Summer is slowly starting to wind down, but the deals are still heating up for shoppers everywhere. This August is highlighted by back-to-school sales, free national park admission, summer clothing clearance deals and more.
Here Are the Best August Deals
Here’s what you can expect to find on sale this month.
Back-to-School
With kids heading back to the classroom, retailers are lowering prices on school supplies such as notebooks, pencils and more. Target, Walmart, Amazon are just some of the great places to shop no matter whether you’re going to kindergarten or college.
Potentially sweetening the deal for back-to-school shopping is that some states offer a sales tax holiday around this time of year. That means you could keep more money in your pocket and get the supplies you need for your children (or yourself) if you’re talking about laptops and other electronics. Check the full list of participating states and dates here.
Meanwhile, Sam’s Club previously planned a weeklong sale at the beginning of the month but is now letting the sale run until August 18. On tap are more than $8,800 in Instant Savings! See full details here. Not a Sam’s Club member? You can get a 12-month membership for $25. This is a savings of 50%!
“Back-to-school shopping is more affordable this year than in recent times. Electronics such as laptops are a screaming deal based on historical prices,” Clark says.
The consumer champ notes that it’s now possible to get a Mac with a simple M1 chip from $600 to $650. That’s a new Mac — not a used or refurbished one. And the M1 chip version is perfectly fine for schoolwork for most kids.
For example, check out this Apple MacBook Air 13.3 inch laptop (Space Gray, M1 Chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage) for $649 at Walmart.
See all of the best back-to-school bargains from our Clark Deals team here.
National Park Admission
Mark your calendars: The National Park Service is offering free admission to sites that normally charge an entrance fee on August 4.
That particular day marks the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act. While many national parks are free every day, more than 100 of them regularly charge fees between $3 and $30.
The fee waiver includes entrance fees, commercial tour fees and transportation entrance fees.
Assorted Holiday Savings Opportunities
August has a couple of notable food and fun holidays that usually offer up the opportunity to get some discounted or free food and activities.
For instance, August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day; many shops and restaurants will offer a free cookie.
Meanwhile, August 12 marks National Bowling Day. Bowlero is among the chains known to offer a great deal on bowling in honor of the holiday. In addition, the Kids Bowl Free program is still running through the end of the summer.
Finally, don’t forget about National Thrift Shop Day on August 17. Check out a thrift store near you for a deal!
Travel
August 23 marks Cheap Flight Day, which is one of our favorite days! Clark Howard has long been a fan of Going, formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights. Scott began Going because he would find amazing travel deals for himself, and he realized many other people also wanted to know about these deals.
But the deals aren’t confined to just one day. In fact, Clark says travel shoppers should gear up for some real bargains as we get ready to usher in the official start of fall next month.
“Airfares, hotels and the rest are going to be cheaper this fall than they’ve been. That’s because there’s too much capacity, especially for the airlines,” Clark says. “Fares are going down…for travel in the United States. [It’s] going to be a real bargain time if you love to travel.”
“[By] mid-August and later, prices [will be] so much better. I’ve seen the trend and it’s your and my friend.”
You can keep up with all the deals by signing up for our free Clark Deals newsletter! See current travel deals at Clark Deals.
Summer Clothes and Flip Flops
If you’re looking for some accessories to freshen up your closet, August is a great month to shop. Want to save big? Look for summer clothing clearance items. Many retailers will be running clothing clearance sales throughout the end of summer as they try to get rid of inventory. Another item on discount this month tends to be flip flops. There’s still plenty of time left to use them!
Air Conditioners and Fans
Summer temperatures are still blazing, but thankfully many retailers are putting the freeze on high prices when it comes to keeping cool!
For example, check out this TaoTronics tower fan 36″ bladeless fan with remote for $47.99 on sale at Walmart. You’ll save $62 on the regular price. That beats the next best price we found direct from the manufacturer.
And that’s just one of dozens of best deals this week at Walmart that we’ve identified. See the full list here.
Vehicles
High car prices have been bedeviling consumers throughout the pandemic. But that trend is finally beginning to reverse.
The trend of positive movement in the form of lower vehicle prices that began a few months ago is set to continue in August.
Across the market, used vehicle prices are down 27% from their peak. That’s according to the latest stats that Clark has seen — with Toyotas being a notable exception to this rule.
That does not mean prices across the market are back to where they were before, but it is a big change in price.
Meanwhile, when it comes to new cars, the situation has changed from a seller’s to a buyer’s market. Cars.com has noted a big increase in new car supply on dealer lots under $30,000 over the last several months.
“Today you can buy a new car for what the average used car was selling for 2 years ago,” Clark says. “Yes, the interest rates are higher. But the costs are going down enough, and you can refinance into a lower rate at some point in the ownership cycle.”
Final Thoughts
By the time we get to August, summer is almost gone for a lot of folks. Vacations are fast becoming a memory and it’s time to prepare for back-to-school season. But the savings continue to shine as brightly as ever!
Want to see what’s on sale now? Check out today’s best deals from ClarkDeals.com.
