What to Buy In December

Is your credit card fresh as a daisy or worn out after this past weekend with Black Friday and Cyber Monday?

Unlike May and June (wedding and graduation season), you can’t avoid buying stuff in December. There’s always some gift exchange or a deal you can not resist.

So what’s the best way to get more for your money? Read on!

If you’re buying toys, wait until closer to the middle of the month, but not much later. Prices will slowly decline until it reaches a point midway and then it will go up sharply. Retailers believe that if you’re searching for toys close to Christmas, you’re desperate and will pay a premium (and they may be right…)

Look for gift card promotions. Companies like Target will offer gift cards with certain purchases. Other retailers offer gift cards with certain levels (In prior years, we saw Outback and Chili’s advertise that if you bought a gift card for $100, you’d get a bonus gift card worth $25). Some places like iTunes are offering discounted gift cards ($50 card for $40)

Many airlines recently increased their fees for checked baggage, so pack lightly if you’re traveling.

It’s still a good time to buy tools and hardware. Look for significant discounts on drills, wrenches, general tool sets, lawn-care items, and more.

It’s also a great time for kitchenware and small appliances. Check Amazon for lightening deals as well as major retailers.

If you can stand the wait, many places start discounting fresh Christmas trees after the 20th of December. To get the best deal on Christmas decorations, though, you’ll have to wait until December 26th.

What to wait on? Calendars, electronics and jewelry. The Consumer Electronics Show in January is the official launch for many 2015 models, which means that all the goods from 2014 will begin to see a round of discounts. Waiting to buy a calendar is dicey if you really use your calendars, but if you wait until the end of January, you’ll get it for a lot less. Also, beware of gym membership deals. There will be better ones in a few months.

The lowest prices for televisions tend to be around the SuperBowl followed by Black Friday. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some really good deals out there now. Many retailers are pushing the plasma televisions since they’ve been end of life’d. Smart HDTVs are also seeing a big push.

Premium laptops will also be on sale this month. Budget and ultraportable were their cheapest last month.

Lifehacker is suggesting that now is the best time to sign up for golf clubs, have a pool installed, and stock up on champagne for that spring or summer wedding.

This is also a great time to buy wedding dresses and real estate, if you’re looking for a new home.

There are rumors abound that many retailers this Black Friday shopping season raised their prices, and then said that the sale price was half off. If the widget normally sold for $25, and they raised the price to $50 and gave you 50% off, you’d not be getting a bargain, now would you. And if you stayed out late, you’d have missed out on important things like sleep.

Thankfully for you, we’re looking out for tools that will help you save money. Here’s an article from CNET on 20+ tools for price watching. It includes a few for Amazon, one specifically for clothes, and others that send alerts when a price drops.

Who do you still have to buy presents for?