5 Creative Ways to Save Money in September

Cue the pre-winter wanderlust—but, as it turns out, Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to act on it, thanks to massive deals and discounts on everything from hotels to car rentals to flights. This means now is the ideal time to book that January getaway to St. John. Or that March trip to Disney World. Your best bet for scoring savings is to scour websites like Orbitz or Kayak. (Just be sure to put your browser in incognito mode first as you compare/contrast travel costs.)

Big reveal: September is the month that 2019 cars start to hit the lot. This means that car dealerships are under a huge amount of pressure to move their merch—aka sell (or lease) any remaining 2018 models fast. Basically, it’s a great time to haggle and negotiate on everything from your monthly car payments to the total cost of the car itself.

Waiting to shop until after September 15 is more about a strategy—in other words, what are the basics your kid needs to get through the first few weeks? Pick those items up (think notebooks and pens) now, but wait to invest in the pricier items like backpacks and calculators until mid-month when stores start to slash prices to clear out inventory. (Savings could be as high as 25 percent off.)

As soon as the back-to-school rush in August is over, stores are already on to holiday, which is why it’s smart to shop for new fall outfits toward the end of September. If you do, you can expect to see steep discounts on everything from basics like denim (which tends to be overstocked for BTS) bags, shoes and dresses.

If Apple history repeats itself, the new edition of the iPhone will be unveiled in early September. Which means both the iPhone 8 and iPhone X should go on sale almost overnight. Get excited.