What to Buy in August

Summer is drawing to a close, and back-to-school season is in full swing! We’re going to see steep discounts on everything back-to-school related – from school supplies and fruit snacks to laptops and dorm gear.  Stock up now on great savings that will last you throughout the coming school year!

1. Back-to-School Everything

This goes without saying. Anything and everything related to kids returning to school will see big discounts in August. Be prepared to head out to a handful of different stores a few times throughout the month to take advantage of the best deals at each.

Pencils, pens, markers, crayons, erasers, notebooks, glue, scissors, staplers, binders, and backpacks.  It’s all going to go on sale at some point this month. Look for steep discounts on the essentials, such as crayons for as low as a quarter a box, pencils for a penny, or glue for less than ten cents. Check out the first page of your local sales circulars to find the best markdowns.

Office supply stores will run insanely good deals on printer paper this month.  Keep an eye out on Office Depot, Office Max, and Staples for great promotions on this office essential, as well as rebates that can be submitted to lower your cost on a ream of printer paper from a few dollars to nearly free.

Disinfecting wipes and sprays are one of the items for which we don’t see overly frequent markdowns; however, August is a time when we absolutely will see sales on these items. Manufacturers also roll out coupons for these items at this time each year, which means that now is going to be the best time to stock up on this household and classroom essential for the rest of the year.

Although it is not the absolute best time of year to buy a laptop (we usually see the best deals around the holidays and shortly thereafter), back-to-school season is the second best time to buy a laptop if you need one. The big box stores, online retails like Amazon and B&H Photo, as well as the brands themselves like Dell and HP, will offer decent savings on laptops, usually round 10% and sometimes even more.

Back-to-school season includes deals for those older college kids, too! Dorm essentials such as bedding and storage bins will see discounts around this time of year. We will also see limited-time promotions for things like microwaves and mini fridges.

Back-to-school savings can be found at the grocery store, too! Stock up on nonperishable lunchbox staples like granola bars, fruit snacks, and crackers.  Supermarkets will run great sales on these items this month, which can oftentimes be stacked with a manufacturer’s coupon to bring the price of a box of your favorite snacks to around a dollar or less!

2. Summer Apparel

As summer draws to a close, warm weather clothing like shorts, tank tops, and sandals will start to get marked down to make room for fall and winter apparel. 

Most major retailers – from Walmart to Kohl’s to Macy’s – will start to roll-out huge savings on summer clothing staples.  You can easily find flip flops, t-shirts, and shorts for under $5.  Name brand sneakers and sandals can be found for as low as $25. A great savings tip is to buy children’s clothing and shoes one size up when they hit these rock bottom prices, and tuck them away in storage to use next school season.

3. Seasonal Produce

The end of summer brings about great savings on seasonal produce, much of which is perfect for freezing. Corn on the cob can be found for as low as 20 cents/ear. Buy a few month’s worth of corn on the cob and freeze it for later!

August is going to be the best time of the entire year to find savings on just about every type of berry.  Stock up on raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries, and freeze them right along your corn on the cob!

4. Pool and Beach Gear

Save anywhere from 75-90% of summer outdoor must-haves as retailers try to move them off their shelves to make way for new seasonal merchandise and all those back-to-school supplies.

Swimsuits, beach towels, sunglasses, sunscreen, and pool toys will start to see massive markdowns in August.  Buy these things now to enjoy them for the rest of the summer, or store them away for next year.

5. Patio Furniture

Retailers will begin to markdown their excess patio furniture inventory starting in August, as well. Big box stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowe’s will start to discount their outdoor furniture sets, umbrellas, rugs, and firepits to move them out of the store, making room for holiday merchandise.  Expect to see savings up to 75% in some areas!

Check us out on KCTV’s Better Kansas City to see some of our best back-to-school savings tips!