What to buy in july.

Despite the fact that summer is less than half over in July, retailers are already setting their sights on the back-to-school rush. This, coupled with the 4th of July holiday, makes July a good shopping month for frugal consumers looking to snatch a deal on paint, suits, computers, swimwear, outdoor furniture, and more. July is also the height of the summer fruit and vegetable season. If you want to be really frugal and enjoy fresh produce for months to come, stock up now and freeze for later. Not sure how? Check out our Freezing Food to Save Money blog post.

Photo by sxc.hu/MarkHan

Furniture.

Come August, the second semi-annual wave of new furniture models will hit stores. To make room on the showroom floor, furniture retailers must rid themselves of current inventory. Look for big discounts on furniture this month.

Mattresses and Big Appliances.

Just like Memorial Day and Labor Day, the 4th of July holiday is a fine time to take home a cheap mattress. July is also ideal for appliance shopping; watch prices drop this month on refrigerators, microwaves, and stoves.

Jewelry.

December and February are half a year away and jewelers are experiencing the summer doldrums. Eager to draw in buyers, they're dropping prices or running sales.

Paint.

Who wants to paint in the heat of summer? Not many people, so home improvement stores regularly offer discounts on paint during July. Even if you don't want to paint now, take advantage of the specials and put the paint in storage for a while.

Suits.

Spring fashions are beginning to get stale in the month of July and suit retailers want to clear inventory to make way for fall fashions. Although what remains on the racks may not be the latest style, many suits are timeless and you'll find plenty of sale merchandise.

Photo by sxc.hu/alainap

Computers.

Computers and laptops typically go on sale in August for the back-to-school rush, but many retailers start offering discounts in July. Summer is a slow buying time for computers, so there are bound to be sales that are worth checking out.

Swimwear.

While the best sales on swimwear are yet to come, you'll start to see low-price offers heating up as retailers make way for back-to-school clothing.

Outdoor Furniture, Yard Decor and Grills.

Seasonal changeover also affects the market for outdoor furniture, yard decor, and grills. Once the 4th of July holiday has passed, retailers no longer want to hold outdoor inventory and deals will start popping up in anticipation of the fall onslaught of goods.

Foods in Season.

July is the middle of the prime growing season for many fruits and vegetables. Fruits to buy fresh this month include blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, apricots, plums, and kiwi. Vegetables that are ripe this month and therefore dirt cheap are corn, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, summer squash, and lettuce.