What to buy in February 2023, according to experts

February brings lots of reasons to shop, including Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day and the Big Game, to name a few — and with these events comes a variety of sales throughout the month to shop, too. With that being said, we talked to experts about what to buy in February and what you may want to hold off on to buy later on in the year, if possible.

With several holidays, tax season preparation and the Big Game filling up the majority of February, retailers are slashing prices on products across categories this month. But not every deal is necessarily worth shopping right now, so it’s helpful to hone in on a few key categories to ensure you’re spending wisely. Below, we list the types of products our experts think you should consider buying in February.

• Flowers, jewelry and fragrances: Valentine’s Day spending is expected to hit $25.9 billion in 2023, according to the National Retail Federation. This month, popular gifts like flowers, candy, cards, fragrances and jewelry are typically on sale. You’ll usually start to see deals from flowery delivery services leading up to Valentine’s Day, while some of the lowest prices on fragrances and jewelry come after the holiday when retailers “are scrambling to sell what’s about to become unwanted leftovers,” said Kristin McGrath, shopping expert at RetailMeNot. Fragrances and beauty-related gift sets tend to drop in price after Feb. 14, specifically at beauty department stores, she said. McGrath also noted jewelry after Valentine’s Day is a smart buy. “Valentine’s Day is the last major jewelry gifting event until Mother’s Day, so expect baubles to be priced to sell,” she explained.
• Tax preparation software: Retailers that sell tax preparation software pepper e-Filers with deals up to 25% off on state and federal tax filings online this month. “It's like getting a refund before you even file,” said Vipin Porwal, CEO and consumer savings expert at Smarty. Additionally, McGrath said most tax-prep services allow you to import previous years’ returns from their competitors, allowing you to easily switch providers if you want to take advantage of a specific deal.
• TVs: “Aside from Black Friday, the weeks leading up to the Big Game (Feb. 12) are one of the best times of the year to buy a TV,” McGrath said. “We tend to see some Black Friday-repeat pricing on budget-friendly sets, as well as some tempting prices on higher-quality TVs,” she added. Porwal also said you’ll find savings up to 40% on TV models as large as 75 inches.

• Spring apparel: Retailers will start rolling out spring apparel around February, but resist adding warm weather clothing, shoes and accessories to your cart if you can. McGrath said you can typically find the best deals on spring apparel in May and June.
• Patio furniture: Similar to spring apparel, new patio furniture also becomes available to purchase this month. But if you’re looking for a good deal, wait until September. Retailers start to slash prices in the fall to clear out excess inventory as the weather starts to get cooler.
• Electronics: Other than TVs, McGrath recommended waiting to buy other types of electronics like laptops and headphones this month. She said you’ll find deals closer to Memorial Day or Amazon Prime Day.

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Presidents Day, the three-day weekend from Feb. 18 to 20, offers sales across categories like home goods, large appliances, mattresses and sleep systems and home decor. Discounts range from 20% to 50% on big-ticket home items, Porwal said. He also mentioned that Presidents Day also marks the official start to winter clearance, so you’ll find deep discounts from 20% to 80% on winter outerwear, seasonal clothing, sports and outdoors items.

At Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure that all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and with no undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.

• Kristin McGrath a shopping expert at RetailMeNot. She specializes in helping shoppers make the best savings decisions, and getting the best deal on purchases big and small.
• Vipin Porwal is the founder and a consumer savings expert at Smarty, a cashback browser extension.

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