Best things to buy in February

There are good deals to be found year round for just about anything.  However, it's the nature of business that a lot of deals happen at the same time during the year.

Here are things that you can find good deals on in February:

• Presidents' Day sales. This mid-February federal holiday makes for a good opportunity to spend less on many department store items like clothing, furniture, and more.
• Winter clothes even more. Now that the cold weather has begun and the holidays have passed, retailers have inventory to move before the weather gets warmer again. Expect the January sales to continue even more so in February. Look for discounts and clearance deals on sweaters and heavy coats.
• More tax software deals.  Yeah, I'm SURE you're happy I reminded you that mid-April is just around the corner, but the deals on tax software that began shortly after the new year continue into February. (I didn't see many discounts closer to the tax deadline which is, unfortunately, when I usually get motivated.) Time to get some H&R Block Software, or perhaps something by Intuit TurboTax.  (I've used both and they're both excellent.)
• Valentine's Day stuff (after the 14th). It's well known that the price of Valentine's Day gifts skyrocket the day of. (ProTip: Here's how I avoid succumbing.) So if you don't mind some February 17th romance, there will be deals on Swarovski watches, jewelry, and the like.
• Televisions. The first 4k TVs I saw around the holidays a couple of years ago were over $3,000.  Now they're way below a grand, and they'll keep getting cheaper. The “older” models like the 720p and 1080p — still really nice TVs IMHO — are downright … affordable. Pretty soon the 720p's will be only at garage sales, and 1080p will be low-end. Having the annual Consumer Electronics Show in January (now passed) helps to whet appetites for the latest and greatest so more downward pressure on the models already out there.
• Travel.  (Funny story: My wife and I were married on Groundhog Day, and we had our honeymoon early February. We had the choice of flying through a whole bunch of northern cities or Dallas on the way to California. We chose Dallas, and got iced in. The next day our rental car was gone when we finally got to CA, and they had to upgrade us to a convertible Camaro. Oh darn, right?)  Anyway, February is typically a slow time for travel, so you can find deals on cruises, flights, and attractions.
• Winter sports equipment.  We're still in the cold season but snowboards, skis, etc., are on sale because we're pushing halfway through winter.