Vegetables, fruits, tickets: what and how to buy in August

Not only “catch” a swimsuit on sale, but also sign up at the visa center

For many Russians, 2022 was marked by the need to seriously think about saving, including on food. Many remembered the old tricks of preparing stocks for the winter, and the hunt for discounts has become much more in demand. MK found out what goods should be paid attention to in August if there is an intention to save money, and how the crisis has changed the habits of buyers.

The most obvious is seasonal vegetables and fruits. For those who have their own gardens and summer cottages, this is irrelevant, but city residents may think about buying a few kilos of vegetables and fruits at a wholesale price. Even the most unsympathetic large zucchini at 30-40 rubles per kilo can be cut into cubes and frozen for the winter – and this will come out much cheaper than buying fresh vegetables out of season or ready-made store frosts. The same applies to sweet peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. Well, frozen berries will be much more useful than jams and compotes that summer residents are used to preparing for the winter.

The list of the most profitable purchases of August included picnic goods – baskets, disposable tablecloths, plastic utensils and even meat grills. As marketing specialist Snezhana Guryeva explained in a conversation with an MK correspondent, large supermarkets always put these goods in a prominent place (and at inflated prices) at the beginning of the season, but in August they try to get rid of them:

— No one usually monitors the dynamics of prices for picnic baskets, it’s not potatoes, which we buy all the time. We buy when needed, usually at the beginning of the season. However, discounts can reach 70-80%, so in August, even if the picnics are over, look: do you need something new?

With the same principles, according to Guryeva, you can approach the purchase of goods for the beach – umbrellas, plastic deck chairs, straw bags and hats, sunscreen, and even more so swimwear.

“The winners are those whose vacation is scheduled for September or even October, for the velvet season: you can get new clothes profitably,” explains the marketer. – However, you should not miss the opportunity to buy something for next year, just keep an eye on the expiration date: sunscreen, for example, can go bad.

As for summer clothes and even swimwear, in light of the current economic situation, buyers can even count on double discounts. First, the usual sales of summer collections begin in those stores that operate as usual: linen sundresses and shorts, which appeared on the shelves in June, can already be bought at half price. Secondly, the final discounts are announced by those brands that are in a hurry to liquidate the remnants of goods before the final withdrawal from the Russian market. So you can update your summer wardrobe with nice little things like sunglasses for almost nothing.

Also in August, you can think about buying tours for the New Year holidays – according to experts in the tourism industry, most of the clients begin to think about plans for January only in the fall, leaving summer holidays behind. Therefore, those who are ready to plan and choose now have the opportunity to take advantage of good offers.

– Of course, now we need to take into account the dynamically changing foreign policy situation, and we need to plan foreign trips with caution. However, the practice of early booking still exists, and thanks to it you can save up to 30%,” said Natalia Repina, an employee of one of the travel agencies. According to her, first of all, we are talking about trips within Russia, as well as to friendly countries, for example, to Georgia, Armenia or Turkey.

Those who, despite all the difficulties, still set their sights on the winter holidays in Europe (together we hope that nothing goes wrong!), Now you need to take care of applying for a visa – in the Moscow visa centers of France and Italy, for example, as well as in The Finnish visa center in St. Petersburg is now full, and the registration is stretched for 2 months in advance. Accordingly, in August it is worth signing up for October – in order to be able to fly away in January.