The Best Ways to Spend Money in April 2018

Of course you know that April showers bring May flowers—and this year those showers have been snowshowers in many places across the country. What you may not know is that it is possible to be showered with deals in April. That’s because, like every month in the year, there’s good buys to be had—sometimes better than at other times in the year.

For starters April is Earth Month, National Stress Awareness Month and National Soft Pretzel Month, among others. With these first and third celebrations, you can expect to find related freebies. That’s why later this month I’ll have my annual Earth Day freebies piece along with a roundup of deals for National Pretzel Day on April 26.

Those aren’t the only ways you can save money in April. I’ve put together a list of five areas where you can be a smart shopper in April and how you can find some of the best prices of the year.

1. Airfare and Hotel Stays

April is known as the shoulder season. Not as many people are traveling, so you may find great deals on hotel rooms and airfare. In fact, Southwest Airlines is having a national sale now through April 19. Some flights are priced as low as $49 each way.

Also, if you plan ahead for summer, you can save on hotel rooms. For example, at Extended Stay America, when you book more than seven days before your arrival date, you’ll receive 5 percent off your nightly rate. Booking more than 21 days in advance? How does 10 percent off the nightly rate sound? Here’s another savings: Extended Stay participates in Ebates so you could get additional money off your booking in the form of cash back from Ebates.

2. Stress Relief

HealthSource America’s Chiropractor has a special offer for April that ties into National Stress Awareness Month. This $49 stress-relief package includes a chiropractic evaluation and 15-minute massage at participating locations.

HealthSource will also be handing out more than 60,000 Relax-O-Gram cards, offering recipients free massages. HealthSource clinics will also be conducting free massages out in the community to teachers, social workers and first responders (police, fire, EMS, active military and veterans).

3. Easter and Passover Markdowns

With Easter falling on April 1 and Passover starting that same weekend this year, you should see plenty of deals on Easter candy now and anything Passover by next weekend. As I wrote in this post on after Easter sales, if you’re a bride-to-be, you can save a ton on everything from candy for favors to flower girl dresses with these holiday markdowns.

4. Car Tune-ups and Tire Checks

Coming off a cold, snowy winter, your car could really use some TLC. Your tires, too. Goodyear Auto Service and Just Tires are offering free alignment along with tire, shocks and struts checks. You could also get $15 off alignment with struts as well as up to an $80 rebate on shocks and struts through April.

5. Gym Memberships

With warmer weather you might be thinking, uh-oh, bathing suit season is around the corner. You might not find deals on bathing suits just yet, but you just might find a deal on a gym membership—especially if you never got around to joining one during the New Year’s resolution rush in January. Planet Fitness is offering a promotion through April 13. New members can join for just $5 down (enrollment fee) and then $10 a month.