Need home remodeling supplies, such as lighting, paint or wallpaper?
For the most part, you probably won't find huge deals on home fix-up supplies during December, says Daniel Butler, vice president of merchandising and retail operations for the National Retail Federation.
Expect better deals: Retailers and manufacturers tend to offer sales and deals on remodeling supplies in the spring and summer, he says.
And if you want a deal on carpeting (by the room, not area rugs), look for sales in January and February, when you can often save 25 percent to 50 percent, says Butler.
What is on sale: Home appliances, mattresses and box springs are on sale.
Sure, you'll see those January appliance sales. But since many people will treat themselves at the holidays, you'll see deals now, too, Butler says. So look for discounts of 20 percent to 40 percent.
And you can save 10 percent to 25 percent on tools, says Hillary Mendelsohn, author of "thepurplebook" online shopping series and founder of ThePurpleBook.com. "There are fantastic buys during the holidays, and you get gift sets that you don't get during the year."