Are you a Shopper who Splurges or Stashes Away money for Better Time?

There would be no way to live without spending money at all. Do you reach your wallet without a second thought or plans at any moment you need to purchase something? Do you bear the brunt of time-consuming shopping, which involves shuffling through brick-and-mortar stores by walking and hopping from one store to another for the best deal? Otherwise, do you normally make the best use of online shopping to save time? Unless you are an avid early adopter who never settles for less by taking the dregs, you must look everywhere for at least a better deal at reduced price in post-season or even a steal using a doorbuster or blast-off sale.

Here is the “month-by-month shopping plan” provided by the magazine Money (Jan/ Feb, 2016 issue). Use this chart and mark your calendar as a manual for your purchases.

Month	What to Buy
January	electronics (e.g., TVs), bedding, linens, cookware, fitness equipment (e.g., treadmills, elliptical machines)
February	winter apparel and accessories, appliances, furniture, housewares
March	running shoes, team apparel, non-apple smartphones
April	home, garden, and auto supplies; spring clothing
May	home furnishings, home goods
June	tools and home improvements
July	swimwear, summer entertaining, air conditioners
August	laptops, summer clothing
September	home furnishings, outdoor and patio goods, last-generation iPhones/iPads
October	denim pants and fall fashion, camping gear, sports equipment
November	videogames, consumer electronics
December	gift cards, toys

With this market-savvy shopping plan, let us become a happy shopper even if the inventory of goods has already been picked over before you reach them! 

Expressions

-          to bear the brunt of ….: to take or receive the worst part of something that has a bad effect

-          brick-and-mortar stores: offline business (shops/ stores in the streets) as opposed to online shopping websites

-          early adopter: a person who embraces new technology before most other people do. Thus, they tend to buy or try out new hardware items and programs, and new versions of existing programs, sooner than most of their peers

-          to settle for less: to take whatever in front of you even if they do not satisfy you

-          dregs: sediments/ remnants/ leftover of something, which is generally of low quality

-          a steal: buying something at a surprisingly low price

-          doorbuster:  amazing price on a somewhat desirable consumer product, which are normally offered at early AM hours during or just after Thanksgiving Day (US)

-          blast-off sale: huge sale

-          to pick over…: to thoroughly examine something to select the best or remove the unwanted