Save Money by Buying on Specific Days of the Week

Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy says you can save money by purchasing certain items on specific days of the week. Their list:

• Airplane tickets -- Buy and fly on Wednesdays.
• Cars -- If they had a bad weekend, Monday can be a great day to buy.
• Clothing -- Thursday evenings have great stock at low prices (going on sale for the weekend.)
• Dinner out -- Most restaurants have slow midweeks and offer sales then.
• Groceries -- On the night before a store's sale ends, stores are likely to have run out of sale items. Get a rain check and buy them later when you need them.

Here's my take on these suggestions:

• Airplane tickets -- Is this one still true (the book was written some time ago)?
• Cars -- How do you know if it was a slow weekend? I think there's more savings to be had by buying at the right time of year http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2010/04/the-three-best-times-to-buy-a-new-car.html
• Clothing -- Good tip. We've done this before and she's right -- lots of selection AND the sale prices.
• Dinner out -- Nice if you can eat out during the middle of the week. I guess there's a reason for the slow traffic, most people don't like to eat out then. My tip: eat out at lunch on the weekends -- more convenient for most and still a better cost than dinner.
• Groceries -- Neat tip! Does anyone use this?

What's your take on these ideas -- good or so-so?

Comments

[SAHM]

I was wondering about the plane tickets, too.

I do know people that go the night before the sale ends to the grocery store. It is too stressful for me. I'll go usually during the week. If it's not there, then I'll ask for a raincheck. CVS usually has an overlap period on Saturdays when you can take advantage of the current week and the next week's sale. If you notice them putting out the tags early at CVS or at Rite Aid, ask for the advertised price and/or deal. It works for me!

[DCS]

I bet if the weather was bad it was a slow weekend for car sales. But I bet you wouldn't get a better deal than asking competitive quotes via email. Dealers have learned that if they come in high on the first response, they don't usually get a second chance with internet buyers.

Kinda off topic, but have you seen that Consumer Reports now has a "build and buy" service that offers to get competitive quotes from dealers? Says there's no obligation, the service is free, and it doesn't reveal your name or other info to dealers (of course, it also doesn't name the dealer until you give up your info).

I'd be curious to know how it comes out against your usual process if you decide to buy this fall.

[Romeo]

On the groceries--Is it really worth it? Sure it's a neat trick but geesh. Wouldn't it be an inconvenience to go to the grocery store on the last night only to find that the item that you were hoping to be missing was actually in stock. Then what?

[My Personal Finance Journey]

The prices of cars are also cheaper/more negotiable at the end of a calendar month due to dealerships trying to meet their sales quota for the month. They will be more flexible in decreasing their prices.

[David M]

Wednesday being the cheapest day to fly - makes absolute sense.

Business trips are not as likely to start or end on a Wednesday.

Also, people taking vacation are not likely to want to fly on Wednesay - I know I certainly never do. For shorter trips, I always leave on Thursday or Friday and return on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

[Budgeting in the Fun Stuff]

Airplane tickets - Based on my very recent searches, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are all the cheapest times.

Cars - Based on the fact that I work with F&I managers, the absolute best time to buy a car in at the end of the month in November or December since they are trying to hit annual and monthly quotas...it's even better is it's a Sunday or Monday after a rainy weekend. :-)

Clothing - This is a great tip, but I usually don't leave my house after work Mondays-Thursdays, so it's not for me.

Dinner out - You can find great deals anytime if you're flexible...there's even weekend specials in our area at the Mom and Pop places...

Groceries - My friend does this on a regular basis, but I don't seem to be motivated enough to show up at the right time or to ask for a rain check...but it works really well for her.

[Rob]

I would definitely lean towards buying cars at a specific time of the year as opposed to a certain day. It is almost common knowledge that around October - December is a great time to buy because the dealers are trying to offload stock for all the new models coming in. Plus December is just slow in general due to it being the holidays.

On groceries - we'll ask for a raincheck if it was item we were going to buy and was on sale, but not specifically look to do so. Half the time I think we forget we have it anyway.