May is a month of transition, as spring starts to move towards the unofficial beginning of summer with the Memorial Day holiday at the end of the month.
Along the way, there are plenty of savings opportunities including Mother’s Day and also May the 4th (for all you Star Wars fans). Let’s just say this month is brought to you by the letter “M” … for saving money!
Here Are the Best May Deals
Mother’s Day Clearance and Other Savings Opportunities
After we honor the mothers in our lives on Sunday, May 8, the opportunities for savings begin. You can typically find clearance cosmetics and other gift sets that went unsold on deep discount.
However, you don’t necessarily have to wait until after the holiday. Leading up to Mother’s Day, retailers such as Macy’s and Kohl’s will often have discounts on Mother’s Day gifts, such as $10 off a purchase of $50 in jewelry.
Fitness Trackers
Fitness trackers tend to go on sale ahead of Mother’s Day. Historically, we’ve seen May deals on models including the Fitbit Luxe, the Fitbit Versa and the Fitbit Inspire, to name a few.
For example, the Fitbit Inspire 2 had the second-lowest price of the year during May, second only to Black Friday season, according to CamelCamelCamel.
Food Holidays and Honoring Our Heroes
May has a few notable food holidays that usually offer up the opportunity to get some discounted or free food. Two are specific to honoring some of the heroes in our lives: nurses and teachers.
Here’s what’s on tap:
- Teachers’ Day: May 3
- Cinco de Mayo: May 5
- Nurses Day: May 6
- National Hamburger Day: May 28
Meanwhile, don’t overlook one-off freebies not tied directly to any particular holiday. For example, McDonald’s gave away free regular size Caramel Brownie McFlurries last May 4!
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May the 4th Sales
Speaking of May 4, that’s the day we informally celebrate as Star Wars Day (“May the 4th be with you.”). In honor of the festivities, retailers including Disney and GameStop have traditionally had sales on Star Wars merchandise.
Memorial Day Sales
People usually are not buying indoor stuff this time of year as the weather starts to heat up. So you’ll see a lot of deals on products in those kinds of categories, such as appliances and mattresses, around the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
“Consumer Reports has said the best place to buy a mattress is a regional chain called Original Mattress Factory,” Clark notes. “I’m also partial to the warehouse clubs. If you’re going the warehouse club route, I suggest you pull a mattress off the rack and lay on it for 10 minutes or more right there in the store to make sure you like what you’re buying.”
Small Appliances
Small kitchen appliance sales are traditionally lumped in with Memorial Day sales. But these aren’t exactly the $10 price points we’re accustomed to seeing during the holidays; we’re talking about double that price on average but still quite a savings.
For example, Best Buy had the Emerald 4L analog air fryer for $25 in May 2021 and the Emerald 2.1-qt. air fryer for $20.
BOGO Tools
May is actually a big month for tool sales. Last May, The Home Depot ran its Ryobi Days promotion during which customers could get a free tool when they bought a ONE+ 18V lithium-ion 4.0 Ah battery and charger kit. That was a savings of up to $99 depending on the tool you selected. Keep an eye for a Ryobi Days promo later this month.
But there’s actually no need to wait that long; Lowe’s is offering a free battery with the purchase of select Dewalt tools right now.
Final Thoughts
More and more of us are feeling the bite of inflation eating up our paychecks at the grocery store, the gas pump and elsewhere. Isn’t it nice to know you can fight back against high prices by taking advantage of some great May deals? (And as an aside, one of Clarks’ favorite ways to save on essentials is with a warehouse membership.)
Want to see what’s on sale right now? Check out today’s best deals from ClarkDeals.com.
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