There are best times to buy that!

There's a best time to buy just about anything, but knowing which product will go on sale at what time isn't always easy. Below are five great times to shop:

Thursdays

Shopping at a brickand-mortar store on a Thursday afternoon or evening can be cost-effective.

"Thursday is an important day for consumers to know because that's when stores take markdowns," said Kristen Regine, a professor of marketing at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. "They're prepping for the weekend. They know they're going to get the most foot traffic on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays."

Holiday weekends Expect big deals on weekends leading up to holidays, says Darrin Duber-smith of Metropolitan State University of Denver.

"A three-day weekend is always great for buying," Duber-smith said. Clearance events

A key is buying products when retailers are liquidating them and moving them to the clearance rack. For example, furniture is typically restocked twice a year — February and August — according to Duber-smith. That means older furniture styles are usually on sale in January and July.

Same time as last year Regine points out that Sephora has a big makeup sale each May, Old Navy has a flip-flop sale each June and Amazon hosts its Prime Day sale each July.

To learn about sales, Regine suggests asking a store sales associate about current and upcoming promotions.

When apps tell you

You don't have to do all the legwork on your own. Regine recommends leaning on technology to help you figure out when you should buy something you've been eyeing for a while.

To keep track of the various promotions and deals, she likes Shop It to Me and the Krazy Coupon Lady, both of which are shopping apps that will notify you of price drops.