I have you covered if you’re wondering what to stock up on in August. Be sure to organize your pantry and make room for the food items you need that you can find marked down in price. I love updating my monthly “Stock Up On Series” yearly.
Kids will be heading back to school and will probably need those back-to-school clothes, including shoes and also school supplies. Have everyone organize their bedrooms before you go shopping. Separate the items in their closets and dressers and take inventory to help determine what might be needed.
Take a weekend and donate the clothes that no longer fit the kids living at home. If you can trade clothes with neighbors, that’s awesome too! It’s a perfect month to declutter.
August sits right at the start of hurricane season’s most active stretch. NOAA’s 2026 Atlantic outlook calls for a below-normal season overall. Still, forecasters are clear that even one storm can bring flooding, wind damage, and days without power to a family that never sees a hurricane make landfall nearby.
Historically, the season really ramps up from August through October, with the climatological peak falling in mid-September, so August is the natural month to finish testing generators, checking flashlights, and rotating water rather than waiting until a storm is already in the forecast.
August is also considered the best month of the whole year for canning tomatoes. Home canning experts describe August as tomato season, since tomatoes, peaches, plums, and cucumbers are all hitting peak ripeness and lowest prices at the same time. This is a good moment to set your plans to can spaghetti sauce, tomato jam, peach barbecue sauce, and bread-and-butter pickles, since the produce is cheap and abundant, and prices climb again once the harvest tapers off in September.
On the household side, back-to-school season overlaps with end-of-summer clearance, which retail analysts say makes August one of the strongest deal months of the year. Beyond notebooks and pens, this is when families can find some of the year’s lowest prices on printers, wireless routers, and other electronics, along with deep discounts on patio furniture, grills, and other outdoor gear as stores clear space for fall inventory. Many states also hold sales tax-free weekends in August, which is worth mentioning since it’s a smart time for readers to buy bigger-ticket preparedness items like laptops or emergency supplies without paying tax.
What To Stock Up On In August
Corn On The Cob
If you have freezer space, you may want to buy several dozen ears of corn when they’re at their lowest price of the year. If you need help on how to shuck and freeze corn, check out my Freeze Corn On The Cob post. Nothing’s better than steaming a bag of frozen corn in mid-winter. It’s super sweet because it was picked at the season’s peak.
Grapes: Red and Green Seedless
You know how delicious it is when you bite into a sweet grape? Oh my, oh my. These were so good. I’ve heard people will taste grapes in the store before buying them. I’ve never had the nerve to do it, and I like to wash fruits and veggies before I put them in my mouth. But hey, if it works for you, you’re on your own!
Pineapples
I saw these pineapples today, and I had to stop in my tracks to check them out. Of course, I bought two; the price was fair for today’s market. I love fresh pineapples. They weren’t cheap enough to dehydrate, but we enjoyed eating them.
Peaches
I pick up some delicious yellow flesh peaches this time of year. I’m not as fond of the white flesh peaches. Maybe it’s where I live, but these yellow peaches are easy to peel after blanching. To do that, put the peaches in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then plunge them into icy cold water.
These are sweet and don’t need any additional sweetener at all. You may want to try making my Peach Glaze!
Raspberries and Strawberries
Mark and I just picked up some raspberries and strawberries from Costco, and boy, are they fabulous! They’re picked at just the right time of the year. I hope to make some freezer raspberry jam in the next day or two. Now, we need to make some strawberry shortcake with whipping cream. That’s a family favorite dessert this time of year.
College Student Needs
Thank you, Lee, for reminding me that college students need stuff like the younger students we buy for. I remember my grandkids getting ready for college. They need sheets, blankets, pillows, laundry detergent, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, razors, hand sanitizer, and containers for stocking their food. College Student First Aid Kit: First Aid Kit-Hard Red Case
They’re always on sale this time of year, just before we send the students to school. Look for small appliances on sale; they may need those as well for that new apartment/dorm living. Don’t forget printer paper; they typically have it all on sale at this time of year!
School Supplies-Backpacks
August is the month to fill those backpacks with notebooks, pencils, tablets, lined paper, and erasers. Don’t forget the pencil sharpeners, scissors, markers, calculators, and rulers.
It’s a fun time to see the new notebook colors so the kids can gear up for another year of learning, whether you homeschool or send them to public schools. You can see the smiles for days when they have that special notebook they need.
School Clothes-Shoes
The stores just got their inventories for school, and the sales will be excellent for shirts, slacks, shorts, dress shirts, blouses, skirts, sweaters, jackets, and coats. They typically have 30-40% off the first two weeks of August. The closer it gets to September, the lower the supply, and the prices increase.
Back To School-Underwear-Socks
It’s a good time to refresh the underwear drawer when you pick up school clothes for the kids. You can save money, and the kids have new socks that fit for the coming year. You’ll see many stores with 40-50% discounts this time of year on T-shirts, underpants, briefs, and boxers.
Paper For The Printer
Not only do our kids need paper, but it’s a great time to stock up on paper for your home or office. Many stores have coupons and offerings to buy one package and get one package free or at a great discount.
Laptops and Tablets
You typically don’t see many discounts on Apple products, but I’ve seen a few here and there. My family picked up some Apple Air laptops (last year’s model), discounted at $250.00. That was a great buy!
Look at Best Buy, Amazon, or any other techy store near your city. It’s all about being ready for school. Before you shop, ask for the student discount; if you have a child going to college, it will save you another 20-30%.
Lysol and Clorox Wipes – Hand Sanitizer – Cleaning Supplies – Bleach
August is back to school, and here come the germs, viruses, and bacteria in the air. If you can afford to buy a package or two for your child’s teacher, I bet they would love it! Let’s keep the sickness down any way we can.
Grab a container of hand sanitizer for the kids and teachers. You can never have too many of those. The stores will have these right at eye level so you can see them when walking in the front door.
It’s a great month to stock up on cleaning supplies because they’ll be sold at reduced prices with coupons and mailers. We all get the cleaning bug when the kids return to school, right?
Cereal-Frozen Waffles-Ready Made Breakfast Items
We all know how busy it is when school starts, particularly in the morning as you try to get the kids out the door on time. Cereal and many other breakfast items will be marked down heavily.
All the major cold and hot cereal companies gear up with coupons and mailers for one of the most considerable markdowns of the year. If you have space, you can buy enough cereal for the entire year and save 30-40% off the regular price.
Be sure to walk past the freezer section because you’ll see frozen waffles, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches marked down to help the school mornings go a little smoother. If the kids like granola bars, you’ll also see those at reduced prices.
Snacks For School
Back to school means making lunches and having snacks in the backpacks. Having a few boxes in the pantry for after-school snacks is a real bonus. When the kids’ friends come over, you can hand out snacks you purchased at 30-40% off the regular price.
Pool Toys-Beach Towels
August is the month to stock up on pool toys, beach towels, and swim goggles. The stores want to prepare the shelves for fall apparel and decorations. You’ll often see 65-80% markdowns on many swimming pool and beach items as summer comes to an end.
Summer Clothing
This month, the stores need to remove their summer clothing because fall clothing will soon be required. You’ll see excellent buys on swimsuits, summer pajamas, nightgowns, sandals, and flip-flops. Look for those light summer coverups and summer dresses with matching jewelry. If you need a summer hat for this year or next, this is the time to buy one.
What To Stock Up On In August
Camping Supplies
Sleeping Bags
We often think of summer as the time our kids need sleeping bags for those fun summer outdoor sleepovers, but fun nighttime activities with friends and family can happen all year long. They also may need a sleeping bag for late summer sports camps or, for the more adventurous, those winter camps when it’s frigid. Consider upgrading those old bags for new, more heat-efficient versions.
Propane Canisters
Speaking of camps, as summer winds down, many stores try to clear out equipment and supplies used for outdoor activities. That includes the small propane canisters families use to run camp stoves and propane lanterns.
Camping Coolers
Coolers like these aren’t just for camping. You may be going to a late summer family reunion or an early fall football game where you want to take your favorite snacks, drinks, or desserts. These new coolers are much more efficient and keep your goodies cool longer.
What to Stock Up On Each Month:
- What to Stock Up On In January
- What to Stock Up On In February
- What to Stock Up On In March
- What to Stock Up On In April
- What to Stock Up On In May
- What to Stock Up On In June
- What to Stock Up On In July
- What to Stock Up On In August
- What to Stock Up On In September
- What to Stock Up On In October
- What to Stock Up On In November
- What to Stock Up On In December
Unique August Holidays
- August 1: Friendship Day
- August 2: National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
- August 3: National Watermelon Day
- August 4: National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
- August 5: National Oyster Day
- August 6: National Fresh Breath Day
- August 7: National Lighthouse Day
- August 8: Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day
- August 9: Book Lover’s Day
- August 10: National S’mores Day
- August 11: Son and Daughter Day
- August 12: World Elephant Day
- August 13: Left Hander’s Day
- August 14: National Creamsicle Day
- August 15: Relaxation Day
- August 16: National Tell a Joke Day
- August 17: National Thriftshop Day
- August 18: World Daffodil Day
- August 19: Aviation Day
- August 20: World Mosquito Day
- August 21: National Honey Bee Awareness Day
- August 22: National Tooth Fairy Day
- August 23: Ride the Wind Day
- August 24: Iconic American Restaurants Day
- August 25: National Banana Split Day
- August 26: National Dog Day
- August 27: Just Because Day
- August 28: Stuffed Green Bell Peppers Day
- August 29: More Herbs, Less Salt Day
- August 30: Toasted Marshmallow Day
- August 31: National Trail Mix Day
Final Word
I hope this post on what to stock up on in August helps you save money when you need something for your family. It’s tough for me to pay the regular retail price for anything. When Mark and I eat out, we use a coupon 99% of the time. It’s all about saving money, right? When I enter a store, I go to the clearance racks first, a habit we have always had. Please stay well and keep prepping. May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: School Supplies Deposit photos_19503785_s-2019
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