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How will you stimulate?

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By Helen Malani, Scripps Howard | Thursday, May 08, 2008 |

The much-anticipated rebates from the federal economic stimulus package are already being mailed. And whether you decide to spend, save or pay off debt, the bottom line is that it’ll be nice to have a bit of extra cash on hand. If you choose to put some greenbacks back into the economy, make sure your dollars stretch as far as possible with these items that are deeply discounted during May:

Sports Equipment: The weather is heating up and, accordingly, sporting goods stores are preparing to put out equipment for the summer sports season such as scuba gear and tennis rackets. At the same time, they need to get rid of excess winter gear, so now’s the time to pick up a discounted hockey stick or a football helmet.

Athletic Footwear: Sports sales also extend to athletic shoes since stores are updating their inventory for warmer months and are eager to get rid of shoes that have outlived their welcome.

Small Consumer Electronics: MP3 players, digital cameras and DVD players — oh my! Keep your eye out for sales on these items in the month of May. As moms get more high-tech (or their kids want them to), electronics have become increasingly popular gifts for Mother’s Day. This means that lots of stores mark them down for the holiday — and you get good deals! If you’re not in a rush to buy any new gadgets (or your check comes later than May), then you’ll still get good rates in June for Father’s Day and graduations.

Towels and Linens: Flannel sheets off, bamboo or crisp cotton sheets on. By May, many stores have already put out their warmer-weather lines of towels and linens, which means that winter home items can be had for a song if you’re willing to shop the clearance racks. And what self-respecting bargain shopper isn’t?

Big Sales: You also want to keep your eye out for big sales surrounding Mother’s Day and Memorial Day weekends. And begin looking around a few days before Memorial Day to scope out who has sales on what. It’s a good time to find discounts on almost anything from clothes to cars to washing machines, if you look around.