Best and Worst Things to Buy in June

This post comes from Lindsay Sakraida and Louis Ramirez at Dealnews.

June is the month with the longest daylight hours of the year, which for the deal hunter means that you have even more time to shop. But before you let the increasingly warm weather convince you to buy less-than-stellar deals, check out our latest buying guide.

We searched through our extensive archives of sales, promotions, coupons and daily deals to sort the fact from fiction when it comes to getting the best deals in June.

Ladies love cool lingerie (deals)

It’s usually this month that Victoria’s Secret unveils its famed Semi-Annual Sale, and last year we saw prices as low as $4 for panties and $15 for bras. Moreover, we saw excellent lingerie deals in June from Frederick’s of Hollywood, Maidenform, Freshpair, and Bare Necessities, the latter of which had its own Semi-Annual Sale.

That said, while summer deals entailed steep discounts last year, they paled in comparison with the October-to-December time frame. Many of these retailers pull out a greater number of Editors’ Choice deals for the holiday stretch.

Beef prices are on the rise

Unfortunately for anyone getting ready for a season of grilling, beef prices have risen to unprecedented highs. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Retail beef prices are widely expected to set new records in coming weeks after wholesale prices hit an all-time peak this past week.” The increases are due to years of drought that have thinned cattle herds, a problem that can’t be easily reversed. Maybe take this opportunity to throw leaner foods like chicken and (gasp!) veggie burgers on that gas or charcoal grill.

Grill deals will spark in July

Of course, we can’t mention grilling without pointing out that deals on grills themselves will be less than thrilling in June. You’ll get a better discount if you wait for July Fourth promotions. According to our deals from last year, you could save $200 or more on a mid- to high-end grill if you wait until July.

Vacation in the Caribbean on a dime

Technically, June is considered to be the beginning of the Caribbean’s hurricane season. But, unlike the later months, it’s far less likely to experience tropical storms in June. Still, there is the chance of bad weather, which means vacation packages and cruises in the area are much cheaper. If you’re willing to give it a try, look for last-minute Caribbean vacation deals for this month.

The month is front-loaded with tool deals

Naturally, there will be tool sales in June to entice shoppers to buy a turbo-charged something or other for dear old Dad on Father’s Day. In fact, about two-thirds of last year’s Editors’ Choice offers on tools in June came before the holiday. But if you’re looking to buy something substantial, and there’s no Father’s Day deadline, consider waiting until late October or November, when the discounts are consistently deeper.

Hold off on Apple purchases

Apple will be holding its annual developers conference in June and, while CEO Tim Cook has hinted that new hardware won’t come until the fall, one thing is certain: You’ll be kicking yourself if you buy a new iPhone or MacBook if these items get refreshed this month.

If that happens, we’ll see price cuts on previous-generation models, both new units (at resellers like MacMall) and refurbished devices (from Apple directly). If Apple only unveils iOS 7 at the conference, then go ahead and buy the Cupertino device of your dreams — unless you want to wait another few months.

Mmmmm, doughnuts

Write this down now: June 7 is National Doughnut Day, and stores that sell the delicious food will be doling out freebies all day. In fact, the big three — Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Tim Horton’s — all offered a free doughnut last year. (Only Krispy Kreme did so with no purchase necessary.) The offers will likely be valid for one day only, but see if you can hit up all three.

Score some freebies for your summer trips to the cinema

While you’ll find movie promotions year-round, summer is when the blockbusters fill the theaters, which in turn means bigger-budget marketing campaigns. (You’re also more likely to camp out in movie theaters to escape the heat, so you’ll have more opportunities to take advantage of the promotions.)

Look for freebies when you purchase tickets online, like a discounted second ticket or a download with your order. (Last month, Fandango offered a free digital copy of the first J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie when you purchased a ticket to see “Into Darkness.”)

Also be on the lookout for free preview screenings. It’s an easy way to drum up hype for movies that likely won’t review well in traditional media.

Back-to-school laptop sales make an early appearance

Although school is the last thing on anyone’s mind, June is typically the start of back-to-school laptop sales, which will frequently bundle a mainstream laptop with a printer, gaming console, or gift card. These deals offer a better value proposition than a traditional laptop-only deal.

While you may see better bundles in July and August, June may still see steep discounts because this month Intel is slated to announce its new Haswell chips, which will result in solid discounts on previous-generation Ivy Bridge systems this month.

As far as pricing goes, May saw very good deals on 15-inch Core i5 Ivy Bridge laptops with prices as low as $350. (These configurations had fallen to as low as $299 in March.) Core i3 Ivy Bridge systems meanwhile haven’t seen great deals of late, so we recommend opting for their more capable i5 counterparts. And if you want a Haswell-based laptop, we recommend waiting a few months when the initial deals start to creep in — and when back-to-school sales are in full swing.

Early discounts on 2013 HDTVs lead to bigger cuts on 2012 3-D sets

Although they’re new to the scene, we’ve seen a good amount of deals on 2013 HDTVs, including discounts on LG’s entire A6200 series of passive 3-D LCD sets. However, keep in mind that these models will only get cheaper as the year progresses.

So to maximize your TV savings, we recommend looking at 2012’s 55-inch 3-D LCD HDTVs, which for the second consecutive month have hit new lows. Name-brand 55-inch 3-D models came in at $720 last month, while off-brand sets are now starting at $500. That’s the lowest base price we’ve seen for both categories.

If you don’t have the room for a big-screen HDTV, your next best bet is to look for deals on 46- or 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTVs. Off-brand 46-inch sets are at an all-time low of $329, while brand-name 46-inch models have been holding steady at $500 for the past two months.