Sometimes It Pays To Be Late!
By Michelle P. Sharrow, MBA

Have you ever secretly wished that you didn't always have to be on top of everything? The first at the local chain store to score the 20 cent glue sticks or the 50 cent composition notebooks. I know I have. So in the spirit of fun while maintaining a focus on saving, I came up with three legitimate times when you can save by being late: late summer and early fall vacations, back to school savings after school starts and end of the season sales.

Summer/Early Fall Vacations

The current economic environment has kept many families from taking vacations this spring and summer. If your family is one of those that begrudgingly decided to forgo a 2009 vacation and the local trips left you yearning for more - you may be in luck. The daily news recently reported on outrageous travel deals beginning in mid-August through September of this year. The reason for these deals is because the peak time for vacations has passed and most families are gearing up to send their children back to school. So if you are in a state that is fortunate to have a September start for the new school year, now is a great time to take a trip. Websites like Travelocity.com and bestfares.com are excellent places for you to search for deals. It is not unheard of to find roundtrip flights to cities such as Baltimore, Maryland and Chicago, Illinois for $80 plus tax.

School Savings

When it comes to back to school shopping, you are either early or late. By that I mean, if you want to score the best deals on school supplies and clothes -at least in my opinion -- July is the month to start stocking up. Usually when August comes around, stock is low and prices are steep. So if you haven't already filled your coffers, rather than blow your budget trying to get everything now, wait until a few weeks after school has started. Our current economic landscape is not going to change dramatically over the next few weeks. So many stores will be deeply discounting these items to keep their in-store traffic moving.

End of Season Savings

If you are a regular reader of my column, you know that I am a proponent of shopping at the end of the season for the next year. Now is the perfect time for you to stock up on bubble blowers, water guns, pool floats, swim gear, and sidewalk chalk. ToysRUs, Kmart and Target all have big clearance sales underway to get rid of these types of items in preparation for Christmas merchandise. So if you have some spare change, why not scoop up some of these items and tuck them away for next spring and summer! The delightful look on your kids face when you start pulling these things out at the hint of 70 degree weather next year will be priceless.

So there you have it, three instances in which being late can be advantageous.

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Michelle is a freelance writer based in Waldorf, Maryland. Her areas of expertise include finances and parenting. .

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