How to Score a Bargain on Just About Anything

Soaring gas prices, inflated grocery bills and high utilities costs are biting into everyone's budget lately, and dwindling dollars are causing shoppers to hunt for bargains.

Scoping out sales, buying secondhand and sticking to cheaper retailers are always good strategies for the savvy consumer. But sometimes saving money can all come down to one thing - good timing.

The best times to buy vary depending on the product. Here is a guide for some of the most common or big-ticket purchases:

- Real estate: With the current market, house hunters can pretty much take their pick, as most of the United States has a glut of homes for sale. However, experts say buying in the summer or winter is usually best.

Many people put their homes up for sale in the summer, so buyers can take advantage of lots of options as well competitive pricing. The middle of winter is also a good time to haggle. Most people choose not to move in the colder months, making desperate sellers more willing to lower their price.

- Airplane tickets: Experts agree - Wednesday is the best day to buy airplane tickets. Why? Airlines tend to make fare changes and run sales on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings.

Plan on buying your tickets two to three weeks in advance, as prices rise 14 to 7 days before a flight. If you can't plan that far ahead, experts say you should wait to buy your tickets until a few days before the flight, when airlines are desperate to fill empty seats.

- Television sets: Experts differ on the exact time to buy. Some say hitting the post-Christmas, pre-Super Bowl sales in January is ideal. Others recommend April, as many Japanese companies have fiscal years that end in March. At that time, older models will be discounted up to 20 percent to make way for new ones, they said.

- Appliances: Experts say shopping on holiday weekends for refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens and the like is the easiest way to score a bargain. Most retailers have their largest sales on just about every three-day weekend, from the big ones (Fourth of July) to the small ones (Columbus Day).

- Toys and video games: Pre- and post-holiday sales still offer the best bargains when it comes to kids' stuff, experts say. Otherwise, shop off-season for toys. Had your eye on a swimming pool or playground set for junior? Wait until the end of summer to get it, when stores are making room for back-to-school merchandise.

- Cars: Late summer and early fall, when dealers gets rid of last year's models to make room for the new, are still the best times to buy. Customers can also score a better deal by shopping at the end of the month, when salespeople are trying to meet their monthly quotas.

Heading to the car lot in the early morning, mid-week or in winter is also a good strategy - fewer people shop for cars at this time, so dealers are usually willing to haggle more.

- Gas: It's hard to save much money on gas these days, but timing your purchase just right could save you a few cents a gallon. Experts recommend hitting the pumps early in the morning or late in the evening on a weekday.

Stations change their gas prices daily between 10 a.m. and noon. Pay attention to gas price trends and buy early if they're on the rise, later if they're expected to decline. Avoid buying gas on weekends as prices tend to rise in anticipation of increased demand.