Linen shirts, light little dresses, shorts, flip flops, sunglasses, Ahhh. Funny how just as summer is fully taking hold and you’re reveling in wearing crisp whites, blues in every hue and fun neons (all looking good against your now-tan skin) fall clothes begin to come in.

Dun dun….

Mid-July, you’re in the zone hitting the beach, paddling or pedaling, and having sunset dinners… but in the stores, everything for summer is suddenly being edged out to make room for heavier fabrics in colors like olive and gray.  It’s a little depressing to see sweaters and boots start to replace periwinkle tees and soft sole sneakers. Yesterday I even saw firewood stacked the width of the entire market windows, and rows and rows of rust colored flowers in pots. NOT YET!

Take heart – these sales are good news for you! Prices on things you can still use for up to two more months (not to mention any holiday trips to warm climes) get slashed. As does everything from grills to patio furniture to beach towels and coolers.

Once sales start, go early and often to benefit from the best selection. And if you really love something, don’t leave it there, hoping to come back in a week and snag it further reduced.  It will likely be gone, so if you love it, snap it up.

In all this, we can forget that the biggest sales happen on Labor Day (often stretching for several days after), so if you have big ticket items to buy, like appliances, sports equipment and cars, wait to buy till those sales.

If you’re shopping online, say, at J Crew or EMS Sports, before you check out, Google the store name and the word coupon or discount code. See what comes up and try it in the coupon field as you get ready to pay. Usually the codes they offer to newsletter subscribers or in their mailed catalogues can be found this way and you can get money off or free shipping from doing this simple check.

Depending on where you live, you can still squeeze a few more weeks out of the sun and fun. I’m not sure who deemed Labor Day weekend as the end of summer, but I doth protest — and invite you to join me!