Right time to save some money
Benjamin Franklin said that time is money. And, I might add, timing also matters. Whether your goal is to boost your credit score or save on airfare, it can make a difference when you take action.
Check your credit reports: Two months before you apply for credit is a good time to order your reports from the three major bureaus through www.annualcreditreport.com. That gives you time to resolve errors that could be dampening your score. Order all three so you can catch errors that may appear on only one report.
Book a flight: To save on airfare in the U.S., leave (and return) on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, say the experts at FareCompare.com. Those days are unpopular with business and leisure travelers, who tend to plan their vacations around the school or workweek. Swoop in on plane tickets about two months in advance to get the best fare. Expedia’s 2016 air-travel outlook found that last year, economy fares were lowest 57 days before departure. You’ll have to plan further out for trips abroad; flights to Europe, for example, were cheapest 176 days in advance. Book a cruise: Don’t limit yourself to “wave season,” the first three months of the year, when cruise lines tend to hawk deals. A rule of thumb that applies yearround: Buy a year in advance if you want free perks, or within three months of departure if you care more about a bargain than the location of your cabin, says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com.
Get a mortgage: Shop later in the morning, when lenders who tweak their rates daily have probably incorporated market news into their prices. To avoid adding to your closing costs, wait to close on your home loan until late in the month. You’ll avoid prepaying interest that accrues daily from the date you close through the end of the month.
Fill your gas tank: When it’s time to get gas, you can save a few pennies per gallon in many states on the weekend, according to a survey by GasBuddy. That may be because commodity prices are stable when the markets are closed, and extra traffic to the pumps over the weekend leads to more competition among gas stations. But prices can vary widely, so shop for the cheapest prices with the GasBuddy app.
List your home for sale: The ideal window is between May 1 and May 15, according to Zillow, the real estate data firm. On average, that’s the time frame when homes in the 25 biggest metro areas in the U.S. sell fastest and at the highest prices. For a more precise recommendation for your market, try Zillow’s Best Time to List tool under “Sell Your Home” on a home details page.