Just buy everything very, very late.
For shoppers wanting to reap big savings, experts suggest developing a shopping calendar to catch off-season prices. It also makes shopping a planned and intentional exercise, rather than impulsive purchases based on seasonal trends, ads or social media.
In terms of clothing, simply reverse the seasons: get your winter boots in summer, and new sandals in winter.
“Every clothing season has a cycle,” said Jaclyn Patterson, wardrobe stylist and founder of Shopwise Official, a sustainable fashion market.
“We have four seasons, and each season of clothing will have a mid-season sale, end-of-season sale and an off-season sale.”
Right now, February is off-season for summer, Patterson said. You can pick up swimwear, shorts, dresses, and even resort fashion if you have a winter getaway coming up, all at lower prices. Heading into spring and summer, you’ll see fall and winter merchandise with steep discounts.
“You can usually find 60 to 70 per cent off,” she said. “Brands aren’t really promoting it, you have to go digging for it. It’s the sale section on a website or the back-of-the-store sale rack that’s excessively marked down.”
Off-season product can also be off-loaded to resellers, such as Winners and Marshalls, or even individual sellers on Poshmark, Depop or eBay, she added.
“People just want to get rid of stuff,” Patterson said. “So they’re going through their closet, it’s a New Year, people are getting rid of things.”
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If your size isn’t available in off-season stock, it may be worthwhile to buy oversized items and have a tailor taper it down, she added.
Patterson’s overall wardrobe philosophy focuses on long-term investment, so a high-quality clearance item with the cost of a tailor still makes sense if you will wear it for years.
Shopping off-season can save hundreds of dollars on items you need to buy anyway. Those savings can reach more than a thousand a year for a family, says Lesley-Anne Scorgie, president of MeVest, a financial wellbeing and coaching company, and author of three books on building wealth.
Scorgie also has young children and points out that “every dollar counts” for young families today: “I think most families have had to actually reduce their budget allocation for shopping in general because of inflationary pressures.”
Mark your calendar for off-season shopping, and also reserve big-ticket purchases — $200 or more — for major sales events, she said. Cyber Monday, Black Friday and Boxing Day are good times to buy pricier items while Amazon Prime Day usually lands in mid-July.
Annual sales events are also a good time to stock up on the generic gifts you need every year, such as small presents for teachers or clients.
Scorgie prefers shopping local over buying from Amazon, but notes that local businesses may also participate in these events with their own markdowns. Learn your neighbourhood shops’ sales calendar and stock up.
“I usually get some of the low-hanging fruit, like the gifts I know I always am going to need,” she said.
Shopping for kids’ clothes is reversed — instead of buying everything very late, parents can still shop off-season but buy “early” by knowing the sizes children will need next year.
By February, Scorgie has already purchased her kids’ Crocs for summer. She also gets school supplies in May and June, at the end of the school year. She picked up an expensive Mountain Equipment Co-op backpack for a “less-than-Walmart” price during their spring cleanout of old stock.
But overall, Scorgie adds, her family aims for kids’ closets with at least 50 per cent second-hand items, using neighbourhood swaps and consignment stores.
As for buying technology, the major sales events are still king — Cyber Monday, Black Friday — but when it comes to phone plans and bundling, Scorgie says summer months are a big promotional season. It’s not exactly off-season but companies offer good deals before back-to-school.
Shopping with a plan is important, however. Clearance sales are exciting and can lure you into buying things you don’t really need.
Patterson advises keeping a shopping list on your phone. If tempted to buy something not on that list, she has a few questions: Will it make getting dressed easier? Do you have matching pieces already at home, or do you need to buy three more things to make the outfit work? And would you buy it at full price?
If you don’t have good answers, skip the sale and keep your cash in your account.
“Because, honestly, they are winning. The brands are winning,” Patterson said.
“They are making a lot of profit off of our hard-earned resources. If we’re shopping off-season, it’s an opportunity to save money and also shop smarter at the end of the day. ‘Will I actually want to wear this (next season)?’ You have to think about it more critically.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2025.
