Best Day To Buy Stuff

This article came out in mid-July and I meant to bring it up then but events beyond my control pushed it off the table until I thought it just recently (plus the information is good so I’m sharing it anyway). SmartMoney took a look at the best times to buy what and did a really great job explaining why they think it is. I’ll share a few of the ones I found useful and could add to and invite you to check out the rest at their article.

Cars: They recommend going on a Monday because it’s right after the weekend rush and salesmen are just waiting for the weekend, eager to sneak a few sales onto the books. I could also recommend pairing up a Monday with other typically high stress times like the end of a month, quarter, or year - when their numbers are calculated and bonuses are determined.

Dining Out: Some restaurants don’t get food deliveries on the weekend so the best day to get the freshest stuff is on a Tuesday, according to Kate Krader, senior editor at Food & Wine magazine. Good tip for those who dine out…

Gas: Thursday before 10am is their suggestion and I’m inclined to agree. There’s a gas station near my fiancee’s office and she passes by it every single weekday. By the time the weekend rolls around, the price has easily increased ten cents and that price drops back down to “normal” by Sunday night. The only place where this won’t matter is on the New Jersey Turnpike where they’re only allowed to change the price of gas once per week (everything’s strangely and tightly controlled when it comes to gas in that state).

Groceries: This is something I wrote about in the past and basically it’s the second to last day (or last day) of the week for whatever supermarket you frequent. On that day, the next week’s sales are printed but the previous week’s sales are in effect… so if you see it on sale next week, wait a day. If it’s on sale this week, snatch it up.