Best and Worst Buys of July 2013

If you plan to squeeze in a little shopping between summer cookouts, a trip to the beach or time at the lake, you will be able to save some money if you have certain items on your list. Here’s what you can expect to find on sale in July -- and what you should wait a little longer to buy, according to dealnews.com, which analyzes deals from past years to predict what will be discounted this year, and Deals2Buy.com, a site for discounts and close-out inventory offers.

What's on sale this month ...

In-season items. Fourth of July sales offer a rare opportunity to get discounts on seasonal items while they're actually in season. You'll see plenty of sales on swimwear, summer apparel, grills and patio furniture (see our guide). However, if you wait until the end of the month as stores try to clear out their summer inventory, you'll probably see prices drop even more on these items, says Mike Spankie, senior merchandising manager of Deals2Buy.com.

Laptops. Intel introduced a new processor, Haswell, in June, so expect to see deals on Ivy-Bridge systems this month. Dealnews.com expects prices on mainstream 15-inch laptops with Ivy Bridge processors to reach or fall below their all-time low of $299.

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Tablets. The large number of deals on Android tablets in May and June should carry over into July. In particular, look for retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, Lenovo, Staples and Walmart to have sales on HP's Slate tablet. Also look for deals on refurbished iPads on CowBoom and eBay.

HDTVs. You might not need to wait until Black Friday to get a good deal on an HDTV. Dealnews.com reports that some 2013 models already are being marked down as much as 40%. Of the name-brand manufacturers, LG is offering the biggest discounts -- and on all sizes of TVs. And you can find name-brand 55-inch 2012 models for less than $800 now.

Wait a little longer to buy ...

Bedding. You might see some retailers advertising Fourth of July bedding sales, but you should wait until Labor Day sales to find better discounts, according to dealnews.com.

Desktop computers. Although laptops are on sale now, desktop prices are more likely to drop in the fall. Mainstream systems tend to go on sale in September, and higher-end models usually are discounted in November, according to dealnews.com.