No one can deny that furniture shopping can be a challenge. Most furniture that complements your overall style and home aesthetics are expensive. As such, finding furniture that fits both your budget and desired aesthetic is challenging. Thankfully, it’s not impossible. The key to meeting both these criteria is timing. Much like how fashion is heavily influenced by the seasons, so too is furniture. There are certain months or seasons that offer better furniture deals than others.
You can always count on finding good furniture deals around the time of major holidays. Whether you’d rather avoid the holiday rush or don’t like buying your furniture all at once, however, you can find deals throughout the year as well. Here’s a quick guide on when to buy certain types of furniture.
The Best Time to Buy Indoor Furniture
The months of January and February are generally the best time to go hunting for new indoor furniture. The last months of summer, around late August and September, often have good indoor furniture deals, too. Whether you’re looking to buy a couch, a dining table, or a bed, these are the months to do it.
These months coincide with the restocking cycle of most furniture stores and brands. The furniture industry mostly follows a biannual stocking schedule. This means the latest furniture styles and designs enter the retail floors at the start of spring and fall.
Retailers aim to clear their old stock before releasing the latest furniture pieces. As such, most furniture brands and stores sell last season’s stock at discounted rates.
Make sure to mark holiday weekends during these months, as well. Bargain furniture deals are common during Presidents’ Day in February and Labor Day in September.
The Best Time to Buy Office Furniture
The sudden rise of remote working led many people to realize how lacking their home office setup is, both for productivity and practicality. A lot of people suddenly found themselves buying office desks, ergonomic chairs, and more.
Unfortunately, though, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders came down around March and April. While not the worst, these are far from the best time to buy office furniture.
Although office furniture also counts as indoor furniture, retailers often have separate sale cycles or better bargains for these pieces. The best time of the year to buy furniture for your new home office is during the back-to-school season. This often runs from August to September, though there might still be some good deals around early October.
Another great time to buy office furniture is during the tax season. This spans from January to mid-April. During this season, some retailers offer bargain deals on office furniture to target new companies or businesses updating their furniture for the new tax year.
The Best Time to Buy Outdoor Furniture
Homeowners looking to buy outdoor furniture will find the best sales during summer and early fall. Grills, pool lounge chairs, and other patio furniture often go on sale on the Fourth of July and Labor Day.
Retailers usually schedule outdoor furniture sales starting around August until around October to clear out their stock before the cold weather sets in.
Some furniture stores start to stock up on new outdoor furniture in February, the middle of March, and the middle of April. This means it is also possible to find discounted patio furniture in the months before they stock up.
The Best Time to Buy Custom Furniture
The rules change when it comes to custom furniture. Unlike stores that sell commercialized and pre-made furniture, custom furniture makers and retailers are not expected to follow seasonal sales. There is only a small chance that they may have holiday promotions.
If you’re interested in made-to-order or custom furniture, there is usually little reason to wait for sales. However, if you know the maker well or know a friend who does, you may be able to figure out when their next sale is likely to be.
If they have a mailing list, you may want to sign up for that as well, since most mailing lists will send out when the next promotions and deals will be. Of course, these sales are often difficult to plan for, so you’ll have to weigh whether saving time or saving money is more worth it.
The Best Time to Buy Thrifted Furniture
Like custom furniture, those who want to maximize their budget by sticking to used, thrifted, or consigned furniture have limited options. Major holidays to go thrift furniture shopping on are Memorial Day and Fourth of July.
Yard sales usually abound around January, when people try to declutter their homes as part of their New Year’s resolutions. The same goes during the spring months when homeowners are busy with spring cleaning.
July or August may also be good times to go thrift store shopping for furniture. Many families move before the new school year starts and may want to lessen their load.
The Best Holiday Sales for Furniture Shopping
There’s no doubt that holidays are the best time of the year to buy furniture. No matter the holiday season, stores time their promotional cycles accordingly so that people on a break can spend their time (and money) shopping.
Now, the question is, “What holiday sales offer the best furniture deals?”
Most people might immediately think that it’s the Black Friday (or weekend) and Cyber Monday sales after Thanksgiving. Although there are a lot of large markdowns during this holiday season, they are still far from the best.
As we mentioned earlier, new seasonal furniture styles and designs come out around spring and fall. That means any holiday weekend sale just before that would be the best time of the year to buy furniture.
This way, you can take advantage of not only the holiday sales but also the seasonal, everything-must-go markdowns to clear out old stock.
In January, you have the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend. Meanwhile, in February, we have Presidents Day. Towards the end of summer, there are plenty of furniture sales for the Fourth of July and Labor Day in September.
It is also worth noting that many states have tax-free weekends in August. During this sales tax holiday, sales tax on clothing, school supplies, and computer equipment are waived. You may find some good deals in stores that count desks and chairs as school supplies.
Keep an eye out for major sales from large retailers like Amazon and Wayfair. Even if you prefer other furniture sellers, they may also schedule their sales during that time to compete with these more prominent names.
The Worst Time to Buy Furniture
We’ve already covered the best time of the year to buy furniture. Still, it is also worth noting the worst times or the months to avoid furniture shopping.
If you’re looking to save money and maximize your budget, avoid buying indoor furniture during February. Additionally, early fall is one of the worst times to buy furniture, as new products are usually available during this time.
For outdoor furniture, avoid buying in the months leading to the spring and summer seasons. Early summer may still have relatively high prices, with retailers starting on sales and discounts around the Fourth of July.
Last Furniture Shopping Advice
Buying furniture requires careful planning and deliberation. Purchasing long-lasting, beautiful, and budget-friendly furniture pieces means investing in your home and your overall quality of life.
Be patient, do your research, and compare different retailers to ensure you are poised to get the best deals when they come. Waiting for the best time of the year to buy furniture will pay off.