Memorial Day Sales: What to Buy and What to Skip

Memorial Day weekend is one of the best shopping windows of the year. Retailers drop real prices on big-ticket items, and if you walk in with a plan, you can save hundreds.

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Here’s how you can leverage those deals without getting into the impulse-buying trap:

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Audit What You Actually Need

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Before any sale hits, make a list. Not a wishlist but a needs list. Check your home for appliances running on borrowed time, furniture that needs replacing, or rooms that need a fresh coat of paint. Write it down before the sales emails start flooding your inbox and impulse decisions start looking like smart ones.

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Once you have the list, keep it simple. If it's not on your list before the sale starts, it doesn't go in the cart.

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Also read: The Quiet Ways AI Shopping Bots Get You to Spend More

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Review Memorial Day’s Category Calendar

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These categories consistently hit their yearly lows around Memorial Day. So if you need any of them, now is the time to move.

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• Mattresses: Retailers like Avocado Green Mattress run their deepest discounts of the year around Memorial Day.
• Large and small appliances: Refrigerators, washing machines, coffee makers, and blenders all see serious markdowns.
• Patio and indoor furniture: Expect up to 50-60% off on outdoor sets from furniture chains.
• Paint: The DIY season kicks off in May. Shop the week before May 25 for the best deals.
• Spring apparel: Warm-weather clothing has been on shelves for months. Retailers are ready to clear it. Check clearance racks and sale sections online.
• Air conditioners: Retailers discount these in May before the real summer heat hits.

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Sales often start a full week before May 25 and can stretch into early June, so don't wait until the actual holiday.

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Set Price-Tracking Alerts

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Don't trust the "was $499, now $299" sticker at face value. Use these tools before you buy:

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• Honey: a browser extension that applies coupon codes and tracks price drops automatically
• Google Shopping alerts: set a price target on a specific product and get notified when it drops
• Retailer email lists: sign up now. Memorial Day previews often go to subscribers first, sometimes days before public sales launch
• CamelCamelCamel: tracks Amazon price history so you can see if a "deal" is actually the lowest price or just average.

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Also, consider these sustainable Amazon alternatives.

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Look Into Sustainable Swap and Secondhand Opportunities

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Memorial Day is also the moment when people upgrade furniture and appliances and list their old ones. That makes late May a surprisingly good time to shop secondhand.

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• Check Chairish and AptDeco for used patio furniture and sofas. Here’s The Complete Guide to Thrifting Furniture
• ThredUp and Poshmark often run their own sales in tandem with holiday weekends for secondhand apparel
• You can even find refurbished kitchen appliances

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Here are some of our favorite online thrift stores.

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Skip These Items During Memorial Day Sales

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Here’s what to skip on the long weekend:

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• Tech products: If you’re planning to buy new electronics, wait. Better deals typically show up around Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday in November.
• Back-to-school supplies: Skip the early “back-to-school” promos around Memorial Day. Prices tend to drop significantly in late August and early September.
• Swim essentials: It’s tempting to stock up for summer over Memorial Day weekend, but if you can wait until June, you’ll usually find better deals on swimwear and lingerie.

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If you’re open to buying secondhand, you don’t need to wait for Memorial Day (or any other sale). You can find affordable secondhand products year-round. Here are some of our guides to help:

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• Where to Buy Refurbished Fitness Trackers
• Where to Find Refurbished Tablets for Kids
• Where and How to Buy Refurbished Phones
• 5 Tech Products You Didn't Know You Could Buy Refurbished
• How to Save Money and Skip Back-to-School Shopping
• 7 Best Online Thrift Stores

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