When it comes to saving money, sometimes the easiest way to save money is just to know when to shop. You can save hundreds of dollars a year by planning ahead. Here is a list, or a key, to what times of the year you’ll find the best deals on a variety of items.

Holiday Merchandise: Hands down the cheapest time to buy anything related to any holiday is the day after up to a week after. I have personally bought rolls of wrapping paper for 50 cents, chocolate milk gallons 3 for $5 (because it had pumpkins on it) and 1pound bags of Easter colored M&Ms for under a dollar.

If you want to buy a new tree, decorations, wrapping paper or lights, shop after the holiday and store it until you need it next year.

Clothing: You should buy clothes at the end of the season. So for example: Buy summer clothes in August and winter clothes in January of February. Stores start clearing out stock of the next season and mark their prices way down. Shoes vary but you should buy them at the end of season too, so purchase sandals in August and Sneakers in February.

You’ll have to guesstimate sizes for children for the next year to fully take advantage of these deals. When in doubt, go a little bigger than you anticipate.

Electronics: If ever you were to shop on Black Friday, it should be for electronics. You’ll get some of the best deals of the year during these sales but quantity is very limited so you aren’t guaranteed to get what you want.

Check throughout January for the lowest prices as people are expecting tax returns and stores are clearing shelves for the new models.

School Supplies: Hands down you will get the best deals on school supplies in July and August. The back-to-school sales are hard to beat. If at all possible, stock up your entire year’s worth of office supplies now. You can get crayons for 25 cents a box, folders for 10 cents and pencils for $1 a box. Some stores run really good deals that allow you to pay as little as 1 cent for items.

Outdoor furniture/toys: August. Because stores are clearing their summer items out, you’ll get the best deals then. Stock up on swim diapers, swimsuits, sprinklers, floaties and purchase that grill during the month of August to save big bucks.

You can save a lot of money by simply planning a head and buying in advance. Remember the words of Sheri Dew that remind us the family budget will not feed extra mouths or extra wants. If you buy a lot of something when it’s cheap, you won’t run out when it’s expensive.