ShareThisThe much-anticipated rebates from the economic stimulus package are already being sent out. And whether you decide to spend, save or pay off debt, the bottom line is it'll be nice to have a bit of extra cash on hand. If you choose to put some greenbacks back into the economy, make sure your dollars stretch as far as possible with these items that are deeply discounted in May.Sports Equipment: The weather is heating up and, accordingly, sporting-goods stores are preparing to put out equipment for the summer sports season, such as scuba gear and tennis rackets. At the same time, they need to get rid of excess winter gear, so now's the time to pick up a discounted hockey stick or football helmet.Athletic Footwear: Sports sales also extend to athletic shoes, since stores are updating their inventory for warmer months and are eager to get rid of shoes that have outlived their welcome. Try sportsauthority.com for some good picks.Small Consumer Electronics: MP3 players and digital cameras and DVD players -- oh my! Keep your eye out for sales on these items in the month of May. As moms get more high-tech (or their kids want them to), electronics have become increasingly popular gifts for Mother's Day. This means that lots of stores mark them down for the holiday -- and you get good deals! If you're not in a rush to get any new gadgets (or your check comes later than May), then you'll still get good rates in June during Father's Day and graduation sales. Bestbuy.com has a nice selection.Towels and Linens: Flannel sheets off, bamboo or crisp cotton sheets on. By May, many stores have already put out their warmer-weather lines of towels and linens, which means that winter home items can be gotten for a song if you're willing to shop the clearance rack. And what self-respecting bargain shopper isn't? Jcpenny.com has some great bargains.Big Sales: You also want to keep your eye out for big sales surrounding Mother's Day and Memorial Day weekends. And, start looking around a few days before Memorial Day to scope out who has sales on what -- it's a good time to find discounts on almost anything from clothes to cars to washing machines if you look around.Final Tip: In the market for CDs or DVDs to help build your home library? They generally come out on Tuesdays and are often on sale for the first one to three weeks after release.(Helen Malani is the chief shopping expert for Shopzilla.com, an E.W. Scripps company and the largest comparison-shopping search engine on the Web. E-mail askhelen(at)shopzilla.com.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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