What to buy, and not buy, in April

The month of April brings spring showers, flowers, and some great deals in the store. But unlike February, which has President's Day sales, and May, which has Memorial Day, April doesn't have a lot of big sale weekends.

Instead, it’s more about buying things you can enjoy outdoors and things to help with spring cleaning, indoors and out.

Cleaning discounts

Samantha Gordon, the deals editor for Consumer Reports, says to expect a lot of discounts on vacuums.

"Whether that's handheld vacuums or robo vacs, robo mops or stick vacuums, whatever you're looking for, there are a lot of discounts there," she said.

She says you will also find markdowns on carpet cleaners, steam cleaners and home air purifiers as people clean their homes for spring.

Next, Gordon recommends looking for product deals to clean up your lawn.

"Whether that's lawnmowers, or chainsaws, or string trimmers or leaf blowers," she said.

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Great sales on the great outdoors

But she says you don’t have to wait for Memorial Day sales to spruce up your outdoor space.

"Look for things like patio umbrellas and patio furniture, which tend to be discounted early in spring," she said.

Gordon says even with promises of sales, you should always do comparison shopping before buying. That starts with checking different products tested by Consumer Reports, plus Consumer Reports lists of the best deals on those products.

What to wait on? TVs and appliances typically see huge markdowns for Memorial Day sales, While you will find some good deals on those in April, the biggest sales come a few weeks later.