appropriate apparel.
In the meantime, if you simply must buy something new for spring now, keep an eye out for coupon codes that offer nominal discounts on whatever must-have full price apparel catches your eye.
Save on Last Year's Phones, Wait for Discounts on New Models
Mobile World Congress is this month, and many new cell phone models will debut. That means a slew of 2014 models will soon become previous-generation, and will thus see discounts both on and off-contract. Keep in mind however that some of the biggest Android models, like the presumed update to the Samsung Galaxy S5, probably won't arrive until later this spring.
Related: The 20 Craziest Things Ever Sold at Auction
Plus, despite the discounts on older models, it rarely takes long for new phones to see deals, and if you find a new device that strikes your fancy, waiting just a few months should yield a 50% off discount. So if you're not in a hurry, waiting a few more months to buy a new smartphone might be wise.
Get More Free Shipping at Amazon
In the past, Amazon would offer free shipping on all orders that consisted of $35 or more of Amazon-sold goods; items sold by marketplace vendors at Amazon didn't count. However, now items sold by third-party merchants that are listed as having free shipping can contribute to your minimum purchase. (Click here for more details.) Some experts believe this change may actually encourage marketplace vendors to offer free shipping on their wares, resulting in fewer shipping fees across the board.
Keep an Eye Out for Awesome iPad Deals
Last month, Apple revealed that sales of its iPad have been relatively lackluster, which is good news for customers. We took a look at our deals and noticed that 2014 saw a 40% increase in iPad deals, compared to 2013. This suggests that retailers are trying to make the iPad a more tempting purchase, and while this trend isn't exclusive to just March, we expect deals to get even better as we get closer to the September / October time frame, when the next generation will be announced.
Related: Supermarket Gourmet Meals Click with Working Women
Get $120 Off Your Yearly Verizon Bill
Verizon changed its data plans, making 1GB, 2GB, 3GB, and 4GB options $10 cheaper per month. However, if you're part of one of these tiers, you won't get this discount automatically; instead, you'll just get your data bumped for the same price. But if you're happy with, say, 1GB of data, and don't need 2GB per month, you can call Verizon and ask for the cheaper rate instead. That might only be $10 per month, but it translates into $120 in savings across the entire year.
42" and 55" LCD TVs Offer the Best Value
We're hitting a dry season for TV deals, but not all hope is lost for consumers in the need of a new flat-screen. Deals on name-brand 42" LCDs remain at $300, which is the second-cheapest price we've seen for this category in the past year. If you're on a particularly tight budget, the best deals on off-brand sets of the same size have averaged $237 in the past two months.
If you have the space and budget for a larger set, name-brand 55" LCDs are again providing the best value in the 55"+ TV size range. The best deals on these LCDs have averaged $500 since the start of the year. Compared to 2014, that's the second best price we've seen for these TVs. The sheer quantity of 55" TV deals also dwarfs deals on all other screen sizes with over 10x more deals than smaller TV screen sizes. However, off-brand 55" LCDs have fluctuated in deal price from $250 to $443. To maximize savings, we'd recommend looking for deals closer to the $250 mark. Before you buy anything though, be sure to check out our guide to the biggest myths about buying a TV.
1080p Laptop Deals Hit Their Stride as New Intel CPUs Enter Market
Intel's fifth generation processor, codenamed Broadwell, is finally hitting the market with full force. And understandably, the first deals we've seen on mainstream, 15" Core i5 configurations with this CPU (which uses less power) have been relatively pricey, with deals averaging around $608.
For a better value, we recommend looking at deals on last year's Haswell-based machines, which are just as fast. Mainstream 15" machines in particular continue to enjoy good prices, with deal prices averaging $375 since the start of the year. If you see a deal at or near that price range, we recommend acting quickly on it.
Finally, last month we noticed a steep price drop on 15" laptops with high-resolution 1080p screens. Prices hit $335, a first for these premium laptops. While it's unlikely that March will bring alower price, consumers should remain vigilant because last month's deal could be a sign that retailers are targeting 1080p laptops for discounts. Excluding last month's low, the best deals for these laptops have averaged $432 in 2015.
This article originally appeared in DealNews.
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