Sales Awareness: Things to Buy in March 2013

Major Events

Let’s start our discussion by looking at the four major things happening this March that I’d expect to impact sales, promotions and coupons:
Daylight savings time starts
St. Patrick’s Day
Lent
Easter
Things to Buy in March 2013

I’m not clairvoyant, but I’m a hyper-logical pattern finder. Based on what we’ve seen in years past here are my predictions and recommendations:

Free coffee
Ok, so you won’t actually buy free coffee, but it’s still worth mentioning. When daylight savings time starts on March 9/10 we’ll spring ahead and lose an hour of sleep. In years past coffee shops and restaurants have offered free cup of joe on that Sunday and/or Monday (March 10-11) to help America overcome sleep deprivation. We’ll share any promotions in our weekly restaurant deals round-up.

Corned beef and sauerkraut sales
I’d expect really great sales that week before St. Patty’s Day so load up (unless you’re me and don’t care for either of these foods, blech!). Freeze extra corned beef to use in the weeks ahead. Sauerkraut also freezes quite well, according to these sauerkraut-loving folks online.

Fish and boxed macaroni & cheese. Expect to some type of fish, fish stick, seafood, cocktail sauce and boxed mac & cheeseto be on sale each week during Lent. Although sales will be consistent, the price points during those sales will vary week-to-week.
You should be able to maximize your savings by using coupons for these things too. I’d also expect to see coupons for these foods throughout March, just like we saw in February. The coupons come from both Sunday insert s and online printables; we’ll share the best printables in our coupon round-ups.

Candy for Easter eggs
Buy early and shop outside the big box and grocery stores. We often see the best bagged candy deals 3-5 weeks ahead of a major holiday AND they typically happen at drugstores like CVS or Walgreens. Watch our weekly shopping lists for a head’s up on each week’s sales.

Baking supplies and winter foods
Easter marks the end of the wintertime grocery season. We won’t see sales or coupons on things like flour, yeast, nuts, chocolate chips, family-size frozen entrees and canned soup until the fall. Buy what you need over the next few weeks, while the sales remain, to last you through the summer.

Ham, eggs and vinegar
These foods are Easter staples. These all tend to be on sale for the two weeks prior to the holiday. Even if you aren’t hosting a large meal at your house, ham freezes well and can be cooked in a crockpot during the summer. Eggs can be made into quiche and frozen for a quick weeknight meal or Sunday brunch.

Foods for entertaining
The week before Easter I’d expect great sales that can be combined with high-value coupons on lots of foods you’d need for Easter beverages, appetizers, side dishes and desserts. That includes things like coffee and soda, which usually hit rock bottom prices at every major holiday. Plus, things like snack crackers, frozen pies, frozen vegetables and dinner rolls will likely be on sale at great prices and have corresponding coupons. Certainly buy what you need for your Easter meal, but pick up some extras for your family as well.
Gift cards

Many grocery stores and drugstores run gift card promotions the week before Easter. These are not promotions on their own store’s gift cards, but promos where you’ll get store credit if you buy select gift cards from their Gift Card Mall for brands like iTunes, Subway, etc. I’ve rarely found these Easter offers to be noteworthy, especially since much much better ones happen around other holidays.