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What to buy in May, even before Memorial Day weekend sales

Look for sales on furniture, appliances, outdoor items and more.
Mattresses in a store.
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It’s May, which means it's time to start thinking about a gift for mom for Mother’s Day. But later in the month comes Memorial Day, and that brings with it some of the biggest sales of the year.

Furniture sales

Among the sales are huge furniture markdowns, starting as early as this weekend.

Cindy Baker, sales director at the regional Furniture Fair chain, says she is marking down beds and mattresses for some of the company's biggest discounts of the year.

"Most manufacturers start rolling back pricing at the beginning of May because it is Better Sleep Month," she said.

Best of all, she says, outdoor patio sets will be going on sale for Memorial Day, and stores are well stocked right now.

"We offer you patio options that are good, better, and best, so there are patio sets that fit your needs," she said.

Appliance sales

Appliance stores now have the best selection they have had since the pandemic. Reese Dorsey, manager of The Appliance Loft, says, "There are no more six-month waits for appliances."

In addition to the good selection, he says Memorial Day sales mean rebates on microwaves, refrigerators and more.

"It's an excellent time, definitely a better time than we have had in two years, in terms of both pricing and availability," he said.

Samantha Gordon, the deals editor for Consumer Reports, agrees.

"Memorial Day is traditionally a time where you see lots of large appliance deals, especially things like washer-dryer sets, and kitchen sets of everything matching," she said. "They have these great offers for Memorial Day."

She is also tracking sales on other big-ticket items like grills, lawn care equipment and mattresses.

"Usually around week two in the month, we'll start to see mattress sales kicking off, and those tend to be 5 to 15% better than the sales we see throughout the year," she said.

You can check out Consumer Reports' May deals here.

Deals for mom

But before you plan your Memorial Day deal shopping, don’t forget about mom.

For Mother’s Day, Gordon suggests looking for deals on giftable items like tech devices, fitness trackers, home goods, flowers and beauty subscription boxes.

"Homemade goods as well tend to have sales," she said. "So check out Etsy; they often have some Mother's Day sales promotions going on.”

So if you need an appliance, bed, living room furniture, a patio set or just something for mom, May is the way to go, so you don't waste your money.

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