I love a bargain, but that doesn’t mean I always buy the cheapest option.
Actually, I’m pretty picky about some things.
But after years of shopping sales and now spending every day looking at online deals for Online at the Lake, there are certain things I have a really hard time paying full price for.
Clothes, phone accessories, seasonal decor, toys, home organizers and kitchen gadgets are high on that list.
Not because I’m willing to wait forever to save $2.
I just see some categories discounted so often that I know another deal is probably coming.
And once you know that, it gets REALLY hard to click Buy at full price. 😂
Clothes? Almost never.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I willingly paid full price for clothes unless I needed something for a last-minute special occasion.
There are just too many sales and promo codes.
And 20% off usually isn’t enough to get my attention anymore.
For something I really like, I’ll take 30–40% off. If I don’t love it or don’t need it right away, I’m probably waiting for closer to 50%.
Because most of the time, another sale comes.
The same goes for a lot of accessories: belts, purses, backpacks, sandals and jewelry.
I see so many promo codes in these categories that paying the original price usually feels unnecessary.
That doesn’t mean I always buy inexpensive shoes, though.
Shoes are actually a good example of how I separate getting a good price from buying something cheap.
If I’m buying shoes I’m going to walk in all day, I care about quality. I’ll spend more for brands like Hoka. I live in Birkenstocks during the summer and I’m willing to pay more for those too.
I still wait for a sale whenever I can.
But a fun pair of shoes I’m going to wear for a few hours to dinner or church?
Give me the big discount. 😂
Phone accessories and little electronics
I’m not talking about an iPhone or other major electronics here. Apple discounts are a completely different animal.
I’m talking about all those little electronic accessories we accumulate.
Phone stands. Chargers. Portable chargers. Travel chargers. Charging stations.
I keep a phone stand next to my bed. I have a folding travel charger in my backpack.
Those are exactly the kinds of things I’m reluctant to pay full price for because I see deals and promo codes on them constantly.
Unless I need one today, I’ll wait.
Seasonal and holiday decor
You don’t necessarily have to wait until after a holiday to get a good deal.
I’ve seen promo codes start ridiculously early: Halloween deals at the beginning of August and Christmas promotions by early September.
Of course, after-holiday clearance can be fantastic too.
But if you want the decorations in time to actually enjoy them that year, start looking earlier than you think.
Artificial flowers, seasonal home decor and holiday decorations are categories where I see promo codes over and over again.
There’s usually no reason for me to rush in and pay the first price I see.
Toys
I’ve been doing this one since LONG before Online at the Lake existed.
When my kids were little, I kept a toy closet.
Throughout the year, I’d pick up toys when I found them on clearance or found a really good deal. Then when one of my kids suddenly announced they had a birthday party to go to, I already had gifts.
No last-minute trip to the store paying whatever the toy happened to cost that day.
These days, the toys I’m regularly buying are more likely to be dog toys and pool toys, but my thinking hasn’t changed much.
I see toy deals often enough that I’m usually comfortable waiting—unless there’s a very specific toy I need immediately.
Home organization and kitchen gadgets
Storage bins, drawer organizers, closet organizers, under-bed storage, pantry containers...
Wait.
I see promo codes on home organization products constantly, and I’ve seen bigger sales bring much deeper price drops.
Kitchen gadgets are another big one.
Choppers, graters, oil sprayers, silicone cooking utensils and all those little tools that somehow find their way into our kitchens.
There are SO many deals on these products that I almost never pay full price.
My Ninja appliances are different for me.
I’m a self-described Ninja addict. 😂
I’m picky about those products, and I’m not going to buy a generic version of something I really want just because it’s cheaper.
But here’s the funny part: I don’t think I’ve ever paid full price for my Ninja appliances either.
I’ll wait for Prime Day or another major sale and buy the brand I actually want at a good price.
The things I stock up on when the price gets REALLY good
Then there are things I have to buy over and over anyway.
Cleaning supplies. Laundry products. Beauty products. Personal-care products. Pet supplies.
For these, I’m usually not looking for the cheapest brand on the internet. I tend to wait for promotions on brands I already use or want to try.
And when the price gets really good?
I’ll buy as many as they’ll let me. 😂
I’ve seen promotions with a limit of three, so sometimes three is exactly what I buy.
One deal I found was on Native hand soap. At the time, it normally sold for $6.27 each, so three would have cost $18.81.
I got all three for under $7.
THAT is a stock-up price.
I’ve done the same thing with beauty products. I’m somewhat brand loyal, but I also love trying new things. Amazon had unusually large coupons on Amika shampoo and conditioner, so I stocked up.
I’ve seen promotions on laundry and cleaning products like spend $30 and get a $10 credit. If it’s a brand I’m already buying, I’ll take advantage of those too.
These are past examples, not prices I can promise today. For a new offer, check the retailer’s final price and promotion terms before you pay.
Even my dogs have a deal strategy
Our dogs eat Blue Buffalo, and their food is already on my Subscribe & Save order.
I’m obviously not going to let the dogs go hungry while I sit around waiting for a coupon. 😂
I’ve also seen extra promotions on Blue Buffalo, including larger coupons and offers like spend $75 and save $15.
When one of those comes around, I take advantage of it because I already know we’re going to need more dog food.
And honestly, that’s probably my favorite kind of stock-up deal.
The best stock-up deal is on something I know I’m going to buy anyway.
I’m not buying three bags of something I’ve never tried because a big red number told me I’m saving 60%.
I’m saving money on something that was already going to end up in my cart.
The things I’m willing to spend more on
There are plenty of things where I care more about quality than finding the absolute lowest price.
My bedding is one. I’m picky, and I like my Sleep Number sheets.
Luggage is another category where I’d rather have something good that lasts than replace a cheap suitcase after a few trips.
And when we bought furniture for our house and patio, I paid full price for quite a bit of it. Sometimes I shopped around, but other times I found exactly what I wanted and bought it.
I don’t think being a smart shopper means always choosing the cheapest option.
Sometimes it means knowing where you’re willing to spend your money.
So how big of a discount is worth waiting for?
There’s no single percentage I use for everything.
For a brand or product that rarely gets discounted, I might get excited about a much smaller sale.
And for something we’re going to consume anyway, the calculation is different again.
I care about what I’m actually paying and whether it’s a good price for that particular product.
The percentage alone doesn’t make the decision for me.
When should you just pay full price?
This one’s easy.
When you need the thing.
If I need an outfit for something tomorrow, I’m not going to wait three weeks hoping it eventually goes 50% off.
If I’m leaving on a trip and my charger dies, I’m buying a charger.
If something I use constantly breaks and I need to replace it, I’m going to look for a deal first, but there’s a point where convenience wins.
If my Ninja Creami dies, you can bet I’m checking for a sale before I replace it.
But if there’s no sale and I really want my Creami?
I’m not going to suffer. 😂
Saving money is supposed to make my life better. I’m not interested in making my life harder just so I can say I got a deal.
What years of watching sales have changed for me
I think the biggest difference is that I’ve learned which purchases deserve patience.
Being a bargain shopper for nearly 30 years has never been about buying the cheapest thing I can find.
It’s about knowing when a price is worth jumping on, when another sale is probably coming, and when it’s perfectly okay to just buy the thing and move on with your life.