What To Buy (and Skip) In October

by Courtney Jespersen |

This month, you likely have costumes, candy, decorations and pumpkins on your list of things to buy, not to mention fall clothes and household supplies. There’s a lot to purchase, but shopping for the season doesn’t mean you have to spend a scary amount.

We’ve put together a guide of everything you should buy (and skip) in October.

Historically, October has been one of the best times to purchase jeans, since the cold weather staples have already been on shelves for some time and are now beginning to be discounted.

The fall-time deals on denim have already begun in the days leading up to the start of October. So far, we’ve spotted sales happening at Nordstrom, Gap and Levi’s, just to name a few. Buy your jeans this month to expand your wardrobe without breaking the bank.

Halloween hasn’t even arrived yet, but it might already be time to think about the holiday shopping season — and holiday toy season. Toy authority The Toy Insider has already released its Holiday 2015: Hot 20 Toy Guide.

If you want to pay the lowest possible price for this year’s new gizmos and gadgets for your children, wait until December. Toys are usually discounted close to Christmas. So if your son or daughter is OK without having a shiny new Star Wars figurine right now, come December, you might be able to give both Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Most people head indoors when the weather cools down, but October is a good time to focus your shopping on the outdoors. We’re talking about camping gear, patio furniture, outdoor living essentials and more. Prices on outdoor products tend to be highest when demand is highest. But with summer becoming a distant memory, now is the time to  act if you’re in need of new camping supplies.

For example, Cabela’s Fall Savings event features half-off deals on an assortment of outdoor gear and accessories.

Buy a tent? Sure. But you won’t want to fill your shopping cart with any major electronics this month.

We recommend that you hold off on picking up that new laptop, tablet or HDTV for at least a little while longer. The best time of the year for electronics deals (Black Friday) is just around the corner. You’ve waited this long, so keep up that discipline until the post-Thanksgiving deal blitz arrives in November.

This year, shoppers who celebrate Halloween plan to spend approximately $2.1 billion dollars on Halloween candy, according to the National Retail Federation. If you’re one of these spooky celebrants, you’ll likely be looking to buy some candy in bulk.

It’s difficult to purchase Halloween candy in any month other than October — after all, you don’t want your Reese’s and Butterfingers to go bad before the trick-or-treaters arrive.

But before you stock up on your sweets, we recommend waiting until the end of October to make your purchase. Retailers may be more eager to unload their stock of Halloween supplies (that means costumes and decorations, too) as the holiday draws nearer.

If you need a new vacuum cleaner or other floor care device, don’t act too soon. See if your current model can get by for a while longer, as you can usually expect the best vacuum and cleaning supply sales to take place in spring. (Spring cleaning, anyone?)

For instance, earlier this year, we saw big sales on major vacuum brands. Sears slashed the price of the Dyson DC40 by 40% in March 2015. You can expect similar discounts to roll out in 2016. And if you can’t wait for those, at least reserve your purchase until next month, when Black Friday sales are sure to feature price cuts on vacuums.