Best and Worst Buys of January 2013
Now is the time to find deals on furniture, winter apparel and more.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Today
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more delivered daily. Smart money moves start here.
Sent five days a week
Kiplinger A Step Ahead
Get practical help to make better financial decisions in your everyday life, from spending to savings on top deals.
Delivered daily
Kiplinger Closing Bell
Get today's biggest financial and investing headlines delivered to your inbox every day the U.S. stock market is open.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Adviser Intel
Financial pros across the country share best practices and fresh tactics to preserve and grow your wealth.
Delivered weekly
Kiplinger Tax Tips
Trim your federal and state tax bills with practical tax-planning and tax-cutting strategies.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Retirement Tips
Your twice-a-week guide to planning and enjoying a financially secure and richly rewarding retirement
Sent bimonthly.
Kiplinger Adviser Angle
Insights for advisers, wealth managers and other financial professionals.
Sent twice a week
Kiplinger Investing Weekly
Your twice-a-week roundup of promising stocks, funds, companies and industries you should consider, ones you should avoid, and why.
Sent weekly for six weeks
Kiplinger Invest for Retirement
Your step-by-step six-part series on how to invest for retirement, from devising a successful strategy to exactly which investments to choose.
You might have shopping fatigue by now. But if you didn't rack up debt buying holiday gifts, you might want to consider taking advantage of the many deals that are available in January. Here's what you can expect to find marked down this month -- and what you should wait a little longer to buy, according to dealnews.com, which analyzes deals from past years to predict what will be discounted this year.
DOWNLOAD: The Kip Tips iPad App
What's on sale this month ...
Christmas items. A great way to keep holiday costs under control is to plan ahead. And one way to do that is to buy Christmas decorations after December 25, when these items are discounted as much as 80% at stores such as Home Depot, Kohl's, Lowe's and Pier 1. Holiday goodies from Cheryl's, Godiva, Starbucks, Walmart and other retailers also are dramatically marked down. So you can stock up on sweets, that is, if losing weight isn't one of your New Year's resolutions.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Fitness equipment. Speaking of losing weight, January is a good month to find treadmills, stationary bikes, training accessories and DVDs, and more marked down as much as 60%.
Furniture. Retailers mark down furniture this month because they need to make room for new models that will hit stores in February. Last year, Sears, Home Depot and Pottery Barn had some of their most significant price cuts of the year during January. Dealnews.com expects to see such deals again this year.
HDTVs. If you bought a TV on Black Friday or before Christmas, you probably got a good deal. But January is another good month to find markdowns on 2012 HDTVs because retailers need to make room for 2013 models. In fact, 55-inch LCD HDTVs were 17% cheaper in January last year than they were in December 2011.
Winter apparel. Now is the time to find great deals on winter apparel, which can be marked down as much as 80%. You also can find coupons from many retailers that offer up to an additional 60% off. According to dealnews.com, expect some of the best sales to come from American Eagle, Ann Taylor and LOFT, Banana Republic, French Connection, J.Crew, L.L.Bean, Lord & Taylor, Macy's, Men's Wearhouse, Nike, Old Navy, Target and Tommy Hilfiger.
Wait a little longer to buy ...
Electronics. Expect to see markdowns in February on higher-end 2012 electronics that weren't discounted on Black Friday as retailers make room for new models.
Tax software. If you like to tackle your tax return early in the year, you might be able to find some discounts on tax software (specifically, discounts on state tax software) in January. But you'll find better deals the following months as the tax-filing deadline nears.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Award-winning journalist, speaker, family finance expert, and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk.
Cameron Huddleston wrote the daily "Kip Tips" column for Kiplinger.com. She joined Kiplinger in 2001 after graduating from American University with an MA in economic journalism.
-
Here’s How to Stream the Super Bowl for LessWe'll show you the least expensive ways to stream football's biggest event.
-
The Cost of Leaving Your Money in a Low-Rate AccountWhy parking your cash in low-yield accounts could be costing you, and smarter alternatives that preserve liquidity while boosting returns.
-
I want to sell our beach house to retire now, but my wife wants to keep it.I want to sell the $610K vacation home and retire now, but my wife envisions a beach retirement in 8 years. We asked financial advisers to weigh in.
-
21 Last-Minute Gifts for Grandparents Day 2025 to Give Right NowHoliday Tips Last-minute gifting is never easy. But here are some ideas to celebrate Grandparents Day.
-
Texas Sales Tax-Free Weekend 2025Tax Holiday Here's what you needed to know about the Texas sales tax holiday.
-
Alabama Tax-Free Weekend 2025Tax Holiday Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 back-to-school Alabama sales tax holiday.
-
The Sweet 23: States Where Twix and Kit Kat Avoid the ‘Candy Tax’State Taxes There’s something spooky this Halloween, and it’s not just the ghouls. Find out if your state’s sales tax takes a bite out of sweet savings.
-
Florida Back-to-School Tax-Free Holiday 2025Sales Taxes The new tax-free holiday in Florida brought month-long savings on computers, clothing and other school supplies.
-
Five Reasons You Shouldn't Shop Amazon's Prime Big Deal DaysSmart Buying Are Amazon Prime Big Deal Days still a good deal? We'll break it down.
-
Five Ways to Save on Vacation Rental PropertiesTravel Use these strategies to pay less for an apartment, condo or house when you travel.
-
How to Avoid Annoying Hotel Fees: Per Person, Parking and MoreTravel Here's how to avoid extra charges and make sure you don't get stuck paying for amenities that you don't use.