Earlier this month, I wrote about the best things to buy in April.

Now let’s look at the best things to do in April:

Sell your stuff at a garage sale. The masses have an expectation that there will be a lot of garage sales starting in April. They’re in the mood to go to these sales and make it a part of their weekend morning routine. And spend their money on your junk.

Plant annuals. This is true for most of the Lower 48 states, though it might be a good idea to wait until May if you live in the extreme north. The key is planting after the last frost of winter. Most annuals don’t survive frost, unlike perennials, which tend to be heartier and can be planted as early as March and also in the fall.

Go to thrift stores. Sure, you can luck out and find a treasure at thrift stores any time of the year, but your chances are greater in the spring, when homeowners start cleaning out their attics, garages and closets and hauling their unwanted things to these stores. They often get very crowded with merchandise this time of year, forcing managers to mark down things, especially winter items. Be on the lookout for cashmere sweaters and wool hats and scarves.

Go to Cancun. Wait until the second half of the month, after spring break and before the largest crowds start to arrive in May. Because it’s technically off season, you can get good deals at many of the all-inclusive resorts. And if that weren’t enough, the weather is good – warm and dry but not yet unbearably hot and humid – and the mosquitoes haven’t yet come out to play.

Go to Southern Europe. If you want to save some money – and who doesn’t – April is a good month to go to Madrid, Athens or Rome. Not only will you save on airfare and hotels, but you’ll spend less time in lines at the tourist hotspots. The weather, while definitely cooler and rainier than in the summer, is mild and pleasant in this part of the continent in April.

Scuba dive in the Caribbean.  If you talk with enough divers you’ll hear about wonderful dives they’ve had during every month of the year. But here’s a case for April: First, rainfall is low in April throughout the Caribbean, and that almost always means visibility is high because less rain means less rainwater washing soil into the sea. Second, with few storms in April, the sea is often calm. Third, the peak tourism season ends in mid-April, so if you go during the latter half of the month, you’ll save on airfare and lodging.

What things do you think are best done in April?
 

For the two non-spammers out there who are reading this blog, here  is my list of the best things to buy in April:

Running shoes. Shoe companies sponsor charity walks and races throughout the year, but many are in April, when non-serious runners start hitting the pavement again after their winter hibernation. Sales tend to accompany these races because retailers know that many of these runners are looking for new shoes.

Office furniture and equipment. Office supply stores know that a lot of home-based businesses start up when they have the money to do so, and that’s often right after fledgling owners receive their tax refund checks, often in April. You can save at least 25 percent and often more on desks, filing cabinets and leather desk chairs starting in April.

Vacuum cleaners. Need help with spring cleaning? April is one of two months – the other is May – when shoppers can find great deals on vacuum cleaners. Retailers drop prices then to make room for new models that arrive in stores in June.

Produce. April is the first month of the year when a lot of fruits and vegetables are in season. When produce is in season, the flavors are at their peak, and the prices usually are lower because the produce is more plentiful and grocers don’t want to see them rot in their stores. In April, look for grapefruit, oranges, pineapples, strawberries, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, green onions, lettuce, peas, rhubarb and spinach.

Jewelry. April is one of the six non-gift-giving months. Buy jewelry for Mother’s Day gifts in April, not in May, when prices are higher.

Cookware. April and May are good months to shop for cookware. Sales in the spring coincide with college graduations.

Go to thrift stores. Sure, you can luck out and find a treasure at thrift stores any time of the year, but your chances are greater in the spring, when homeowners start cleaning out their attics, garages and closets and hauling their unwanted things to these stores. They often get very crowded with merchandise this time of year, forcing managers to mark down things, especially winter items. Be on the lookout for cashmere sweaters and wool hats and scarves.

What good deals do you find in April?

For those of you who have been waiting for more information about the best times to buy things and go places, I apologize for not posting something sooner.

We’re five days into March, so here are the best times to buy and do things this month:

Buy:

Perfume. Department stores and other retailers sell a lot of perfume at regular price in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. You’ll see decent sales after that. Be smart and buy your Mother’s Day gift in March.

High-definition TVs. Electronics, including TVs, often go on sale in March because the fiscal year for Japanese manufacturers ends on March 31. Japanese manufacturers release new models in April – right after their fiscal year ends on March 31 — so retailers need to cut prices on older models in March to make room for the new models.

Frozen foods. March is National Frozen Food Month, an invention of the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association, a trade group that, among other things, encourages the distribution of frozen food coupons in March. So you’ll see more frozen food coupons in March.

Snow blowers. Stores don’t want these big things taking up space in the spring, so they  discount them starting just before winter ends, in March. Expect to pay 60 percent to 80 percent of what you would pay from October through February. The only downside to buying one in March is that you’ll have to find a big empty place in your garage to store it for eight or nine months before you’ll use it for the first time.

Sell:

Household goods online. Spring cleaning starts in March, and that’s when many people decide to sell unwanted things. A lot of these things are sold online, before garage sale season begins in April.

Motorcycles. When the weather becomes warmer, people start thinking about riding motorcycles, and prices for new and used motorcycles remain the same or spike because the demand is high. If you have a used motorcycle to sell, you can expect to get top dollar for it in March, when prospective buyers tend to be eager.

Do:

Ski and snowboard. As long as you stay away during spring break, ski resorts in March are less crowded and often offer great deals on lessons to lure skiers and snow boarders back to the slopes. And you can be certain there will be plenty of snow in March.

Relieve the winter doldrums. By March, nearly half of all Northerners have experienced some sort of winter-induced blues, and it’s also the month in which those with seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, suffer the most. Go somewhere sunny to get some relief. You don’t have to go somewhere warm. Hitting the slopes can be just as therapeutic as hitting the beaches, as long as you soak in plenty of sunshine.

If you have something to share, please do.

A month ago, a gallon of unleaded gasoline cost an average of  $3.27. Today, it’s $3.73.

Ugh.

OPEC’s decision to cut oil production by 1 million gallons a day triggered this increase. You can’t do anything about that, but you do, believe it or not, have some control over what you pay, because there is a best time to buy gasoline.

In fact, there is a best time of day and a best day of the week.

The best time of the day is the morning, but it may not be why you think, so let’s start by debunking a myth: Gasoline may be more dense during the coldest time of the day, but only barely, so those who say you get more for your money by buying gas then are only barely right. The temperature of gas when it is dispensed varies only slightly, and any extra gas you get by pumping in the morning, when it’s usually coldest, is so small that it’s difficult to measure.

The real reason to buy gasoline in the morning? Gas stations often change prices between 10 a.m. and noon, after checking out the competition’s prices in the morning. And, of course, changing prices these days means they’ll raise prices then, not lower them.

The best day of the week to buy gasoline is Wednesday. If nothing is happening in the world to cause gas prices to be increased, Thursday is the most common day for that to happen. Gas station managers and owners may want to pick the pocket of weekend travelers, and raising prices on Thursday ensures that that will happen.

Before you go, here are some money-saving tips:

1) Make sure your tires have the right pressure.

2) Use the cheaper regular unleaded fuel whenever you can.

3) Avoid idling for more than a minute and making sudden stops and starts.

4) Don’t weigh your car down with things you don’t need, especially rooftop carriers, which can cut your mileage by as much as 15 percent. In a test conducted by Consumer Reports, a rooftop carrier lowered the gas mileage of a Toyota Camry traveling at 65 mph from 35 miles per gallon to 29.

5) Contrary to popular belief, dirty air filters don’t hurt fuel efficiency, at least not on modern engines, which use computers to control the ratio between air and fuel. Even so, air filters do an important job, so don’t let them get dirty.

6) Most people know that opening your car windows while you drive creates an aerodynamic drag that slightly reduces gas mileage, but if you’re traveling at highway speeds, that reduction in gas mileage is the same as if you turn on your air conditioner.

Got any other gas-related tips to share?

February is already here, and it’s time to let you know about a few smart things to do this month.

• Prune trees. Pruning is less stressful for trees when they’re not growing, and pruning in the winter gives trees time to heal before the growing season. You also don’t have to worry about insect infestation then, and winter pruning also makes it easier for the pruner, whose can see better without leaves in the way.
• Go to a dermatologist. In the winter, when your skin is most fair, it is easier for your dermatologist to find moles or blotches that can lead to skin cancer.
• Lose weight. Winter is a great time, believe it or not. To understand why, you need to know about brown fat. Brown fat burns calories instead of storing them, and it goes into overdrive – burning and burning and burning – when we feel cold. A study with people sitting in a room chilled to 61 to 66 degrees found that their brown fat burned calories at a faster rate than if they were in a warmer room.
• Go to Vegas. That’s right. February is one of the best — and cheapest — months of the year to go to Las Vegas. In order to attract gamblers and other tourists, airfare is a good deal, and hotel rates are lower.

Any other February tips? Please share them.