The Best Things to Buy in February — and Purchases to Wait On

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This post comes from partner site DealNews.com.

February can be a busy — and expensive — month. With the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day both falling in the first half of the month, it can be easy to drain your wallet before the midway mark, which usually brings a fair amount of Presidents Day sales. However, savvy shoppers know that the deals are there, and that they can save a significant amount if they know where to look.

Check out our list of the best and worst things to buy in February, which we gathered from our extensive archives — starting with the best deals for this month:

Discounted Valentine’s gifts

Shopping for Valentine’s Day isn’t always easy, and the fact that it comes on the heels of major gift-giving holidays can make the process even more difficult. Fortunately, you can snag traditional goodies at discounted prices if you know where to shop.

If you’re scrambling for ideas, check eBay, Groupon and StackSocial at the beginning of the month for deals on flowers. Last year, we saw deals from 1-800-Flowers, The Bouqs Co., FTD and Teleflora. Offers included a $50 credit for The Bouqs Co. for $35, a $30 FTD credit for $10 and a $40 Teleflora credit for $20. Just note that if you’re having the flowers delivered on Valentine’s Day, that could add a significant charge.

However, if you don’t trust those online companies to deliver your arrangement intact (or just prefer to do it yourself), Whole Foods has offered 24 long-stemmed roses for only $25 in-store.

Jewelry is another popular option for the holiday. If you want to get a classic gift, pearls are more affordable than you might think. We tend to see a number of deals from Win Pearl, with freshwater pearl necklaces and bracelets dropping as low as $10 to $15.

Not interested in pearls? Look for sales from Amazon and Ashford, as well as department stores like JCPenney. Last year, Amazon took up to 35 percent off select Valentine’s Day pieces, while Ashford knocked off up to 87 percent. Orders over $99 also came with a free box of Godiva chocolates.

JCPenney, meanwhile, took up to 65 percent off a variety of jewelry, and also took an extra 15 to 20 percent off via coupons.

Cozy deals on winter apparel

Presidents Day will be a good time to buy clothing in general, but February is also great for deals on last-chance winter apparel. Last February, we saw over 100 deals on outerwear alone, with 16 percent of them earning our Editors’ Choice designation. Additionally, there were 41 deals on winter accessories, including gloves, vests, socks, hats, scarves and more.

Scarves and wraps started at $7 at Macy’s, we saw gloves for as little as $2, beanies for as little as $7 and men’s scarves at Jos. A. Bank dropped to $20. Plus, Macy’s had other cold-weather accessories fall to $10. Sweaters dropped to 50 percent off at Jos. A. Bank, and outerwear at Lands’ End reached up to 65 percent off. Sweatshirts and hoodies were also popular, with sweatshirts dropping to as little as $4, and hoodies as low as $8.

Home goods during Presidents Day sales

As we’ve consistently seen, Presidents Day is an excellent time to stock up on a variety of home goods. Last year, we saw Neiman Marcus bedroom items discounted by 25 percent, with notable deals being a twin coverlet for $147 and a California king sheet set for $282.

If that’s still more than you want to spend, expect sales from stores like Brylane Home, which took up to 60 percent off bedding, bath items, furniture and more. Bed Bath & Beyond took up to 65 percent off the same categories, dropping a twin duvet cover to $48. And Walmart cleared out its bed and bath winter inventory, with prices falling to $12 for a 10-piece towel set.

It’s also a prime time to snag other home goods. We saw sales at eBay that took up to 75 percent off Worx tools, heaters at Northern Tool were discounted up to 75 percent off, and Sur La Table had up to 75 percent off on cookware, bakeware, appliances and kitchen gadgets.

Additionally, many small appliances are super affordable during these sales. Coffeemakers fell to as little as $20, while K-Cup brewers were as cheap as $24. Other small appliances fell to as little as $8, making this a good time to look for items like electric skillets and rice cookers.

DIY tax software

Whether you’re expecting a sizable refund, or just want to finish your taxes sooner rather than later, February is a good time to buy your software. January and February actually had roughly the same amount of deals last year, including an extensive Newegg sale that took 50 percent off H&R Block software. We saw deals drop the price to as little as $10, as well as a deal where the software was bundled with other goodies, including the video game Far Cry Primal. Not only will you see fewer deals in March and April, but the discounts won’t be as notable either.

New TVs for the Super Bowl

If you want a new TV for your Super Bowl screening, you’ll find a higher rate of Editors’ Choice deals in the week leading up to the event. Last year, that week had 30 percent Editors’ Choice deals. The entire month of February only had 26 percent Editors’ Choice TV deals, and January had 25 percent.

That pre-Super Bowl week was a great time to score a 55-inch 4K set. If you’re in the market for brand names, Samsung had some of the best outright deals, with 55-inch 4K smart sets for around $500. LG had same-size 4K Smart sets bundled with gift cards or new TV mounts for $600 to $700. Vizio 4K sets of the same size also dropped to around $500, but weren’t necessarily endowed with smart capabilities. If you’re looking for off-brand TVs, JVC had a 55-inch 4K set drop to $350, and Sceptre had a same-sized 4K set for as little as $330.

Last-minute ski trips

Channel your inner Olympic athlete this February by scoring affordable last-minute downhill trips. Last year, we saw hotel and ski packages in Salt Lake City starting at $109 per person per night. That’s already cheap, but there were also opportunities to snag extra discounts on ski passes, extra days and ski shuttles to make the trip even better.

Read on for purchases you should not make this month …

Hold off on these purchases if you possibly can:

iPads

The Apple rumor mill is already churning, and one report we keep seeing is the possibility of a cheaper iPad early this year. Those in the know believe it could be another 9.7-inch model for as little as $259, which would move Apple toward the more-affordable end of the tablet pool. The company may announce new models in March, so it’s best to hold off until then to see what Apple is planning for 2018. It introduced a new iPad last March, so another update could be announced around that time this year.

iPhone X

This member of the iPhone family already came with a hefty price tag, and while there was a lot of hype, that hasn’t carried through. While we have seen better deals than expected on the iPhones in general, that hasn’t made the X any more affordable. Given the predictions of weak demand, it’s entirely possible we could see deals on the X sooner than expected. But until we actually see those price drops, it’s better to wait on this device.

Android phones

If you prefer Android to Apple, February isn’t necessarily a better time to buy. True, Mobile World Congress kicks off in late February, and that’s where many manufacturers announce new mobile devices. But that doesn’t mean price drops will follow. In fact, our research shows that’s generally not the case. Samsung, for one, is set to unveil the flagship Galaxy S9 at MWC, with sales likely to begin in March. After the announcement is when we expect to see prices fall on last year’s models, but costs probably won’t get lower right away.

Luggage

With holiday travel far behind and summer vacations still a few months off, luggage is in a slow period. But it becomes even slower in March, which is when you can expect to see notable discounts. (We’re talking backpacks and duffels in the single digits.) Wait until then to stock up, before prices surge again later.

Skiing and snowboarding equipment

The spring thaw is on its way, so unless you desperately need new equipment to hit the slopes, we advise waiting until March. That’s when the discount season begins. You can expect to see a 20 percent or so decrease, with plenty of choices worth shopping around the start of the month.

Home improvement materials

Unless you live in a mild climate, you’re probably waiting until spring to tackle your DIY project list anyway. Might as well hold off on purchasing the materials for it, since we see more deals for those in March than in any of the surrounding months. Last year, there were 52 home improvement deals in February. The number jumped to 77 in March, before falling again in April and May.

While you’re holding off on the above purchases in the month of February, we also want to alert you to some retailers who offered amazing deals in this month last year …

Top 4 stores for February

Anthropologie: Last year, this trendy store took an extra 40 percent off during the month. The discount applied to clothing, shoes, home goods, beauty items and accessories, making February one of the best times to shop the typically pricier store.
Ralph Lauren: The retailer’s 2017 End-of-Season Sale once again took up to 65 percent off. The deal was also coupled with an extra 40 percent off via a coupon code, making it the best discount we’d seen in almost a year. It’s a prime time to snag excellent deals on preppy goods.
ShermansTravel: A 50 percent off Frontier Airlines coupon had domestic flights starting as low as $26, while United offered flights as low as $35, and Spirit Airlines featured $36 fares. This many low-cost choices meant booking a last-minute trip was extremely affordable.
Newegg: Known for all kinds of electronics, this store had more than 300 deals during the month last year. Savvy shoppers could snag discounted TVs bundled with gift cards, gaming headsets, power banks, speakers and more.

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